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#1 2011-10-12 21:52:18

Who'sThere?
Member
From: Middle-Of-Nowhere-USA
Registered: 2010-12-09
Posts: 59

Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

Hi.

I've been using Linux on, and off, again for about two years now, and I never really bothered using anything outside of the extn file systems.

I had at one point only used ext2 only on usb installs, and usually on temporary installs of RIPLinux, Parted Magic, or Puppy Linux.

But... now we have the option to disable journaling with tune2fs, or at the very least mounting the partition with options 'noatime', 'barrier=0', or 'nobh', should we use ext4 for any of these devices?

Are there any ext4 improvements over ext2/3 that would actually apply to SSDs, or other flash devices?

Right now I'm currently running Arch from an USB. It's being used to stream media to a video game console, download files in the 200 - 500 MB range, and act as my media viewer for movie files. ie - mpeg, mp4, mkv, and flv. My original idea was to have a future proof system setup that I could eventually clone over to my replacement hard-drive when it comes in the mail.

Should I just make the switch back to ext2, or does ext4 have benefits over ext2 on these types of devices?

While I'm considering a persistent journal disable, my only Arch partition is mounted as follows in the fstab.

UUID=546043fd-170f-4ed4-8af0-136113627e8c / ext4 defaults,noatime,barrier=0 0 1
tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0
tmpfs /var/tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0
tmpfs /var/lock tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0
tmpfs /var/run tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=755 0 0
tmpfs /var/cache/pacman/pkg tmpfs defaults,noatime 0 0
tmpfs /var/abs/local/yaourtbuild tmpfs defaults,noatime 0 0

Arch Linux: x86_64, Default Kernel.
Repos: Core, Extra, Community, Multilib.

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#2 2011-10-14 01:54:25

Who'sThere?
Member
From: Middle-Of-Nowhere-USA
Registered: 2010-12-09
Posts: 59

Re: Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

I take it then that nobody here is knowledgeable on these Linux file systems, or the usb supported components of the current kernel? Oh well...


Arch Linux: x86_64, Default Kernel.
Repos: Core, Extra, Community, Multilib.

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#3 2011-10-14 15:11:38

kilgore70809
Member
Registered: 2011-09-14
Posts: 4

Re: Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

http://www.thegeekstuff.com/2011/05/ext2-ext3-ext4/

A nice concise answer...   I don't think it would provide any benefits for your application.  I just do everything in EXT4.. Never had a problem.

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#4 2011-10-14 16:25:49

vtlmks
Member
From: Sundsvall, Sweden
Registered: 2009-08-18
Posts: 6
Website

Re: Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

One benefit of using EXT4 is that you can mount it with the 'discard' option, so that it automatically trim the SSD, which EXT2/3 does not.

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#5 2011-10-14 16:42:08

Dieter@be
Forum Fellow
From: Belgium
Registered: 2006-11-05
Posts: 2,000
Website

Re: Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

you can also try nilfs, which should be much more appropriate for ssd's.


< Daenyth> and he works prolifically
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#6 2012-05-21 19:07:28

midenok
Member
Registered: 2012-05-21
Posts: 1

Re: Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

Who'sThere? wrote:
UUID=546043fd-170f-4ed4-8af0-136113627e8c / ext4 defaults,noatime,barrier=0 0 1
tmpfs /var/tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0

/var/tmp is intended to be persistent across boots.

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#7 2012-05-21 19:33:24

ewaller
Administrator
From: Pasadena, CA
Registered: 2009-07-13
Posts: 19,739

Re: Any benefits to using Ext4 over Ext2 on SSD, or USB flash drive?

midenok,

Welcome to Arch Linux.   Take note that this is an old thread (but not overly so).  When reviving old threads, we generally encourage creating a new thread and linking to the old.  In this case, your answer is pertinent to the thread, and that thread had not reached a logical conclusion, so you are fine.  I just wanted to drop this note so others know that a moderator has seen it.

Again, welcome.


Nothing is too wonderful to be true, if it be consistent with the laws of nature -- Michael Faraday
Sometimes it is the people no one can imagine anything of who do the things no one can imagine. -- Alan Turing
---
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