HPFS use position,length pairs. But its a tradeoff, not a clear win.
Consider the case of a huge file with lots of fragments. We want to
find block x in the last half of the file.
This is why any scheme using extents must also be combined with
appropriate algorithsm to avoid fragmentation. If you look at a typical
ext2 filesystem, most files aren't fragmented at all; allocating files
across multiple block groups and using preallocation really helps avoid
fragmentation issues.
- Ted
-
To unsubscribe from this list: send the line "unsubscribe linux-kernel" in
the body of a message to majordomo@vger.rutgers.edu
Please read the FAQ at http://www.tux.org/lkml/