Block size

The unit of allocation in VxFS is a block. Unlike some other UNIX file systems, VxFS does not make use of block fragments for allocation because storage is allocated in extents that consist of one or more blocks.

You specify the block size when creating a file system by using the mkfs -o bsize option. The block size cannot be altered after the file system is created. The smallest available block size for VxFS is 1K. The default block size is 1024 bytes for file systems smaller than 1 TB, and 8192 bytes for file systems 1 TB or larger.

Choose a block size based on the type of application being run. For example, if there are many small files, a 1K block size may save space. For large file systems, with relatively few files, a larger block size is more appropriate. Larger block sizes use less disk space in file system overhead, but consume more space for files that are not a multiple of the block size. The easiest way to judge which block sizes provide the greatest system efficiency is to try representative system loads against various sizes and pick the fastest. For most applications, it is best to use the default values.

For 64-bit kernels, the block size and disk layout version determine the maximum size of the file system you can create.

See About disk layouts.