Linux Disable /var Access Time Updates ( noatime )

In Linux, the noatime option can be used to disable the access time updates on a file system. This can improve the performance of the file system by reducing the number of disk writes required when files are accessed.

To disable access time updates on the /var file system, you can follow these steps:

  1. Open the /etc/fstab file using a text editor. For example, you can use the nano editor with the following command:
    sudo nano /etc/fstab
  2. Find the line that corresponds to the /var file system. This line will contain information about the file system, such as its device, mount point, file system type, and mount options.
  3. Add the noatime option to the mount options for the /var file system. For example, you can change a line like this:
    UUID=12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef /var ext4 defaults 0 2

    to this:

    UUID=12345678-90ab-cdef-1234-567890abcdef /var ext4 defaults,noatime 0 2

    Note that the noatime option is added after the defaults option, separated by a comma.

  4. Save the changes to the /etc/fstab file and exit the text editor.
  5. Remount the /var file system to apply the new mount options. You can do this by running the following command:
    sudo mount -o remount /var

After completing these steps, access time updates will be disabled for the /var file system. This can help to improve the performance of the file system by reducing the number of disk writes that are required when files are accessed. However, be aware that this can also have some implications for certain applications that rely on access time updates, such as backup and monitoring tools.

Leave a Comment