File system fragmentation: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 05:26, 14 December 2006

Revision as of 06:25, 14 December 2006

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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 phenomena 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 is projected to become more problematic with time, due to the increasing disparity of sequential access speed and [[rotational delay]] (and to a lesser extent [[seek time]]), of consumer-grade [[hard disk]]s, which file systems are usually placed on.<ref name=seagate-future>{{cite conference |author=Dr. Mark H. Kryder |publisher=[[Seagate Technology]] |date=2006-04-03 |title=Future Storage Technologies: A Look Beyond the Horizon |booktitle=Storage Networking World conference |url=http://www.snwusa.com/documents/presentations-s06/MarkKryder.pdf |accessdate=2006-12-14 }}</ref> which file systems are usually placed on.

File system fragmentation may occur on several levels: