Ron Schenone

Does Linux, Mac OS Need Defragmentation Software?

Posted by on Apr 23, 2009 | 25 Comments

I just read an article over at Var Guy that is suggesting that Diskeeper may be working on defragmentation software for both Linux and Mac OS. It seems that the rumors could be true and that Diskeeper may be releasing a software that will be designed for open source Linux and Mac OS because of what the Var Guy cites as:

So, why is Diskeeper reconsidering the Mac OS X and Linux markets? Three potential answers:

1. More Predictable Code Changes: On the Linux front, Diskeeper had been concerned about keeping pace with rapid changes to Linux’s kernel, as well as continued changes from Linux distributions. But as Linux matured and long term Linux became more popular, Diskeeper’s market concerns subsided.

2. Virtualization: Every virtual machine is subject to fragmentation, claims one source close to Diskeeper. So if a server is running dozens of virtual machines (Windows or Linux), that’s an opportunity for Diskeeper to sell dozens of new licenses.

3. Market Share: Yes, Mac OS X’s market share has climbed steadily in recent years, nearly nearly 10 percent of the desktop/laptop market in 2008, up from 7.3 percent in 2007, notes Netapplications.com. Mac OS X’s momentum has forced Diskeeper to take a second look at the Apple market.

I must admit I do not have enough knowledge about Linux or Mac OS to even know if a defrag. program is needed or not. Maybe some here could shed some light on the subject. I seem to recall that neither Linux nor Mac OS required defragging because of the way their file structures work. Or is this an error on my part?

Comments welcome.

Source.

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/theoracle/ the oracle

    Linux and the BSDs don’t have a file fragmentation problem, but they can, and do, have problems with complete files scattered all over the drive. The standard way to defrag a slice in any of the Unix types, or clones, has been to backup that slice (partition) reformat, and then copy the partition back to the drive. Time consuming, tedious, and really unworkable since drives got to be measured in gigabytes.

    I’ve seen programs that will do the task, but they are not widely used, mostly due to the myth that no fragmentation occurs.

  • http://RealtyTechBytes.com Jerry Kidd

    Funny to run across your Tweet not 60 seconds after deleting latest DiskKeeper offer from my email.

    I have used DK for years on my PCs but have recently (a few weeks ago) moved to a new iMac 24″ machine. I used VMWare’s utility to copy my PC and now run it and all of it’s programs, settings, and data as a Virtual Machine on the iMac.

    I was wondering whether the Mac needs disk defragging, so I am interested in hearing what other readers have to say on this topic. I am an MCSE, CCNA and A+ and Network+, but I am a newb when it comes to Mac.

    Best regards,

    jerry

  • Tommyr

    My understanding is that Linux and Macs do it on the fly. I’ve been using Macs for over 10 years and have NEVER even thought about “defragging”. No issues here!

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  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Thanks for the information everyone and for your comments.

  • http://www.techfresh.net Jeremiah

    I just cloned my 120GB on my mac to a fresh 500GB and now the 500Gb is sitting inside. First thing I noticed after switching the disks was that my mac was running slower than before. So I opened iDefrag and there it was, fragmentation everywhere, everything was red. I guess you do need to defrag your mac but only in special cases like mine. But in most cases I think the common belief that macs don’t need to be defragged is quite truthful.

  • http://www.geeks.pirillo.com/gnomie1 Julie D.

    Iin the case of Linux ( I have hands on experience with most of the major distros) due to the partition structures of the OS in general do not develop slowing symptoms as does with Windows. Ubuntu 8.10 has a nifty utility for clearing the OS caches though.

  • James Gilliland

    Linux will be adding online defragmentation to its toolkit for at least one of its file systems, ext4.

    I’m not sure I buy the kernel changes argument though since most of the linux file systems have been exceedingly stable for a fairly long time. I think it has most that they’ve figured out a way to market it.

  • G&T

    In one word: No.

    Use XFS.

    xfs_fsr -v is your friend.

  • Eric Boo

    On the Mac, defragmentation is not as big a problem. However, that’s not to say that it doesn’t exist.

    As far as I know, what it means is that whole files are kept defragmented, but this doesn’t mean that related files (eg in a program) are kept together.

  • http://www.webkarnage.net WebKarnage

    Mac OSX only defrags files below a certain size, and core parts of the system on installs. For those who do a lot of image and/or audio work, maybe those who try a lot of different apps too, a defrag done regularly makes a significant difference. I use iDefrag (from Coriolis Systems), and would have to clean install once a year or more if I didn’t. I would never be without it.

