EFS File System Removed from Linux Kernel in 7.3
Legacy components can survive in the Linux kernel for decades. They often outlast the very systems that once depended on them. Yet the EFS file system appears set to finally depart. According to a report by Phoronix, it is scheduled for removal in Linux 7.3, after more than 20 years without meaningful maintenance.
What EFS Was and Why It Survived This Long
SGI originally used EFS on certain CD-ROMs and disk partitions within its IRIX operating system. Before IRIX 6.0 arrived, EFS served as one of the standard storage options. After that release, XFS replaced it entirely. A read-only driver for EFS has nonetheless persisted in the Linux kernel ever since.
A Developer Tried to Rescue It and Failed to Justify the Effort
In June, a developer volunteered to take ownership of the aging code. They submitted several build-error fixes. However, the developer had never worked with a real EFS file system. That admission prompted kernel maintainers to question whether keeping such a rarely used driver was still justified.
The Decision: Remove It in Linux 7.3
After deliberation, the developers chose removal. Christian Brauner queued the relevant changes into the VFS subsystem branch targeting Linux 7.3. The change has not yet landed in a final release. Still, its current status is clear. The driver will be dropped from the next major kernel version later this year.
Why the Maintainers Said Goodbye
The developers cited two key reasons for their decision. First, there is no evidence of real-world users. Second, the driver creates unnecessary overhead during broader kernel-wide changes.
Additionally, standalone user-space tools already exist for reading legacy EFS media. Maintainers therefore concluded that supporting EFS directly inside the kernel is no longer warranted.
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