[arch-general] fsck on each boot?

[Tom Gundersen]

On Mon, Mar 26, 2012 at 3:09 PM, gt <static.vortex at gmx.com> wrote:
> I recently added the fsck hook to mkinitcpio.conf after seeing it being
> recommended in the forums. I don't have a separate /usr though.
>
> Anyway, now after every boot i see:
>
> performing fsck on <root-device>
>
> It shows up clean, and happens in a flash of a second.
>
> So my question is that is the hook supposed to perform fsck everytime?
> Earlier (without the hook), it used to happen only on unclean shutdowns.

We always perform fsck on all partitions on every boot. The difference
with the fsck hook in initramf is that it fsck's the rootfs (and
potentially /usr) before mounting them. The reason for wanting to do
this is that otherwise you would be "out of luck" if your root could
not be mounted, or your fsck binary i broken due to issues on the
rootfs.

The reason fsck happens in a flash of a second is that it in most
cases does nothing. The exemption is if you shutdown uncleanly, or you
have booted a certain number of times without fscking.

-t