[Leaplist] directory "size", does it matter?

[Steve Litt]

On Wednesday 21 January 2009 09:42:32 am Ingo Claro wrote:
> Hello all:
> I've got a basic question:
> I know that a directory is just another file and it stores information
> regarding it's contents, so how does this directory size affect
> performance? 

Many filesystems, such as ext2 and ext3, use sequential search to locate a 
filename. That means on a directory with 40 files, it must on average look at 
20 filenames, which is quick. If the directory has 40,000 files, it must on 
average look at 20,000 filenames, which is pig slow. Every write, every 
delete, and every move requires a file to be located.

HTH

SteveT
 
Steve Litt
Recession Relief Package
http://www.recession-relief.US


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