Skip site navigation (1)Skip section navigation (2)
Date:      Wed, 21 May 1997 09:10:16 -0500 (CDT)
From:      Richard Neswold <neswold@aduxb.fnal.gov>
To:        Soren Dossing <sauber@netcom.com>
Cc:        questions@FreeBSD.ORG
Subject:   Re: rm is slow
Message-ID:  <Pine.GSO.3.95.970521085746.19977A-100000@aduxb.fnal.gov>
In-Reply-To: <Pine.SUN.3.95.970521005728.26430C-100000@netcom22>

next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
On Wed, 21 May 1997, Soren Dossing wrote:

> rm deletes files very slowly on my system, much slower than the files can
> be created. It takes more than an hour to delete one GB of files.
> 
> Why is that, and is there anything I can do to speed it up ?

Because, by default, the FreeBSD file system makes sure that the disk is in
a consistent state. So, for every file that is deleted, the file system runs
through a procedure that, if interrupted, doesn't corrupt your file system.

To speed up installations and massive deletions, I simply remount my
partition as 'async'. For instance, I occasionally clean up my /usr/ports
directory. Some of the ports generate a lot of object files. By using

	mount -uo async /usr

the clean-up goes faster. Of course, the file system is less "safe", but the
operation doesn't take as long.

  Rich

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------
  Richard Neswold, Accelerator Div./Controls Dept |     neswold@fnal.gov
  Fermilab, PO Box 500, MS 347, Batavia, IL 60510 | voice (630) 840-3454
  'finger neswold@aduxb.fnal.gov' for PGP key     |   fax (630) 840-3093




Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?Pine.GSO.3.95.970521085746.19977A-100000>