ArsTechnica article on next-gen filesystems: Bitrot and Atomic COWs

[Edvard]

Interesting article delving into why RAID of any stripe (ooh, bad pun) and frequent backups won't always save your bacon, but a 'next-gen' filesystem like ZFS or Btrfs just might (no mention of any new filesystems for Windows).  I jumped into a Btrfs file system about two years ago, and it failed catastrophically about 3 months later.  Granted, it's still in a state of experimental flux and will eventually 'get there', but with all the benefits it promises, I'm hoping that's sooner than later...

Bitrot and atomic COWs: Inside “next-gen” filesystems
We look at the amazing features in ZFS and btrfs—and why you need them.
...
Let's talk about "bitrot," the silent corruption of data on disk or tape. One at a time, year by year, a random bit here or there gets flipped. If you have a malfunctioning drive or controller—or a loose/faulty cable—a lot of bits might get flipped. Bitrot is a real thing, and it affects you more than you probably realize.
...

http://arstechnica.c...ext-gen-filesystems/

from ArsTechnica, of course

[40hz]

I keep meaning to setup a test server using Btrfs just to play with some of those snazzy features.

Hmm...maybe this weekend if I can find a suitable machine...

[Shades]

Very interesting article indeed. 

Sure wish I had the time to play with this some more (as there are now several 150GByte Oracle databases "running loose" in my computer setup...)

[Deozaan]

This sounds really cool. As someone who doesn't know a whole lot about it, it sounds a lot like how DVCS (e.g., git or Mercurial) work, but for the entire filesystem. I want it now! (c:

[DrChiron]

Greetings:
Acknowledging that doing so may feel like a pain in the ass, Steve Gibson's Spinrite will refresh ALL the bits and might be a good use for any old desktop system! It is self contained doesn't care what is on the drive (even encrypted volumes or files & will boot off of any floppy,CD, or thumb drive!