[olug] Anyone defragging their linux servers?

[Ryan Stille]

My boss is interested in making sure we are providing as much 
maintenance to the linux servers are we do to the windows servers.   He 
wants to know why we aren't defragging the linux servers regularly.  My 
understanding has always been that linux file systems do not need 
defragmented, although I've never really understood why.  I found this 
article which I thought explained it fairly well:
http://geekblog.oneandoneis2.org/index.php/2006/08/17/why_doesn_t_linux_need_defragmenting
and I sent it to him, but he is not convinced.

We are using ext3, BTW.   Wikipedia says:

 > ... it is not necessary to worry about fragmentation in a Linux system

but also:

 > Further examples in which lack of defragmentation in some Linux 
filesystems (such as ext3) is a
 > serious issue, includes server applications where rapid, concurrent 
and random file creation,
 > update or access occurs. Such systems include large-scale carrier 
grade voice mail systems

Our servers are nothing like that, they are low use web servers.   
Should I be concerned about defragging?  It doesn't even look like there 
is a practical way to do it if I wanted to.

Thanks,
-Ryan