Zack'sKernel News
Zack'sKernel News
Chronicler Zack Brown reports on speeding up the dentry cache.
Speeding Up the Dentry Cache
Linus Torvalds wrote an experimental patch intended to speed up filesystem operations, specifically the directory entry (dentry) cache. However, he didn't really like his own patch – even though it worked. He hoped one of the kernel developers might do it better.
The dentry cache is a lookup table that sits in RAM and is used by the rest of the kernel to identify exactly where a desired file or directory is located on disk. Whenever you open, read, or edit a file, or anything like that, you use the dentry cache.
Typically, you really want that dentry cache lookup to be as fast as possible. You don't want to sit around waiting for your file to open. Especially if "you" are not a person but a process such as a database or whatnot, operating on tons and tons of files all at once, any delay can start to mount up.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
US / Canada
UK / Australia
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
USB4 Maintainer Leaves Intel
Michael Jamet, one of the primary maintainers of USB4 and Thunderbolt drivers, has left Intel, leaving a gaping hole for the Linux community to deal with.
-
Budgie 10.9.3 Now Available
The latest version of this elegant and configurable Linux desktop aligns with changes in Gnome 49.
-
KDE Linux Alpha Available for Daring Users
It's official, KDE Linux has arrived, but it's not quite ready for prime time.
-
AMD Initiates Graphics Driver Updates for Linux Kernel 6.18
This new AMD update focuses on power management, display handling, and hardware support for Radeon GPUs.
-
AerynOS Alpha Release Available
With a choice of several desktop environments, AerynOS 2025.08 is almost ready to be your next operating system.
-
AUR Repository Still Under DDoS Attack
Arch User Repository continues to be under a DDoS attack that has been going on for more than two weeks.
-
RingReaper Malware Poses Danger to Linux Systems
A new kind of malware exploits modern Linux kernels for I/O operations.
-
Happy Birthday, Linux
On August 25, Linux officially turns 34.
-
VirtualBox 7.2 Has Arrived
With early support for Linux kernel 6.17 and other new additions, VirtualBox 7.2 is a must-update for users.
-
Linux Mint 22.2 Beta Available for Testing
Some interesting new additions and improvements are coming to Linux Mint. Check out the Linux Mint 22.2 Beta to give it a test run.