Actually, BitTorrent does have alot to do with it. While BitTorrent allocates the whole file at startup, it is very much a sparse file, and the ext2 filesystem (and other filesystems) pick up on that and don't allocate the whole space. When BitTorrent downloads pieces randomly, the filesystem, seeing that it is still a sparse file, starts writing the pieces at the front. The newer BitTorrent - from CVS - has a new allocation technique and should not exhibit this behavior. Hopefully we will release a new version soon (soon being in August sometime) On Fri, Jul 18, 2003 at 02:51:53PM -0500, Austad, Jay wrote: > Bittorrent shouldn't have had anything to do with it. It allocates the > *entire* file when starting the download. Even though it grabs the files in > pieces, it just fills in the allocated space in the file. I saw an ext2 > defrag util awhile back, but it stated that it was definitely beta and it > would probably hose your drive. How do you know you need a defrag? > > > -----Original Message----- > > From: Dave Worden [mailto:dave.worden at veritas.com] > > Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 1:41 PM > > To: tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > Subject: RE: [TCLUG] defrag linux > > > > > > Er...hit send on accident. > > Anyway, if you have a tape device, dump/restore should defrag a *nix > > filesystem. > > Regards, > > --djw > > > > > -----Original Message----- > > > From: Spencer Butler [mailto:spencer at autonomous.tv] > > > Sent: Friday, July 18, 2003 12:35 PM > > > To: TClug > > > Subject: [TCLUG] defrag linux > > > > > > > > > I have an HDD that is in need of a defrag. I know the ext2 > > > filesytem is > > > not 'suppose' to need to be defragged, but mine does. I think using > > > bittorrent is a part of the cause. Bittorrent downloads > > > 'hunks' of the > > > file at a time, and in no certain order. I do not claim to know the > > > exact reasoning behind my assumption (that bittorrent is the > > > cause of my > > > fragmentation) but I do think it is the source. > > > > > > I would very much like to remedy the situation. Mike Hicks > > suggested > > > that simply coping the files back and forth my take care of > > it. While > > > that does sound like a plausable remedy, I don't really > > have the disk > > > space to do that. > > > > > > I have read the man page for defrag and am wondering if this > > > is safe to > > > do? I do not intend to use windows defrag to solve this > > problem (for > > > more reasons than 'its windows'). > > > > > > Has anyone had any experience siumular to these? Any ideas on the > > > safest way to solve this problem? > > > > > > -- > > > Linux Administrator || Technology Specialist || Wifi Engineer > > > http://autonomous.tv/~spencer/resume/ || spencer at autonomous.tv > > > Key fingerprint = 173B 8760 E59F DBF8 6FD2 68F8 ABA2 AB08 49C7 4754 > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > > http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org > > https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > > > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org > https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list > -- Michael Janssen --- Jamuraa --- jamuraa at base0.net --- janssen at debian.org _______________________________________________ TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota http://www.mn-linux.org tclug-list at mn-linux.org https://mailman.real-time.com/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list