Blog/Btrfs-progs v6.3

2023-05-13: Btrfs-progs v6.3, now with static builds!

Two weeks ago, Btrfs-progs v6.3 was released. This time it includes pre-built binaries that can be used on any x86-64 system. They are statically linked, which means they do not rely any any external libraries other than the kernel itself. This makes it possible to run btrfs-progs on any system without installing anything beforehand.

Perhaps the most interesting new feature is the support from converting a filesystem to the new block group tree, which allows for much faster mount times, especially with really large filesystems. Use btrfstune --convert-to-block-group-tree on an unmounted filesystem to do the conversion. This is documented in the btrfstune man-page at https://btrfs.readthedocs.io/en/latest/btrfstune.html

Why would you want a static build of btrfs-progs?

If there is a problem with the filesystem, it is always recommended to use the latest btrfs-progs before attempting repairs. The problem is that many Linux distributions are fixed release versions and do not release new versions of tools/apps, but only release bugfixes until next major release of the distribution. In these cases it can be useful to use these pre-built versions that are easy to transfer or even run from a USB stick.

Experimental features

An experimental Tokomak Fusion Reactor. The aim is to create electricity using fusion power instead of fission used in nuclear power plants.

Some features are experimental and needs to be enabled during compilation of the source code. For example, the block group tree feature was an experimental feature prior to btrfs-progs v6.3.

Head over to Btrfs/Statically_built_btrfs-progs for pre-built binaries that have the experimental features available.