OS and Software > All Things Unix > Firefox 3.0 uses fsync excessively (ext3)

Firefox 3.0 uses fsync excessively (ext3)

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Users with profiles on ext3 filesystems probably want to use "about:config" to add a new INTEGER preference, "toolkit.storage.synchronous", with the value "0".

The comments on the bug are very involved, but basically, your history is now written to an sqlite database file-- and to avoid database corruption, Firefox issues fsync() on the file, more than once, each time you view or refresh a web page. BUT, on ext3, an fsync() to any file forces the entire filesystem to be synced-- so any other apps which are writing to the same filesystem will lock up while this is happening.

The bugfix is really just a workaround-- it creates this preference so that Linux distros can build their packages with this pref default value set to zero, avoiding fsync(). But the default is NOT zero in the mozilla.org builds, because it risks "lost bookmark" if the file becomes corrupted. (For better or worse, history and bookmarks are both kept in the same database, file "places.sqlite".)

In the long term (Firefox 3.1, probably in the fall) mozilla.org is likely to create an automated backup process for this file-- in much the same way as Firefox 2 introduced management of multiple backups for your "bookmarks.html" file. But for 3.0, if you're bothered by disk "lock-ups" on a "busy" box, you'll need to back up your "places.sqlite" YOURSELF.

Personally, I just create a tarfile of my ENTIRE profile every few days, and just before every time I switch to a new Firefox build. As for the fsync() behavior on Linux ext3, some pretty smart people have taken part in the bug (even Andrew Morton), and it's not going to change for multiple years-- the way you'll probably "fix the ultimate problem" is by switching to ext4. So the FF 3.1 enhancement will almost certainly be in place much earlier. For now, backup your "places.sqlite" and set the preference to zero if you're using a moziila.org build or rolling your own.

Again, if you use a distro-provided package, they will probably have done the preference for you-- but YOU still need to do the backups, or you might find yourself doing the "what happened to my bookmarks" dance without an easy way to get them back.

BTW, I am NOT a mozilla dev, but I was quite involved in the testing of this bug.

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reply to SUMware
It just installed in a routine update on my suse box.

It's HIDEOUSLY slow. It's HIDEOUSLY Ugly...

It's disabled all my themes and addons pretty much.

My preferences were changed without my knowledge or consent to allow third party cookies!!!

Mozilla.org seems to be inaccessable for the last hour or so as well, so I can't even find a half decent theme to replace this ugliness on my desktop.

I've held off updating my other machines, but one thing that ticks me off about Suse is that there's really no easy way to revert to an older version of a software once an update has been installed. I'm stuck with this pig of a browser until they manage to kick the bugs out of it.

BTW, I run ReiserFS. Is the about:config bugfix necessary with this FS as well?

reply to SUMware
I just managed to login to Mozilla.com

Apparently they are trying to set a guiness world record with today's release...

I wanna know, world record for what? Net Congestion?

The site is painfully slower than dialup today and these idiots think this is a good thing?

I want my 2.something back....

reply to SUMware
As far as incompatible addons, have you tried this suggestion? Maybe it still works?

»tech.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid···1/015245

That hack looks like the quickest way to render this pig totally inoperable )

I think I'll wait it out til the website gets over its congestion and new themes and addons become avaialble.

Like I said, in the meantime I'll hold off updating my B machine and my laptop and I'll just have to grin and bear it with my A machine in the meantime...

reply to happylurk

Like I said, no easy way to revert...

That would suck up gigagobs of disk space...

It's a shame SuSE doesn't use anything comparable to XP's restore points...

Yeah, right.

reply to SUMware
I'm running 3.0 on my openSUSE 11.0 Final machine and it's running very well. A few of my add-on's are disabled (oh well).

I can't get to the mother ship to get a better theme.

The one add-on I'd like back is tabpreferences ... I'll survive.

All in all, everything looks great. I'm trying to get 3.0 for my openSUSE 10.3 machine.
--
pablo
openSUSE 10.3 & 11.0;KDE
ISP: TekSavvy DSL; backhauled via a 6KM wireless link

reply to SUMware
I haven't seen 3.0 yet, but I will wait...thanks to the pioneers for doing some reporting back.

I recall there was some issues going from 1.x to 2.x, it's growing pains, things will catch up.

The involvement of SQL lite bothers me. Now my browser has another product dependency.. I'm not sure this is the simple Firefox anymore.

O.
--
In Windsor CT, Home of The Decorative Zamboni

reply to happylurk
I've found that it's quick on both my Ubuntu boxes and just fine on Windows XP. I'm using the same theme I always did on Ubuntu. The Windows theme is OK by me as well.

I've been using 3 since an early beta in Linux. Everything is working and it renders a bit better to my eyes.

Glad I'm not having all these issues!
--
I thought I made a mistake once but I was wrong

reply to SUMware
I've been using Fx3 since Alpha 8 and it's top-knotch. Fast loading, low memory usage, and ridiculously fast rendering.

Regarding the excessive fsync-ing: While that's still happening more often than one would like, it's no longer UI-degrading thanks to fixes that went in post-Beta 5. I've been using it on a number of 4+ year old systems with ext3 and haven't needed to make any about:config changes for it.
--
Would you trust a brain surgeon with two years' experience?

reply to SUMware
Well I've updated all my machines now.

about 90% of my troubles yesterday were caused by Firefox trying to break a Guinness record by serving the most downloads in a day and crashing their own servers in the process...

I've incorporated the about:config patch even though I run Reiser instead of EXT3 and seemingly no ill effects.

There's a bloody dearth of any decent themes out there for this version and Firefox has not made any accommodations on their site to find 3.0 themes and addons easily. At least 90% of the existing themes don't work with this version and of the few that do, they are difficult to find and pretty much all pretty ugly.

Generally I hate new releases of any software and Firefox did just about everything they could to make this one as painful as possible.

Eventually I may grow to love it, but right now I'm simply fed up with trying to get it to work like the old version...

reply to SUMware
I got the update through the Fedora 9 repos last night. So far, it's much more stable than the 3.0b5 that came from the stock distro. No crash to report after 24 hours, let's knock on wood.

BTW, 'toolkit.storage.synchronous' was already set to 0 in Fedora's 3.0.1 build.