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Common filesystem features

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

This is the glossary of the common filesystem features table.

The intention of this table is to provide an at-a-glance list of features and specifications for each filesystem.

Inventor

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List the names of those credited with the design of the filesystem specification. This should not include those responsible for writing the implementation.

Name

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The full, non abbreviated, name of the filesystem itself.

Native operating system

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The name of the operating system in which this filesystem debuted.

Partition identificator

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The partitioning scheme and marker used to identify that a partition is formatted to this filesystem.

Bad sector allocation

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Describe how the filesystem allocates and isolates bad sectors.

File allocation

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Describes how the filesystem allocates sectors in-use by files.

Directory structure

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Describes how the subdirectories are implemented.

Namespace

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Lists the characters that are legal within file and directory names.

Maximum filename size

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The maximum number of characters that a file or directory name may contain.

Maximum files

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The maximum number of files the filesystem can handle.

Maximum volume size

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The maximum size of a volume that the filesystem specification can handle. This may differ from the maximum size an operating system supports using a given implementation of the filesystem.

Dates handled

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What type of dates and times the filesystem can support, which may include:

Creation date

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This is the date the file was “created” on the volume. This does not change when working normally with a file, e.g. opening, closing, saving, or modifying the file.

Access date

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This is the date the file was last accessed. An access can be a move, an open, or any other simple access. It can also be tripped by Anti-virus scanners, or Windows system processes. Therefore, caution has to be used when stating a “file was last accessed by user XXX” if there is only the “File Access” date in NTFS to work from.

Modified date

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This date as shown by Windows there has been a change to the file itself. E.g. if a notepad document has more data added to it, this would trip the date it was modified.

Changed date

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The date and time related attributes were modified. This may include ACLs and the file/directory name.

Backed-up date

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The date and time when the file was last backed up.

Maximum date

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The maximum year that can be handled by the filesystem, as per the specification.

Attributes

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Lists the basic file attributes available.

Named streams

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Determines if the filesystems supports multiple data streams. NTFS refers to these as alternate data streams, HPFS as extended attributes and HFS calls them forks.

Per-volume compression

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Does the filesystem support real-time transparent compression and decompression of an entire volume.

Per-volume encryption

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Does the filesystem support real-time transparent encryption and decryption of an entire volume.

Per-file compression

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Does the filesystem support real-time transparent compression and decompression of individual files.

Per-file encryption

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Does the filesystem support real-time transparent encryption and decryption of individual files.

Access control lists

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Does the filesystem support multi-user access control lists (ACLs).

References

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