Ext4 Switchover

Zatara214 · 06-26-2009, 12:13 PM

I just switched my Ext3 install to Ext4. I know that it takes time to overwrite the Ext3 files with Ext4 ones by recreating / updating them (at least that's what I've heard). Is there any way to speed up this process? Maybe a defrag or something?

Rome5 · 06-26-2009, 07:39 PM

It shouldn't take that long to begin with. Might you explain the steps you're taking to convert to ext4? What size partition(s) are being converted?

Zatara214 · 06-26-2009, 11:41 PM

I used these steps:

To enable the ext4 features on an existing ext3 filesystem, use the command:

"# tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/DEV

WARNING: Once you run this command, the filesystem will no longer be mountable using the ext3 filesystem!

After running this command, you MUST run fsck to fix up some on-disk structures that tune2fs has modified:

# e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/DEV"

The partition is 30 GB right now, but I may consider extending it in the near future by around 100 GB.

Rome5 · 06-27-2009, 09:31 PM

The steps look correct, but exactly where are you/did you run the commands from? Hopefully you're doing it from a live CD so that partition being converted is not active or 'mounted'. That's a key step and could cause the process to take longer, but more importantly, could cause errors or data loss on the partition.

Have you already completed the conversion? I guess I'm a bit confused, are you just asking how to speed it up for the next time?

Zatara214 · 06-27-2009, 11:46 PM

Yes, I ran it from a live CD. Apparently the way it works is that everything already written stays as Ext3 until REWRITTEN, and only then is it converted into Ext4. So I need a quick way to rewrite all of the files on my partition so that they are then converted to Ext4. I figured maybe a defrag would do it, but I'm not sure if that would convert them or not.

06-26-2009, 12:13 PM	#1 (permalink)
Zatara214 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 46 OS: Ubuntu 8.10	Ext4 Switchover I just switched my Ext3 install to Ext4. I know that it takes time to overwrite the Ext3 files with Ext4 ones by recreating / updating them (at least that's what I've heard). Is there any way to speed up this process? Maybe a defrag or something?

06-26-2009, 07:39 PM	#2 (permalink)
Rome5 Alternative Computing Team Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Denver.CO Posts: 311 OS: Arch linux	Re: Ext4 Switchover It shouldn't take that long to begin with. Might you explain the steps you're taking to convert to ext4? What size partition(s) are being converted? __________________ Arch64 ~ PekWM

06-26-2009, 11:41 PM	#3 (permalink)
Zatara214 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 46 OS: Ubuntu 8.10	Re: Ext4 Switchover I used these steps: To enable the ext4 features on an existing ext3 filesystem, use the command: "# tune2fs -O extents,uninit_bg,dir_index /dev/DEV WARNING: Once you run this command, the filesystem will no longer be mountable using the ext3 filesystem! After running this command, you MUST run fsck to fix up some on-disk structures that tune2fs has modified: # e2fsck -fpDC0 /dev/DEV" The partition is 30 GB right now, but I may consider extending it in the near future by around 100 GB.

06-27-2009, 09:31 PM	#4 (permalink)
Rome5 Alternative Computing Team Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Denver.CO Posts: 311 OS: Arch linux	Re: Ext4 Switchover The steps look correct, but exactly where are you/did you run the commands from? Hopefully you're doing it from a live CD so that partition being converted is not active or 'mounted'. That's a key step and could cause the process to take longer, but more importantly, could cause errors or data loss on the partition. Have you already completed the conversion? I guess I'm a bit confused, are you just asking how to speed it up for the next time? __________________ Arch64 ~ PekWM

06-27-2009, 11:46 PM	#5 (permalink)
Zatara214 Registered User Join Date: Mar 2009 Posts: 46 OS: Ubuntu 8.10	Re: Ext4 Switchover Yes, I ran it from a live CD. Apparently the way it works is that everything already written stays as Ext3 until REWRITTEN, and only then is it converted into Ext4. So I need a quick way to rewrite all of the files on my partition so that they are then converted to Ext4. I figured maybe a defrag would do it, but I'm not sure if that would convert them or not.