Extended file system
Encyclopedia
The extended file system or ext was implemented in April 1992 as the first file system
created specifically for the Linux
operating system. It has metadata
structure inspired by the traditional Unix File System
(UFS) and was designed by Rémy Card
to overcome certain limitations of the Minix file system
.
It is the first of the extended file systems. It was superseded by both ext2
and xiafs
, between which there was a competition, which ext2
won because of its long-term viability.
File system
A file system is a means to organize data expected to be retained after a program terminates by providing procedures to store, retrieve and update data, as well as manage the available space on the device which contain it. A file system organizes data in an efficient manner and is tuned to the...
created specifically for the Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
operating system. It has metadata
Metadata
The term metadata is an ambiguous term which is used for two fundamentally different concepts . Although the expression "data about data" is often used, it does not apply to both in the same way. Structural metadata, the design and specification of data structures, cannot be about data, because at...
structure inspired by the traditional Unix File System
Unix File System
The Unix file system is a file system used by many Unix and Unix-like operating systems. It is also called the Berkeley Fast File System, the BSD Fast File System or FFS...
(UFS) and was designed by Rémy Card
Rémy Card
Rémy Card is a French software developer who is noted for his contributions to the Linux kernel.He is credited as one of the primary developers of the Extended file system and Second Extended file system for Linux.- Bibliography :...
to overcome certain limitations of the Minix file system
MINIX file system
-History:MINIX was written from scratch by Andrew S. Tanenbaum in the 1980s, as a Unix-like operating system whose source code could be used freely in education...
.
It is the first of the extended file systems. It was superseded by both ext2
Ext2
The ext2 or second extended filesystem is a file system for the Linux kernel. It was initially designed by Rémy Card as a replacement for the extended file system ....
and xiafs
Xiafs
Xiafs was a file system for the operating system Linux which was conceived and developed by Frank Xia and was based on the MINIX file system. Today it is obsolete and not in use, except possibly in some historic installations.-History:...
, between which there was a competition, which ext2
Ext2
The ext2 or second extended filesystem is a file system for the Linux kernel. It was initially designed by Rémy Card as a replacement for the extended file system ....
won because of its long-term viability.
Other extended file systems
There are other members in the extended file system family:- ext2Ext2The ext2 or second extended filesystem is a file system for the Linux kernel. It was initially designed by Rémy Card as a replacement for the extended file system ....
, the second extended file system. - ext3Ext3The ext3 or third extended filesystem is a journaled file system that is commonly used by the Linux kernel. It is the default file system for many popular Linux distributions, including Debian...
, the third extended file system. - ext4Ext4The ext4 or fourth extended filesystem is a journaling file system for Linux, developed as the successor to ext3.It was born as a series of backward compatible extensions to ext3, many of them originally developed by Cluster File Systems for the Lustre file system between 2003 and 2006, meant to...
, the fourth extended file system.
External links
- History of Linux file systems: "Design and Implementation of the Second Extended Filesystem"