linux-ext4 - Re: Why isn't ext2 deprecated over ext4?

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Message-ID: <4b40056d-9b55-48b2-86f0-b91207e9abb7@thelounge.net>
Date: Wed, 21 Feb 2024 12:39:54 +0100
From: Reindl Harald <h.reindl@...lounge.net>
To: linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: Why isn't ext2 deprecated over ext4?



Am 21.02.24 um 12:00 schrieb Jan Kara:
> Hello,
> 
> On Wed 21-02-24 10:33:04, Michael Opdenacker wrote:
>> I'm wondering why ext2 isn't marked as deprecated yet as it has 32 bit dates
>> and dates will rollover in 2038 (in 14 years from now!).
>>
>> I'm asking because ext4, when used without a journal, seems to be a worthy
>> replacement and has 64 bit dates.
>>
>> I'll be happy to send a patch to fs/ext2/Kconfig to warn users.
> 
> For all practical purposes I agree we expect users to use ext4 driver on a
> filesystem without a journal instead of ext2 driver. We are still keeping
> ext2 around mostly as a simple reference filesystem for other fs
> developers. I agree we should improve the kconfig text to reference users
> to ext4.
> 
> Regarding y2038 problem - this is really the matter of on-disk format as
> created by mke2fs, not so much of the kernel driver. And the kernel will be
> warning about that when you mount ext2 so I don't think special handling is
> needed for that.

you shouldn't create filesystems with a on-disk format that don't 
support 64bit timestamps no matter how small the filesystem is

the arguments on this list where "such a small filesystem isn't expected 
to be still used in 2038" which is nonsense in case of a /boot FS in a 
virtual machine

our whole servers already survived 16 years and 30 dist-upgrades