File system fragmentation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:44, 25 December 2006

Revision as of 15:36, 26 January 2007

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{{merge|Defragmentation}}

In computing, '''[[file system]] [[fragmentation (computer)|fragmentation]]''', sometimes called '''file system aging''', is the inability of a file system to lay out related data sequentially (contiguously), an inherent phenomenon in [[computer storage|storage]]-backed file systems that allow in-place modification of their contents. It is a special case of [[fragmentation (computer)#Data fragmentation|data fragmentation]]. File system fragmentation introduces disk head seeks, which are known to hinder [[throughput]].