Re: [RFC 0/13] extents and 48bit ext3

Theodore Tso
2006-06-10T01:07:19Z

On Sat, Jun 10, 2006 at 02:49:32AM +0200, Sven-Haegar Koch wrote:
> I see a different problem with "ext3 + extends is not ext3 anymore" when
> the feature goes mainstream:
> - user with old distri, no extends in use, no kernel support for them
> - user has some kind of problem
> - uses new rescue disk (aka knoppix at the time of problem) - that then
> is current stuff, and certainly uses extents - fixes problem on disk
> (may be a simple as running lilo/grub from chroot, happens often for me)
> - tries to boot back into his distri -> *boom* he lost

Incorrect, because unless you explicitly enable the use of extents,
the mere act of using a new kernel such as might be found on knoppix
will not result in the filesystem utilizing the extent feature.

There's a lot FUD being spread by people who haven't been bothering to
understand what is being proposed, and that's disappointing.

- Ted