Linux

5231 readers

197 users here now

A community for everything relating to the linux operating system

Also check out !linux_memes@programming.dev

Original icon base courtesy of lewing@isc.tamu.edu and The GIMP

founded 1 year ago

MODERATORS

Ategon@programming.dev

anzo@programming.dev

dwraf_of_ignorance@programming.dev

Debcow Optimizing Debian Packages For Copy-On-Write File-Systems (www.phoronix.com)

submitted 5 days ago by lemmee_in@lemm.ee to c/linux@programming.dev

6 comments fedilink hide all child comments

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] TechnicallyColors@lemm.ee 3 points 5 days ago* (last edited 5 days ago)

I'm still not sure I fully understand what's going on at the low-level, but there is a "How it works" section on the debcow github page that at least made an attempt to penetrate my skull.

Edit: I guess the main thing it's doing is skipping the .tar archive extraction, and ref-linking the raw bytes from the .tar into new files? Extacting the .tar normally will create standard files, and those files would be reflink copied to the new location, but that still requires a more or less "normal file copy" during the .tar extraction. This really has greater implications for allowing generic reflinking from .tar archives, instead of just being limited to package installation. Could be interesting if it was handled automatically during .tar extraction. Or I could be misunderstanding, which is equally likely.