filesystems

Disk structure schemes

Filesystems are methods for organizing and storing data on storage devices like hard drives.

A filesystem determines how files are named, stored, and retrieved—where data physically lives and how the operating system finds it.

Common filesystems include NTFS for Windows, ext4 for Linux, and APFS for Mac.

When a drive is "formatted," a filesystem is being applied to it.

Also spelled as two words: file systems.

structure

directory

File system container

tree · root · subdirectory · parent · child · node · branch · mount · partition · volume

types

NTFS

Microsoft's proprietary filesystem

  • FAT32Older disk organization scheme
  • exFATPortable drive filesystem standard
  • overlayCovering placed atop
operations

read

Comprehend written language

  • writeForm text on surface
  • copyIdentical reproduction made
  • moveChange location or act

delete · rename · create · format · mount · unmount · sync · flush · truncate · append

distributed

SMB

Network file sharing protocol

redundancy · cluster · node · failover · scalability · latency · throughput · parallel · striping · deduplication

permissions

access

Right to enter

  • ownerHolder of title
  • groupAssembled collection of things
  • modeWay or method

ACL · readonly · writable · executable · capability · attribute · sticky · inheritance · security · audit

Opposites
abstraction layer

filesystemshardware

Metal goods and fittings

storage media · bare metal · disk drives · hard drives · SSDs

data organization paradigm

filesystemsraw data

Unanalyzed collected information

databases · volatile memory

persistence model

filesystemsvolatile memory

Storage requiring constant power

RAM · memory · cache · working memory · registers

Family

filesystem

Familiarity
Top 500,000
Profile
Used worldwide · Timeless · Rated G