[CentOS] claiming unsused space back

[Fred Smith]

On Mon, Jul 31, 2017 at 08:28:49AM -0500, Leroy Tennison wrote:
> I realize this is wandering off-topic but, if you have found Debian commands, you're doing better than me.  What are they?  Also, are you allowing dd to totally fill the partition (what I have found on the web as a recommendation)?  If so, is the OS surviving acceptably?
> 
> ----- Original Message -----
> From: "Miguel González" <miguel_3_gonzalez at yahoo.es>
> To: "centos" <centos at centos.org>
> Sent: Saturday, July 29, 2017 5:11:33 AM
> Subject: [CentOS] claiming unsused space back
> 
> Hi,
> 
>  I´m running a CentOS server in a VPS. Backups of the VPS take quite
> much space if I don´t claim unused space.
> 
>  Currently I´m using dd if=/dev/zero of=/mytempfile and remove that file
> to claim that unused space. Any automatic way of doing a similar thing
> in CentOS? I have googled for it but I have only found Debian commands.
> 
>  Thanks in advance!

I may be blind, but I don't seehow that technique can "reclaim" any space.
all it does is fill up all the space not allocated to other files by creating
one large file that occupies all otherwise unused disk space.

presumably you'll delete that file once it is created, but you won't have
any more free disk space than you had before. the only difference will be
that that unused space will then be filled with zeroes.

what are you actually wanting to do here?


-- 
---- Fred Smith -- fredex at fcshome.stoneham.ma.us -----------------------------
                      The eyes of the Lord are everywhere, 
                    keeping watch on the wicked and the good.
----------------------------- Proverbs 15:3 (niv) -----------------------------