linux-kernel - Re: [patch] ext2/3: document conditions when reliable operation is possible

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Date:	Wed, 26 Aug 2009 23:28:04 -0700
From:	Eric Sandeen <sandeen@...hat.com>
To:	Theodore Tso <tytso@....edu>, david@...g.hm,
	Pavel Machek <pavel@....cz>, Rik van Riel <riel@...hat.com>,
	Ric Wheeler <rwheeler@...hat.com>,
	Florian Weimer <fweimer@....de>,
	Goswin von Brederlow <goswin-v-b@....de>,
	Rob Landley <rob@...dley.net>,
	kernel list <linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org>,
	Andrew Morton <akpm@...l.org>, mtk.manpages@...il.com,
	rdunlap@...otime.net, linux-doc@...r.kernel.org,
	linux-ext4@...r.kernel.org, corbet@....net, jack@...e.cz
Subject: Re: [patch] ext2/3: document conditions when reliable operation is
 possible

Theodore Tso wrote:
> On Wed, Aug 26, 2009 at 06:43:24AM -0700, david@...g.hm wrote:
>>>> as the ext3 authors have stated many times over the years, you still need
>>>> to run fsck periodicly anyway.
>>> Where is that documented?
>> linux-kernel mailing list archives.
> 
> Probably from some 6-8 years ago, in e-mail postings that I made.  My
> argument has always been that PC-class hardware is crap, and it's a
> Really Good Idea to periodically check the metadata because corruption
> there can end up causing massive data loss.  The main problem is that
> doing it at reboot time really hurt system availability, and "after 20
> reboots (plus or minus)" resulted in fsck checks at wildly varying
> intervals depending on how often people reboot.

Aside ... can we default mkfs.ext3 to not set a mandatory fsck interval 
then? :)

-Eric

> What I've been recommending for some time is that people use LVM, and
> run fsck on a snapshot every week or two, at some convenient time when
> the system load is at a minimum.  There is an e2croncheck script in
> the e2fsprogs sources, in the contrib directory; it's short enough
> that I'll attach here here.
> 
> Is it *necessary*?  In a world where hardware is perfect, no.  In a
> world where people don't bother buying ECC memory because it's 10%
> more expensive, and PC builders use the cheapest possible parts --- I
> think it's a really good idea.
> 
> 						- Ted
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