What is the major advantage of using a Journaling File System?

The major advantage of using a Journaling File System is that it provides data recovery options. Journaling file systems are designed to enhance data integrity and recovery in the event of a system crash or power failure. They do this by keeping a journal or log of changes that are about to be made to the file system. When a change is initiated, the system first records this change in the journal before it is committed to the actual file system.

If a failure occurs, the system can refer to the journal to determine the last known stable state and can recover data by replaying or undoing the recorded transactions. This ability to recover from incomplete or failed operations ensures that less data is lost and that the file system can restore itself to a consistent state, making it a crucial feature for systems that require high reliability and data integrity.

While options related to disk usage, speed of data retrieval, and complexity may have their own merits, they are not the primary focus or benefit of a journaling file system. The core function and selling point of such systems revolve around their enhanced data recovery features.