FC5: "ext_attr" and "large_file" features for ext3 file systems ???

[Robinson Tiemuqinke]

Thanks a lot.

Another question is: 

 Do I have to run "e2fsck -y -D" on a file system to
active "dir_index" feature? 

 I have bunches of old ext3 file systems created with
old versions of mkfs.ext3, then after upgraded to
Fedora Core 5, I run "tune2fs -O dir_index" to have
turned on the feature, but it is rumored that I have
to run "e2fsck -y -D" after unmounting old ext3 file
systems so that new file and directory creations will
use hased B-tree. 

 If that's corrct? If I don't run "e2fsck -y -D", then
original linear directory structure will be still in
effect even I turned on "dir_index" feature with
tune2fs? For this case, what's the potential effects
on the underlying old ext3 file systems?

Thanks a lot.
 

 
--- "Stephen C. Tweedie" <sct at redhat.com> wrote:

> Hi,
> 
> On Tue, 2006-03-28 at 13:52 -0800, Robinson
> Tiemuqinke wrote:
> 
> >  First, what's the "large_file" feature REALLY
> means?
> > Then, what's the size of "large file" to light
> this
> > feature on? 2GB, or 2TB? 
> 
> 2GB.
> 
> >  Second, the "ext_attr" feature seems another
> > automatic one: it only appears after the first
> > "setfacl" command runs on the file system and then
> the
> > feature will keep on there forever even ACL is
> > removed. What's the indication of "ext_attr"
> feature
> > and what are the reasons behind to have this
> feature?
> 
> They are there simply to indicate that a given
> feature is present on the
> filesystem.  They prevent old versions of the kernel
> and/or e2fsck tools
> from mistakenly operating on a filesystem with newer
> features,
> potentially corrupting things on disk or returning
> incorrect file
> contents.
> 
> All remotely recent kernels have large file support
> for ext3, and all
> 2.6 ones (and many vendor-supplied 2.4 ones) have
> ext_attr, so you have
> to be running something pretty old to run into
> compatibility problems
> with either of those features.
> 
> --Stephen
> 
> 
> 


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