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Date: Mon, 8 Sep 1997 16:15:09 -0500 (CDT)
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From: "M. L. Dodson" <bdodson@beowulf.utmb.edu>
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To: 026809r@dragon.acadiau.ca (Michael Richards)
Cc: poker2@northernnet.com (Shawn Leas), freebsd-questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject: Re: Fragmentation (How much is too much?)
In-Reply-To: <199709082013.RAA14047@dragon.acadiau.ca>
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	<199709082013.RAA14047@dragon.acadiau.ca>
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Michael Richards writes:
 > > Just wondering, guys...  I am about 1.0% fragged, and I
 > > was wondering at what point a dump/restore is in order?
 > > Or is there possibly a better way?
 > 
 > Is there no such thing as a defragmentation program for UFS?
 > Sorta like norton speed disk?
 > 
 > -Mike

The term "fragmentation" with reference to the Berkeley ffs has an
entirely different meaning than "fragmentation" with reference to the
DOS FAT system.  See the discussion in 
/usr/share/doc/smm/05.fastfs/paper.ascii.gz

The design of ffs reduces the kind of fragmentation seen in FAT
systems, so the need for a defragger is essentially eliminated.  If 
you really accumulate fragmentation (in the DOS sense), then a
dump/restore is in order.  I have never found a time when this was
necessary (in 6 years of administering Unix boxes using ffs or its
derivatives).
-- 
M. L. Dodson                                bdodson@scms.utmb.edu
409-772-2178                                FAX: 409-772-1790