FS#25341 - [linux] use Ext4 driver for Ext3 and Ext2 filesystems

Attached to Project: Arch Linux
Opened by Matthias Dienstbier (fs4000) - Sunday, 31 July 2011, 20:01 GMT
Last edited by Tobias Powalowski (tpowa) - Wednesday, 22 February 2012, 16:17 GMT
Task Type Feature Request
Category Kernel
Status Closed
Assigned To Tobias Powalowski (tpowa)
Thomas Bächler (brain0)
Architecture All
Severity Low
Priority Normal
Reported Version
Due in Version Undecided
Due Date Undecided
Percent Complete 100%
Votes 3
Private No

Details

Fedora 16 is using the Ext4 driver for Ext2/3 filesystems by using the kernel config EXT4_USE_FOR_EXT23.

All the benefits are described here: http://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Features/UseExt4ForExt3AndExt2

This change won't be as unproblematic for us as for Fedora because we build the drivers as modules. So everyone who loads ext2/3 module manually will have to change to the ext4 module.
This task depends upon

Closed by  Tobias Powalowski (tpowa)
Wednesday, 22 February 2012, 16:17 GMT
Reason for closing:  Implemented
Additional comments about closing:  3.2.7-1 3.0.22-1
Comment by Gaetan Bisson (vesath) - Sunday, 31 July 2011, 20:54 GMT
The only "benefits" I can read there are: "This will reduce the size of the kernel, and will also reduce the amount of filesystem code which must be maintained for this Fedora release." This doesn't strike me as very relevant to us.

Personally, I like my ext2 partitions to be handled by the old/sturdy 40KB ext2 driver, rather than a subset of the new 184KB ext4 driver.
Comment by Thomas Bächler (brain0) - Monday, 01 August 2011, 22:08 GMT
We tried this when this new option was introduced, and it caused critical problems. This was over a year ago if I recall correctly, so these problems may be fixed today. We might try again when Linux 3.1 is released and goes into testing.
Comment by Keshav Amburay (the.ridikulus.rat) - Thursday, 19 January 2012, 18:20 GMT
Status of this? In Fedora there seems to be no issues so far, however his is compiled as in-kernel. Maybe we can use ext2 and ext3 module aliases for ext4 module.
Comment by Thomas Bächler (brain0) - Thursday, 16 February 2012, 14:56 GMT
Tobias, can we do this when 3.3 goes to testing?
Comment by Geert Hendrickx (ghen) - Thursday, 16 February 2012, 15:14 GMT
You can also just s/ext3/ext4/ in your /etc/fstab and the ext4 driver will be used to mount your ext3 filesystems unmodified (as long as you don't enable ext4-only features via tune2fs).
Comment by Tobias Powalowski (tpowa) - Tuesday, 21 February 2012, 08:05 GMT
added to 3.2.7

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