Software: Better Defragging Through Linux

I spent Saturday afternoon at work,
defragging
the corporate SQL Server. 7 hours Saturday afternoon spent backing up data, then copying data to a network file system,
defragging the Windows 2000 drive, copying data back, and defragging again. Defragging a server can be a time-consuming
operation; so, too, can defragging a desktop computer. Stopping the anti-virus, closing down background programs,
defragging, rebooting, restarting, and maybe even defragging again. Whew! Fragmentation can become so bad, though,
that the computer seems almost useless. In the case of a server, taking one minute to display data in a database
can be enough to prevent real work from getting done when the data can be displayed in a matter of seconds. What has
happened is that the file system has become so fragmented that the time it takes to find program files, data
files and load configuration files has become so noticeable that something must be done. Enter
Diskeeper. But while we know that fragmentation is a problem in Windows and
Diskeeper has a 3rd party program to sell us, don’t bother looking there for a Linux-based program.

So then, what *does* one use to defrag their Linux box? Answer: Nothing. Don’t worry about it. Oh, it
can be done. There is almost always a way to do something with Linux. But you don’t need to. Why?
Your operating system and file systems are designed to handle fragmentation. As a sys admin, I won’t pretend
to understand the technical aspects; what I will do is tell you that your Linux box will most likely never grind
away when opening a program due to poor file storage on disk. If your hard drive is grinding away, get some
memory and/or make sure that you have enough space on your disk (around 10% free seems to be the consensus).
Let Linux keep the file system orderly - no need for you to interfere. See
here and
here. The above were found with a
Google search for “linux defrag”.

Disagree with my conclusion on defragging/fragmentation? Have a different/better way of handling it/explaining
it? Please, let me know!