A more efficient file system can carry more file input/output (I/O) operations more quickly than a less efficient one. This is an important factor to a server that has intense file I/O requirements.
It is difficult to measure the efficiency of a file system. This is because a file system can be efficient at small file operations, but be inefficient at long and extended file operations. There are also many kinds of file operations, two different file systems may be good at different types of file operations.
The efficiency of a file system is usually quantified by benchmark programs that are designed to emulate “typical” file access patterns. Such access patterns can be recorded on an actual live system and replayed in an evaluation platform.