From owner-freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG Thu Aug 28 00:41:32 2008 Return-Path: Delivered-To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org Received: from mx1.freebsd.org (mx1.freebsd.org [IPv6:2001:4f8:fff6::34]) by hub.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id 2726F1065670 for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:32 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from freebsd-questions@m.gmane.org) Received: from ciao.gmane.org (main.gmane.org [80.91.229.2]) by mx1.freebsd.org (Postfix) with ESMTP id D801A8FC0A for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:31 +0000 (UTC) (envelope-from freebsd-questions@m.gmane.org) Received: from list by ciao.gmane.org with local (Exim 4.43) id 1KYVZp-0005ds-Ps for freebsd-questions@freebsd.org; Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:29 +0000 Received: from pool-141-156-180-91.esr.east.verizon.net ([141.156.180.91]) by main.gmane.org with esmtp (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:29 +0000 Received: from nightrecon by pool-141-156-180-91.esr.east.verizon.net with local (Gmexim 0.1 (Debian)) id 1AlnuQ-0007hv-00 for ; Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:29 +0000 X-Injected-Via-Gmane: http://gmane.org/ To: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org From: Michael Powell Date: Wed, 27 Aug 2008 20:43:22 -0400 Lines: 19 Message-ID: References: <20080827172946.5a1d4103@gom.home> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7Bit X-Complaints-To: usenet@ger.gmane.org X-Gmane-NNTP-Posting-Host: pool-141-156-180-91.esr.east.verizon.net Sender: news Subject: Re: defrag X-BeenThere: freebsd-questions@freebsd.org X-Mailman-Version: 2.1.5 Precedence: list Reply-To: nightrecon@verizon.net List-Id: User questions List-Unsubscribe: , List-Archive: List-Post: List-Help: List-Subscribe: , X-List-Received-Date: Thu, 28 Aug 2008 00:41:32 -0000 prad wrote: > something that has puzzled me for years (but i've never got around to > asking) is how does *nix get away without regular defrag as with > windoze. > > fsck is equivalent to scandisk, right? > > so when you delete files and start getting 'holes', how does *nix deal > with it? > The short answer is that defrag is built into and an integral part of the filesystem. So you can think of it as "always running" as opposed to the "regularly scheduled" by some other entity/application external to the filesystem. No third party "Disk Keeper" like utilities required. -Mike