Linux Kernel Rejects Xiaomi Engineer’s UFS File‑Based Optimization Patch
A Xiaomi engineer submitted a set of Linux kernel patches to implement JEDEC’s UFS File‑Based Optimization (UFS FBO) for better storage performance, but kernel maintainer Christoph Hellwig harshly criticized the proposal as completely misguided and unrelated to the kernel, making acceptance unlikely.
A Xiaomi engineer proposed a series of Linux kernel patches to implement the JEDEC‑defined UFS File‑Based Optimization (UFS FBO) standard, aiming to improve device performance over time by allowing the host to inform the storage device of file‑specific LBA ranges and trigger physical defragmentation.
The proposed workflow requires the host to (1) convey the LBA range of interest derived from a file’s inode and offsets, (2) query the device for the current physical fragmentation level of that file, (3) optionally instruct the device to perform defragmentation, and (4) after successful defragmentation, query the new fragmentation level.
This is a completely crazy idea; a file is a logical concept, not unique (reflow, snapshot), and can be changed at any time (defragmentation, GC, deduplication). Whoever came up with this plan must be "on crack" and it has nothing to do with the Linux kernel.
Kernel veteran Christoph Hellwig, a maintainer of multiple kernel subsystems, rejected the patches and publicly denounced the approach, stating that the idea is unrelated to kernel responsibilities.
Given the strong criticism, the chances of the UFS FBO patches being merged into the Linux kernel appear extremely slim.
Related links:
https://www.phoronix.com/news/UFS-File-Based-Optimization
https://www.jedec.org/standards-documents/docs/jesd231
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