[Bug 1453582] Re: btrfs should be updated due to bugfixes

[Svenn Ivar]

** Summary changed:

- btrfs should be updated due to bugfixes and heavy development
+ btrfs should be updated due to bugfixes

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Title:
  btrfs should be updated due to bugfixes

Status in btrfs-tools package in Ubuntu:
  New

Bug description:
  btrfs-tools version:3.12-1
  Ubuntu version:  14.04

  There is a several-year lag between the official btrfs version and the
  version Ubuntu has implemented. Right now Ubuntu has version 3.12, and
  the latest version is 4.0. My opintion is that you should follow Marc
  Merlin's recommendation of regularly updating the btrfs version in
  Ubuntu, where you consider staying a version or two behind for
  stability reasons.

  In short:
  - There has been a lot of improvements since 3.12. 3.13 were a "bugfix and stability focused release". Marc Merlin explicitly commented that 3.14.x "works ok".
  - Marc Merlin commented that btrfs changes quickly and that one should use a recent version at all times, and consider staying 1-2 versions behind for stability.
  - "Every effort is being made to keep it stable and fast." And: "It typically doesn't just corrupt itself in recent kernels (>3.1x), but it could. 
  Always have backups."
  - The heavy development is both about stability (like bugfixing), and about the useability of the filesystem.

  The general statement about stability on btrfs' web site [1], has since july 29th 2013 been (at the time of version 3.10): "The filesystem disk format is no longer unstable, and it's not expected to change unless there are strong reasons to do so. If there is a format change, file systems with an unchanged format will continue to be mountable and usable by newer kernels.
  The Btrfs code base is under heavy development. Every effort is being made to keep it stable and fast. Due to the fast development speed, the state of development of the filesystem improves noticeably with every new Linux version, so it's recommended to run the most modern kernel possible."

  To fill in some blanks in which is not current on the btrfs web site, Marc Merlin held a talk at Linux.conf.au this year [2]. He commented on the versions of btrfs in relation to stability. He explisitly said this: "It typically doesn't just corrupt itself in recent kernels (>3.1x), but it could. 
  Always have backups." Further he said: "3.14.x works ok, avoid 3.15 to 3.16.1". And: "it changes quickly though, so use recent kernels if you can, but consider staying a kernel or two behind for stability". Please look at page 11 on the slideshow he used during the talk: http://marc.merlins.org/linux/talks/2015/Btrfs-LCA2015/Btrfs.pdf

  Ubuntu curently has version 3.12. There has been a lot of improvements
  since 3.12. 3.13 were a "bugfix and stability focused release", and
  there has been alot of improvements which makes a difference for the
  btrfs-tools commands.

  The heavy development is about the useability of the filesystem. In
  other words why people consider using this filesystem instead of ext4
  and other filesystems. Within the development they change things that
  may not break the disk format, but that improve the useability, like
  major improvements on the btrfs-cools commands.

  References:
  1. https://btrfs.wiki.kernel.org, front page under "Stability status"
  2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DplcPrQjvA

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