    Basic computing, or computing that doesn’t produce large quantities of data won’t be an issue for Mac OSX

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  • http://dret.ch Anthony Nguyen

    Disk fragmentation doesn’t happen often because Linux/OS X file systems check to see if there is enough space for a full file, rather than throwing the data into the first blank spot.

    the oracle is right, however. Files may be complete but could be strewn across your HDD. There are already tools to optimize your HDD, though. iDefrag for OS X. I couldn’t find one for Linux, though.

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  • http://www.myspace.com/PAPO1990 PAPO

    I once found a demo of an app. called iDefrag but it was limited to drives of 100MB> (being a demo and all) but it did show me fragmentation on my HDD

  • http://wp3.lockergnome.com/nexus/blade/ Ron Schenone

    Again, thanks to all of you who have made a comment. I learned something new.

  • kesav

    FWIW, I use Diskeeper 2009 Pro on my 2 XP desktops and a vista notebook, and it does a great job. Never had a problem with it, and it’s been unintrusive but efficient in doing it’s work behind the scenes. I don’t intend on switching to Mac or Linux any time soon, but I would be curious to see what the Diskeeper guys come up with.

    Searching for OS X on the DK site throws up this field study exercise. Have any of you guys participated?
    http://www.diskeeper.com/blog/post/2009/02/04/Mac-Fragmentation-Field-Study.aspx

  • http://www.altimatos.com Gary Greene

    As a distribution developer that pays attention to filesystem development, I know for fact that fragmentation of files and of data segments CAN occur. Ever had a crash in Linux and then watched as fsck happily told you that you have 8.9% or more fragmentation? Yes. While in most cases, it is file and not data segments that are strewn across the drive, it does occur in those cases. I use XFS for the very reason that it has a “defrag” utility as part of it’s toolset. Mind, I’d love to see if the tool from Diskkeeper will include optimising directories, since on a mail server that would be killer.

  • bob

    Linux only needs defrag if the hard disk is getting full.

    Otherwise, no it doesn’t.

    Linux does have defrag tools, but they only work if you unmount the disk before you run them – not practical in many cases (especially if you want to defrag the drive with /bin on it)

  • http://schestowitz.com Roy Schestowitz

    I keep seeing people who bring up the Net Applications figures, which are Apple|MS-sponsored. http://boycottnovell.com/2009/02/04/microsoft-apple-net-applications/

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  • Connor Bryant

    It’s one of the things PC’s have that Mac’s don’t.

  • Ryan Farmer

    Data fragmentation is really never a problem on Linux file systems (it can be, but you’d really have to beat the crap out of the file system and leave it with very little free space)

    Ext2/3 are probably the most vulnerable, and after 2 years of daily use on an Ext3 partition, it was 1.9% fragmented.

    XFS has xfs_fsr which you can invoke to “defragment” the file system, but it fragments even less than Ext2/3 do and the package which brings in xfs_fsr is not usualyl even installed by default (xfsdump).

    Ext4 will have E4defrag, which is basically just a front end to the functionality that’s already in the kernel/driver.

    Really fragmentation is an afterthought because most of the reason, I think, Microsoft keeps NTFS with the behavior it exhibits is because Executive Software and Raxco are both MS partners and pay them a percentage of their sales.

    There’s really just no reason to design a file system that is susceptible to this. You also risk data loss on NTFS due to file fragmentation in some cases.

  • Gnoom

    It is a myth that Linux and/or OS X file systems do not fragment. OS X on-the-fly defragments files smaller than 20MB, though. My current Linux install is about a month-old, and fragmentation figures for my partitions are as follows:

    / fragmented files: 36.973%; average fragments per file: 1.339

    /home fragmented files: 78.920%; average fragments per file: 2.879.

    Note: I am running ext3 for both / and /home. Running a file system that supports extents and/or delayed allocation (e.g. xfs or ext4) should reduce fragmentation, but I don’t think fragmentation will ever be zero in any case.

    Regarding performance implication of fragmentation in Linux and/or OS X, I haven’t seen any convincing benchmarks that could tell me whether there’s a performance degradation as a result of fragmentation or not.

    In conclusion, I would say that one should not worry about fragmentation as long as his/her computer performs normally.