OS/2, eCS & ArcaOS - Technical > Storage

exFAT

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guzzi:
The latest release of DFSee supports exFAT. exFAT is slowly gaining more importance for large (>32Gb ) flash drives. I just noticed that Samsung has a GPL licenced Linux kernel space driver for exFAT http://opensource.samsung.com/reception/receptionSub.do?method=search&searchValue=exfat Would it be possible to use that as a basis for an OS/2 IFS driver?

BigGoofyGuy:
I found a site that has a definition of exFAT. I learned something new.  8)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ExFAT
'exFAT (Extended File Allocation Table) is a Microsoft file system optimized for flash drives.[3] It is proprietary and patented.[2]'. (from the site).

Martin Iturbide:
Hi guzzi

For what I hear from some developers, creating an File System driver is not a nice task especially because of the extensive testing that this kind of drivers requires.

What it will be great as a start is to have the eCS-OS2 implementation of JFS-boot complete open sourced. I asked that once to Mensys and they told me that the source code of it was provided in part by IBM, so they can not release it, which it seems odd since IBM released JFS as open source to be included on Linux, but who knows.

What I would think it can be good is to try to move away from HPFS, since MS owns the patent of it, and that is why (in part) several companies dropped HPFS support from their Partition Manager tools (I remember that Partition Magic killed HPFS support since version 7). I don't know which file system is the best, but I will not like to go back to one with patents that can produce more risk.

I know this is not a priority right now, but it is a good exercise to think about file systems from time to time, thanks for bringing it.

Regards

Dave Yeo:
IBM decided to fork JFS keeping the original OS/2 code closed, perhaps to keep big customer happy. I remember the last kernel developer saying how he had to be careful talking to the GPL JFS guy. It's a shame and what would be nice is an IFS built from the GPL JFS. Seems weird if Memsys mixed GPL and propriety code to write the bootable JFS. be nice to know more.
HPFS was patented at the end of the '80's (circa OS/2 V1.2) so the patents should have expired as they're only good for 20 odd years. I think partition magic dropped HPFS in favour of NTFS because of demand, Windows had won the OS wars by then. Various Linux dists have probably dropped HPFS support for the same reason.
As for porting exFAT, it takes a certain type of developer to write a good IFS and we have a shortage. Adapting the FAT32 driver might be the simplest but after all this time it's still crap.
Be nice getting the EXT2 IFS working with the LVM as that has a whole framework for porting Linux (kernel 1.3 or 2.0, I forget) file systems.

guzzi:
Yes, there is a shortage of developers, especially the 'special kind' ones. There is one who would do a great job, also in getting the FAT32 driver to perform better. It's sooooo slow. Maybe we should start funding a human cloning project instead of OS/2 software for better progress))

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