SFS errors out of the blue

[Flashlab]

It says 1999 for version 1.58.

1.277 from the other site is from 2007.

[motorollin]

Weirdness. Must be a different SFS. Naughty if it is since they seem to have "borrowed" not only the name but also the logo...

I will consider moving over to PFS if I can register it.

--
moto

[Piru]

Well, I'd check the usual amiga dealers. The filesystems comes on a CD, with patch to latest version on aminet.

[ChrisH]

SFS works 100% fine for me, including IBrowse.  Anyone complaining about it probably was just unlucky and didn't have a backup.  That or their HD is bad...

I switch to SFS from PFS3, because PFS is *very* buggy with long file names, and I've never looked back.  I would *not* switch back to PFS, because it is no-longer supported, where-as SFS is.

[Piru]

@ChrisH

SFS works 100% fine for me, including IBrowse. Anyone complaining about it probably was just unlucky and didn't have a backup. That or their HD is bad...

I'm afraid luck has nothing to do with it. SFS - while still being developed - still hasn't been able to iron out the fatal corruption bugs. It just gets even worse when SFS doesn't have proper repair tools. Once you've copied your data back and forth couple of times, each time being forced to reformat, I'd guess you might get a bit irritated.

Additionally SFS isn't very smart when allocating storage for the new data, and it gets worst case fragmentation when you write multiple files to the disk at the same time. That is just brain damaged.

I switch to SFS from PFS3, because PFS is *very* buggy with long file names

I've never had a single problem with long filenames, and I have lots of them.

I've used different PFS incarnations pretty much as long as they've existed (even back when they were free). I still have my files from that period. Just lucky?

[EDIT] That being said, considering the number of reports ppl having issues with PFS3, too, I can't just ignore them. Maybe I just am the luckiest man in the world? [/EDIT]

I would *not* switch back to PFS, because it is no-longer supported, where-as SFS is.

So what does this SFS support give you that PFS3 non-support doesn't? Does SFS have proper repair tool for example?

PFS3 still is the best filesystem for amiga and amiga compatible systems. PFS3 is far from perfect, but the alternatives are even worse.

[ChrisH]

It just gets even worse when SFS doesn't have proper repair tools. Once you've copied your data back and forth couple of times, each time being forced to reformat, I'd guess you might get a bit irritated.

I'm sorry, but when most people *don't* have that problem, I tend to believe that it is the user's computer that is at fault.  Be it hardware problems/incompatibilities, or hacks corrupting memory, or some other software that is interacting badly with SFS, etc.

I just think it is wrong to say "SFS is aweful, PFS is wonderful".  They both have good and bad points, and I have used both without problems.

Never had a single problem with long filenames, and I have lots of them.

I am talking about names that are (say) 100+ characters long, although anything over 32 was risky.  Any time I used excessively long files names, that file (if not the whole damn directory) became corrupt/unreadable (and once the entire partition was {bleep}ed).

I have used AFS, PFS, PFS2 & PFS3 :-)

[Piru]

@ChrisH

I'm sorry, but when most people *don't* have that problem, I tend to believe that it is the user's computer that is at fault.

So you'd recommend users to locate IBrowse cache on their SFS partition?

I am talking about names that are (say) 100+ characters long, although anything over 32 was risky. Any time I used excessively long files names, that file (if not the whole damn directory) became corrupt/unreadable (and once the entire partition was {bleep}ed).

You mean like these?

I have used AFS, PFS, PFS2 & PFS3

Same, although I used the early PFS too (before it was renamed to AFS).

[ChrisH]

Personally I know of single issue with PFS3: Delete large amount of data at once (say >4GB) and it throws up some warning requester and stops.

Ah, I had forgotten about that, and it is a real pain once you start having massive partitions.  Another reason to switch to SFS...

P.S.  PFS is supposed to be "atomic commit", but it apparently has a design flaw which means it isn't unless you have a 1Kb () block size.  Certainly I had occasionally had corrupted PFS partitions, although that could be down to memory corruption.

[LoadWB]

I'm finding the whole SFS thing rather confusion.  I swear that I was using a 2.x version where I was previously using a 1.x version.  Or maybe I went from SFS1 to SFS2.  Sheesh, I dunno.  I'll have to fire up the 4000 to find out for certain.

But as far as usability, I have been using SFS for many many moons on my DH1 partition which houses all of my Internet utilities such as YAM, AWeb, etc.  I've only recently been using IBrowse, but not heavily.  YAM certainly seemed to beat the crap out of the drive and SFS is CONSIDERABLY faster than FFS handling my email, especially when moving or deleting messages.

I have never had an SFS problem.  So, maybe I fall under the lucky category.  It's been with me as far back as I can remember, back to my A530-powered 500, 4040 A4000D, and CSMKIII A4000D.  Mind you, I've also never used IDE drives, so maybe that helps?

[ChrisH]

Weird, because the long file name corruption bug was 100% reproducible for me - and won't ever be fixed, because development was stopped years ago :-(

Probably best to say "Use whatever works for you".  SFS works for me, PFS works for you :-)  Just don't go condemning either system as irrevocably bugged, because clearly a lot of people don't have that problem.

[Piru]

@ChrisH

Weird, because the long file name corruption bug was 100% reproducible for me

Maybe your hardware was hosed?





Sorry, I couldn't resist ;-)

[Piru]

@LoadWB

Typically SFS seems to topple over when used a bit more heavily. Say, it isn't perhaps that typical to try to copy 100GB data to the partition at once.

[Piru]

@ChrisH

PFS is supposed to be "atomic commit", but it apparently has a design flaw which means it isn't unless you have a 1Kb () block size.

Atomic commit has been fine here, and I use blocksize of 512 everywhere. The only case I've managed to screw it up was by using cache app that cached disk writes at device level.

Even in that case pfsdoctor saved my butt.

[countzero]

I use SFS for a couple of years too, and never had an issue (aside from some dying 15 year old HDD problems). I always use ram: as my ibrowse cache though.

[motorollin]

I've never had problems with SFS up until now, but I'll give PFS a try anyway. I'm having problems getting my system partition backed up as it keeps saying certain files can't be found. They're all in the iBrowse cache drawer so I might have to copy everything individually and leave that drawer out.

--
moto

[Framiga]

ChrisH wrote:
Weird, because the long file name corruption bug was 100% reproducible for me - and won't ever be fixed, because development was stopped years ago :-(

have you ever set the FNSIZE=107 option during the PFS format?

Otherwise you will have only 32 char available