I am currently on KDE, EXT4. Currently considering converting to Gnome.
I tried BTRFS (especially for /home) but Baloo keeps reindexing all files with each and every snapshot, thus makes the system unusable. It is a bug filed with Baloo. (after 2 snapshots searching for a unique file gives 3 results pointing to the same file)
I wonder if Gnome + BTRFS uses something other than Baloo for file content indexing and file content search that does not have this bug?
Does it have the same issue of keeping reindexing thousands of files with every snapshot? Multiple results for the same file when search? Ever growing index?
If such bugs are not present in Gnome I will surely convert to Gnome + BTRFS.
GNOME uses tracker3 by default, it can search file name, but it can not search content in file.
Baloo can search file nameandcontent in files (it supports some formats) andnonexistent files (like deleted files) in Baloo cache, but you clear the cache manually, that is why it is awkward.
I am using kfind in Dolphin by default that can search file name and content in files too.
Thanks a lot @Zesko
Does “kfind” work ok with BTRFS? No continuous indexing for each snapshot? No multiple search results?
UPDATE: Just tried “kfind”, it does not seem to be indexed search!
WOW! That’s great news!
I will try reinstall Manjaro with Gnome. Hopefully I can keep my data, I’ll backup anyway before I install.
I am thinking of BTRFS just for better security.
What you think? Or better stay with my current system? (KDE, EXT4, Time Shift). I should be OK with Time Shift, I can anyway boot from live USB and while on live session I can restore from the already saved Time Shift snapshot?
Is it worth it to convert to Gnome + BTRFS?
Do not forget. Gnome tracker3 can not search content of file (PDF), but Baloo can.
(Maybe I missed new configuration of tracker3 to enable searching content of file)
When in doubt, you do not use conversion, just do backup then reinstall then copy your data back.
OK. I will try it.
I will appreciate any guidance if I can “convert” to BTRFS without reinstalling. If not… I will try again.
I tried the config you mentioned befor but had trouble mounting the EXT4, I didn’t
know of:
EDIT: This is my /etc/fstab
# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# Use 'blkid' to print the universally unique identifier for a device; this may
# be used with UUID= as a more robust way to name devices that works even if
# disks are added and removed. See fstab(5).
#
# <file system> <mount point> <type> <options> <dump> <pass>
UUID=BF63-1066 /boot/efi vfat umask=0077 0 2
UUID=2d2a4da8-87e3-426c-81e0-4e034745e2ee / ext4 defaults,noatime 0 1
tmpfs /tmp tmpfs defaults,noatime,mode=1777 0 0
I don’t see where to or how to add paths to EXT4? Sorry for being that illiterate.
This seems like excellent advice. I love btrfs, but it isn’t suitable for every use case (for example, virtual machines), so mixing it with ext4 or xfs can let you have nest of the both worlds.
To be honest, you might not want to have btrfs for your /home partition either. At least I find myself only snapshotting the / and purposefully excluding /home so I can rollback updates without losing changes in my real data. In theory you could do all sorts of neat stuff at /home too, but I never end up using those features.
No. I installed BTRFS and created an EXT4 Partition.
I found the BRFS partition had /home
The EXT4 partition was not mounting, was like a partition just seen but not accessible.
Maybe it needed to be included in “/etc/fstab” as you mentioned to get mounted automatically, then added to Baloo to index.
(unfortunately I dont know how to:
include EXT4 partitoin in “/etc/fstab”
add the EXT4 partition (or a folder there and subfolders) to Baloo.)
Sounds great @Chrysostomus
All BTRFS and EXCLUDING /home from snapshots!
I hope this will not cause the Baloo bug of reindexing all the time and having multiple entries for the same file!
This can be the solution to the Baloo bug.
But… I don’t know how to exclude /home from being snapshot!
Is it done through snapper? or other way?
There is partition management in Manjaro Calamares installer, you can use it to create your own partitions manually. It will generate /etc/fstab automatically.
You don’t need to configure /etc/fstab manually.
Make a backup first in an external hard drive, then reinstall Manjaro.
If you have a 1 TB hard drive in your computer that supports UEFI.
Boot partition: 300 MB with FAT32 for /boot/efi
System partition: 100 - 150 GB with BTRFS for /
home partition: 750+ GB with EXT4 for /home
Swap partition: ??? GB with Swap depends on RAM size (If 16 GB RAM , then 16 GB Swap)
Manjaro btrfs setup does this by default by placing /home on subvolume @home. Subvolumes are not recursive (and we don’t use nested subvomues anyway), so when you snapshot @, @home is left untouched.
This is enough to exclude /home from snapshots, but it doesn’t give btrfs the same performance profile as other simpler filesystems. So if you use virtual machines or databases that are housed on a btrfs volume, you need to stuff like disable copy on wrote on those files in order not to get massive performance penalty.
It is impossible for full EXT4 system. @limotux is using full EXT4 in just one partition.
Look at his FSTAB:
That is why he should reinstall Manjaro using BTRFS for /and EXT4 for home, when he want to use BTRFS for creating snapshots and Baloo search for home.