[Q] Where does all the space go?

[Maurice Volaski]

>It's not reserved for the filesystem, but rather for root.  Read about
>the -m option in the manpage to adjust that 5%.


>Investigate the -m option of mkfs.ext2/3 or tune2fs.
>The default is 5%.

Thanks for the info.

I found a post previously that claims it is required to prevent high 
levels of fragmentation as well as "other, very important" reasons. I 
wonder how accurate this statement is.

>Ummm, the 5% reservation is to prevent the high levels of
>fragmentation that occur when the filesystem is near full (something
>that I wish Windows would adopt as standard too ;-).  It is also to
>keep your system from "hanging" if system/root processes need to
>write to the filesystem, so they aren't at the "mercy" of users
>filling it up.  And there are a few other, very important reasons
>too.

-- 

Maurice Volaski, mvolaski at aecom.yu.edu
Computing Support, Rose F. Kennedy Center
Albert Einstein College of Medicine of Yeshiva University