Chapter 5: File System NTFS

Journalizing

  • Ensures data integrity for hard drives in case of OS crashes or abnormal stops.

  • NTFS provides a failsafe file system to correct hard drive sector corruption.

  • Uses transactions, ensuring write actions are either fully completed or canceled.

  • If a sector is damaged during a write, Windows 10 marks it and writes data to another sector.

  • In case of power loss during a write, NTFS completes the transaction on restart to prevent data loss.

Compression

  • Windows 10 supports compression to reduce storage space needed for data blocks.

  • Effective for files with a lot of whitespace or repetitive characters (e.g., word documents).

  • Decompression and recompression processes require processor cycles and can affect performance.

  • Recommended for infrequently used files and folders.

Encryption

  • NTFS encryption restricts file access to the file creator.

  • Unauthorized users see gibberish; files are decrypted automatically upon access.

  • Administrators can decrypt files in emergencies.

  • A file can be encrypted or compressed, but not both simultaneously.

Security

  • Access is controlled through user accounts and permissions in Windows 10.

  • Before accessing files, the system verifies permissions against user IDs.

  • Access is denied if permissions do not match, with a corresponding error message.

Auditing

  • Tracks access attempts to files in NTFS; not enabled by default due to resource requirements.

  • Can log specific events when auditing is enabled, including user access details.

  • Logged data is only accessible by administrators or permitted users.

Quotas

  • Shared PCs can have storage quotas for individual users, limiting their total data storage.

  • Users exceeding quotas receive error messages; administrators can review log files to manage limits.

Optical Media File Systems

  • Windows 10 supports UDF (Universal Disk Format) and CDFS (Compact Disk File System) for optical media.

  • UDF aids in read/write interoperability across major OS platforms, used by DVDs and Blu-ray discs.

  • CDFS is an alias for ISO 9660, intended to make CD-ROMs readable on various platforms.

  • Virtual machines use optical media as virtual disk images, denoted by the .iso file extension.

File Systems in CentOS 7

  • EXT2: Older file system, similar functionalities to NTFS, offering compression, encryption, and security.

  • EXT3: Most widely used Linux file system, includes journaling for data safety when writing files.

  • EXT4: Enhances EXT3's journaling with faster time stamping, file checking, and supports larger file systems.