What is the best filesystem for use in virtual filesystem?

iKevin · Post by **iKevin** » 25. May 2007, 13:24

Hi All

Is there an optimal choice of linux filesystem type when installing linux as a guest? The choices being ext2, ext3, reiser3, reiser4, xfs, etc. Given that VirtualBox uses a virtual filesystem, there may be some advantage of one over another.

Kev

CountyPyr · Post by **CountyPyr** » 29. May 2007, 14:55

Hi

I wondered about this question, too. I guess, since there wasn't any response, that there isn't a favored file system type. For what it is worth, Simply MEPIS 6.5, which is branched from the Ubuntu line, recommended ext3.

JusTiCe8 · Post by **JusTiCe8** » 30. May 2007, 15:43

FS for guest is the same as FS for host system, take a look at FS comparison and choose the best suit for your use.

I prefer XFS cause it's journaled and very efficient in about all cases (files creation/deletion/move even big or small).

CountyPyr · Post by **CountyPyr** » 30. May 2007, 17:08

Hi JusTiCe8

I didn't mention it in my post, but my host system is Win XP Pro SP2 with the NTFS file system. I am brand new to Linux, but I didn't think that it could use NTFS. Am I wrong?

I don't know what the term "journaled" means. Do you know of a web site that compares the various Linux file systems in terms that a newbie can understand?

Post by **bodhi.zazen** » 30. May 2007, 17:14

CountyPyr wrote:Hi JusTiCe8

I didn't mention it in my post, but my host system is Win XP Pro SP2 with the NTFS file system. I am brand new to Linux, but I didn't think that it could use NTFS. Am I wrong?

I don't know what the term "journaled" means. Do you know of a web site that compares the various Linux file systems in terms that a newbie can understand?

No you can not use NTFS for Linux, although Linux can read NTFS.

See here : http://www.linux.org.mt/article/filesystems

JusTiCe8 · Post by **JusTiCe8** » 30. May 2007, 17:47

With latest kernel and ntfs-3g, NTFS is greatly supported but too different from usual FS to use it on root FS.
Journalized (maybe) FS increase reliability in case of crashes, each FS operation is kept in a journal then committed every x seconds to disk. When a crash occured, journal is replayed to be sure to have a clean FS instead of something full of garbage like in old time (FAT is a good example, but UNIXes ext2 too).

Wikipedia and/or google will give you lot's of FS comparison charts.

CountyPyr · Post by **CountyPyr** » 31. May 2007, 20:48

Hi All

Thanks for the URL to an article covering some of the available Linux file systems. I shall tryout several of them in VirtualBox VMs. Having test beds for projects such as this one located inside VB is right up there with the invention of computers.

BTW, is there a program that is capable of converting files from one file system to another file system?

Cogar · Post by **Cogar** » 5. Jun 2007, 01:27

I may have missed something, but suspect that some of you have missed the point. The host system should use whatever file system is preferred for that OS. The guest system should use whatever file system is preferred for that OS. For example, with a Linux host and Windows XP guest, you would use ext3 for Linux and NTFS for Windows. In a virtual environment, the guest does not "observe" the host's file system. It thinks it is running in its own machine and using its own file system.

Regarding iKevin's initial question, I do not know if there is data in a virtual environment yet to prove what is better. Therefore, a reasonable choice would be ext3, since it is generally accepted as having the best performance with the fewest drawbacks on a regular bare metal installation. (Almost no one uses ext2 any more, most distributions are moving away from reiserfs to ext3, and reiser4 is considered somewhat "developmental.")

Post by **bodhi.zazen** » 5. Jun 2007, 01:48

Cogar wrote:I may have missed something, but suspect that some of you have missed the point. The host system should use whatever file system is preferred for that OS. The guest system should use whatever file system is preferred for that OS. For example, with a Linux host and Windows XP guest, you would use ext3 for Linux and NTFS for Windows. In a virtual environment, the guest does not "observe" the host's file system. It thinks it is running in its own machine and using its own file system.

Thank you for the clarification that is a good point of order.

Yes, you should Not install windows onto a linux native file system nor linux onto fat/ntfs

The whole guest/host thing can be soooo confusing ....

Regarding iKevin's initial question, I do not know if there is data in a virtual environment yet to prove what is better. Therefore, a reasonable choice would be ext3, since it is generally accepted as having the best performance with the fewest drawbacks on a regular bare metal installation. (Almost no one uses ext2 any more, most distributions are moving away from reiserfs to ext3, and reiser4 is considered somewhat "developmental.")

LOL

The "best" file system is at times hotly debated. There are ext2/3, reiserfs, jfs, and xfs to name a few. Each has strengths and weaknesses, supporters and detractors. I do not notice huge differences between them in terms of overall performance and if you are interested in tweaking there are various performance enhancements you can do to your file system.

See here :

Summary : http://fsbench.netnation.com/

More detailed : http://linuxgazette.net/102/piszcz.html

I use ext3 as I feel it is the most appropriate to my needs. My primary concern is stability and I personally have concerns with the stability of other file systems, although some, many perhaps would disagree with my choice.