Next Gen Linux File System NILFS

NILFS is a log-structured file system developed for the Linux kernel 2.6. NILFS is an abbreviation of the New Implementation of a Log-structured File System. A Log-structured file system writes down all data in a continuous log-like format that is only appended to, never overwritten.
The approach is said to reduce seek times, as well as minimizing the kind of data loss that occurs with conventional Linux file systems. When a Linux computer system with a conventional file system crashed during a write operation the journal notes that the write did not complete, and any partial data writes are lost when the system reboots. For example, data loss occurs on ext3 file systems, when the system crashes a great deal of time and effort is required to restore the data to the state just prior to failure and then restart the system, and data could be lost because the writing of data is not guaranteed on some conditions.
Furthermore, although Solaris and other operating systems provide a data snapshot function, the file system service must be temporarily suspended when that function is executed. NILFS snapshots can be taken continuously and automatically without disturbing the file service.