Btrfs by default status updates, 2020-08-09

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Update on features not yet enabled by default:

+ RFE: kickstart option to control discard configuration
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1860720

This can happen by using Anaconda kickstart argument '--fsoptions
discard=async' which will add the mount option to /etc/fstab. Not
decided is whether it's important enough of an optimization to do for
Fedora 33, or make it opt-in for now and consider it by default for
Fedora 34. Facebook has been using it in production for > 6 months,
it's solved many problems with no regressions. Fedora already enables
weekly fstrim via fstrim.timer by default. The advantage of
'discard=async' is mainly for workloads with heavy writes and deletes.
Once per week fstrim might not be frequent enough. Both fstrim and
discard=async mount option can peacefully co-exist.


+ RFE: enable compression on btrfs installs
https://bugzilla.redhat.com/show_bug.cgi?id=1851276

Btrfs offers two ways to enable compression: a mount option with
granular level (amount of compression); an XATTR that can be set per
subvolume, directory or file. Further there is a NOCOMPRESS flag that
could be set to selectively inhibit either of the prior two on a per
subvolume, directory or file basis.

The current idea is use kickstart argument '--fsoptions
compress=zstd:1' to enable compression file system wide with the
"least effort" compression level; and a kickstart %post script to
'btrfs property set -ti /home compression none' to disable compression
on /home.

Why? This isolates compression to system related things. While most
systems are expected to see performance improvement due to compression
and decompression reducing read and write latency, any write
performance hit would be limited to system writes which are generally
inconsequential: certain logs, configuration files, rpm+dnf+PackageKit
databases, and binaries during system updates. And this also leaves it
up to desktop integration for user selected compression.

Caveat? New subvolumes created in ~/home will not inherit this no
compression flag. New subvolumes will be compressed by default (so
long as the compress mount option is set). Also, it's not obvious what
is and isn't compressed. UI/UX in this area is limited. Improvements
are planned, but not in the Fedora 33 release time frame. There is a
'compsize' package in Fedora (all releases) that can show compression
information on directories and files.

It's not difficult for folks to opt in to both of these features if we
don't enable them by default in Fedora 33. In fact you can opt in now
with F31, F32, and F33. However, it is more difficult to figure out a
way, and commit, to enabling these features on upgrades from
F32/F33->F34.


Documentation:

+ LVM to Btrfs secret decoder ring
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/User:Chrismurphy/lvm2btrfs
This isn't brand new but not previously shared in these updates. The
LVM to Btrfs idea is Langdon's. Calling it a secret decoder ring is my
idea because I'm a kid. And it's funny because this all open source so
it's not a secret. :D Ahh so easily amused.

What this needs, besides organizing and formatting, are use cases.
General purpose (common) use cases get higher priority than the
obscure. Feel free to reply to this email, or directly edit the wiki
and add use cases at the bottom. Advantage to no formatting? You don't
have to format your use case! Idea is to move this into Quick Docs.

+ Would it be useful to have a single reliable landing page for Btrfs resources?
https://fedoraproject.org/wiki/Btrfs

This is a bit stale. And in the context of Btrfs by default I think
it'd be more useful as a landing page of some sort. Make it like an
index or a FAQ, and link to the actual resource. For example, the
secret decoder ring! Any ideas about this are welcome.

Fixes:

+ armhfp desktop images are building again, and now have Btrfs enabled
by default. Testing appreciated!
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