Linux has officially ended support for the ext2 driver as of version 6.9. Over the years, the use of the ext2 file system has decreased, being replaced by ext3 and ext4.
Ext2, also known as second extended file system, has been a part of the Linux kernel for approximately thirty years. It used to be the default file system in many Linux distributions until ext3 was introduced about twenty years ago, followed by ext4 over a decade ago. As newer file systems were developed, the use of ext2 declined.
The decision to stop supporting the ext2 driver is largely due to the Y2038 issue, which is caused by the fact that the ext2 driver does not support dates beyond the year 2038. This issue arises from systems that track time in Unix time, a 32-bit integer that counts the number of seconds since 00:00:00 UTC on January 1, 1970. When this integer reaches its maximum value on January 19, 2038 at 03:14:07 UTC, it will roll over to a negative value, representing a date of December 13, 1901.
Linux developers recommend that users still utilizing ext2 switch to the ext4 driver, which not only fixes the Y2038 problem but also supports the ext2 file system. The ext2 driver code will remain available as a point of reference for file system developers.
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