Linux file system and windows file system

Windows vs Linux

Windows uses FAT and NTFS as file systems, while Linux uses a variety of file systems.

Unlike Windows, Linux is bootable from a network drive.

In contrast to Windows, everything is either a file or a process in Linux. Please see one of my earlier post What “Everything Is a File” Means on Linux.

Linux has two kinds of major partitions called data partitions and swap partitions. Because of the existence of swap partitions, you never run out of memory in Linux (like in windows).

In terms of recovery tools, only a limited number of tools can be used on Windows, while there is a large number of UNIX based recovery tools available for Linux file systems.

From the author Nigel McFarlane:

Both Windows and Linux organize disk-based files into a hierarchy of directories. Such directories are usually called “folders” when viewed in a GUI. One whole hierarchy is called a “file system” on both platforms. The architecture of Windows and Linux file systems is similar in some points, but diverges greatly when tools are considered. Here’s a quick comparison.

On hardware derived from Intel or IBM PCs, both Windows and Linux use the Master Block Record/ Master Boot Record (MBR). That is the bit of disk used to boot the operating system and to state whether the disk is partitioned or not. On both Windows and Linux, it is common to have at most one file system per partition. That is about the end of the similarity.

Each Windows file system gets a drive letter, like “C:”. On Linux, each file system gets a device, like /dev/hda1 (“hard disk A part 1”), which is represented as a file. Such a file is a device file (since a disk is a device), hence the “dev” part of the path name. Also, the device file is not an ordinary text file, it is a “special file.” Since disks are block devices (unlike a serial mouse), such a file is fully described as a “block special device file.” The numbered part of the path can be a little weird to get right; it’s best to be guided by documentation there or extract the right name from a report.

On Windows, file systems can be FAT16, FAT32 or NTFS, to name a few. Recall FAT16 is the ancient standard responsible for Windows file names with the “8.3” file name length restriction. On Linux, filesystems can be “minix,” “ext,” or “ext2,” to name a few. Also, “minix” is an example of the ancient standard responsible for UNIX file names once being limited to 14 characters. Linux also has “msdos” and “vfat” file systems for compatibility with Windows and DOS, plus more.

Windows uses FORMAT.EXE to format a disk. Linux uses “mkfs” (“make file system”) in various specialist forms.

Each Windows file system has a File Allocation Table (FAT, VFAT, or similar) that states which disk blocks hold the topmost directory. On Linux, the equivalent on most filesystems is the superblock. A Linux file system has multiple copies of the superblock physically saved on the disk. This provides redundancy in case of a partial disk corruption. The superblock is just about always in memory on Linux; that is not the case for ancient DOS-like file systems. There are no special restrictions on files placed in the topmost directory on Linux, either.

On Windows, there is one drive letter per mounted file system: for example, C: for C: and D: for D:. On Linux there are no drive letters, so one file system is mounted on “/” and all other file systems are mounted on subdirectories of “/.” This arrangement is like the little-used MS-DOS command SUBST, or the NET USE command that supports Novell‘s NetWare. The equivalent Linux command is “mount.”

You can see all this at work on Linux, but for some of it you need to be logged in as root. Type “cat /etc/fstab” to see all the mountable devices, including floppy disks and CD players. Type “df” to see the devices currently mounted, and their free space. In the usual case you can even see the superblock: try “/sbin/dumpe2fs /dev/hda1” where hda1 comes from the output of “df.” The name “dumpe2fs” is a casualty of history; it replaces the older “dumpfs.” The information produced is really just for diagnostic purposes.

Mostly file systems work for you silently. If you want to dig into Linux further, then there are plenty of tools that can be used as inspection points.

About the author
Nigel McFarlane is an open source software analyst and technologist with a broad background in technology and software engineering. He has an extensive programming background and degrees in computer science and physics. His latest book is “Rapid Application Development with Mozilla” from Prentice Hall PTR.

Source:
http://searchopensource.techtarget.c…990200,00.html

Stuck between Linux vs Windows file systems? We can help you.

Both Windows and Linux use file systems to store data in an organized manner.

They organize disk-based files into a hierarchy of directories. Such directories are, “folders” and a whole hierarchy is a “file system” on both platforms.

As part of our Server Administration Services, we assist our customers with several such queries.

Today, let us discuss the conflict between Linux vs Windows file systems.

File system Hierarchy

It begins from the root directory, represented by the symbol /, which then expands into the sub-directories.

Windows includes various partitions which include directories; Linux places all the partitions underneath the root directory by mounting them in specific directories. In contrast, Windows uses the letter C as its root directory.

In Windows, during the boot process, it detects partitions and assigns a drive letter. Under Linux, the system must mount partitions and devices during the boot process.

Linux vs Windows file systems

• Windows makes use of FAT and NTFS file systems.

FAT: File Allocation Table (FAT) is the initial file system in Windows. The FAT file system was used in DOS and the three versions of FAT are FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32.

NTFS: NTFS, introduced with the Windows NT operating system, has much fewer file size limitations. Basically, Microsoft developed NTFS to compete with UNIX, by replacing the much more simple FAT.

In Windows, we don’t have to worry about the file system, the default one is NTFS. Linux however, being built on a world of open source and differing opinions are not limited in this way.

On Linux, everything is a file. If something is not a file, then it is a process. Here, there is no difference between a file and a directory. A directory is simply a file containing names of other files. A variety of file systems can be used with Linux.

Commonly used file systems are :

Minix: It is the filesystem in the Minix operating system, the first to run under Linux.

Ext: It is an elaborate extension of the Minix filesystem.

Ext2: It is the high-performance disk filesystem by Linux for fixed disks as well as removable media. It was designed as an extension of the extended file system (ext). ext2 offers the best performance (in terms of speed and CPU usage).

Linux also has “msdos” and “vfat” file systems for compatibility with Windows.

Each Windows file system has a File Allocation Table that states which disk blocks hold the topmost directory. On Linux, the equivalent on most filesystems is the superblock.

A Linux file system has multiple copies of the superblock physically saved on the disk. This provides redundancy in case of partial disk corruption.

In terms of recovery tools, Windows can use only limited tools, while there is a large number of UNIX-based recovery tools available for Linux file systems.

Unlike Windows, Linux is bootable from a network drive.

Linux has two kinds of major partitions called data partitions and swap partitions. Hence, we never run out of memory in Linux.

While Windows use FORMAT.EXE to format a disk, Linux use “mkfs” (“make file system”) in various specialist forms.

[Found it helpful? Here’s some more]

Conclusion

To conclude, both Windows and Linux use file systems to store data in an organized manner.

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