Why don't FAT filesystems support links?
FAT filesystems represent files via linked lists of clusters (linked file allocation).
They have a region on disk for one or more tables (File Allocation Table) which have as many entries as addressable clusters. Each entry can be:
- a pointer to the next cluster in a file's linked list
- a marker to indicate the last cluster of a linked list
- an Unused marker
- a Bad marker
For symbolic links, my guess is that the FAT can not point to or store a file path as ext filesystems do. The closest thing I can think of would be to point to the head of a linked list, which would require some sort of maintenance.
For hard links, FAT filesystems lack a file node that can be 'shared' among files. There would also be no way to keep track of the number of links to a file.
filesystems symlink hard-link fat
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
add a comment |
FAT filesystems represent files via linked lists of clusters (linked file allocation).
They have a region on disk for one or more tables (File Allocation Table) which have as many entries as addressable clusters. Each entry can be:
- a pointer to the next cluster in a file's linked list
- a marker to indicate the last cluster of a linked list
- an Unused marker
- a Bad marker
For symbolic links, my guess is that the FAT can not point to or store a file path as ext filesystems do. The closest thing I can think of would be to point to the head of a linked list, which would require some sort of maintenance.
For hard links, FAT filesystems lack a file node that can be 'shared' among files. There would also be no way to keep track of the number of links to a file.
filesystems symlink hard-link fat
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
Please don't use the "primarily opinion-based" close vote excuse for questions that ask for design rationale. The designers may have decided some things on a whim, or based on their opinion of how things should be, but even if so, what happened can be described as fact. It's not based on the opinions on whoever answers any longer.
– ilkkachu
46 secs ago
add a comment |
FAT filesystems represent files via linked lists of clusters (linked file allocation).
They have a region on disk for one or more tables (File Allocation Table) which have as many entries as addressable clusters. Each entry can be:
- a pointer to the next cluster in a file's linked list
- a marker to indicate the last cluster of a linked list
- an Unused marker
- a Bad marker
For symbolic links, my guess is that the FAT can not point to or store a file path as ext filesystems do. The closest thing I can think of would be to point to the head of a linked list, which would require some sort of maintenance.
For hard links, FAT filesystems lack a file node that can be 'shared' among files. There would also be no way to keep track of the number of links to a file.
filesystems symlink hard-link fat
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
FAT filesystems represent files via linked lists of clusters (linked file allocation).
They have a region on disk for one or more tables (File Allocation Table) which have as many entries as addressable clusters. Each entry can be:
- a pointer to the next cluster in a file's linked list
- a marker to indicate the last cluster of a linked list
- an Unused marker
- a Bad marker
For symbolic links, my guess is that the FAT can not point to or store a file path as ext filesystems do. The closest thing I can think of would be to point to the head of a linked list, which would require some sort of maintenance.
For hard links, FAT filesystems lack a file node that can be 'shared' among files. There would also be no way to keep track of the number of links to a file.
filesystems symlink hard-link fat
filesystems symlink hard-link fat
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
edited 6 mins ago
Rui F Ribeiro
39.2k1479130
39.2k1479130
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
asked 10 mins ago
juancho
61
61
Please don't use the "primarily opinion-based" close vote excuse for questions that ask for design rationale. The designers may have decided some things on a whim, or based on their opinion of how things should be, but even if so, what happened can be described as fact. It's not based on the opinions on whoever answers any longer.
– ilkkachu
46 secs ago
add a comment |
Please don't use the "primarily opinion-based" close vote excuse for questions that ask for design rationale. The designers may have decided some things on a whim, or based on their opinion of how things should be, but even if so, what happened can be described as fact. It's not based on the opinions on whoever answers any longer.
– ilkkachu
46 secs ago
Please don't use the "primarily opinion-based" close vote excuse for questions that ask for design rationale. The designers may have decided some things on a whim, or based on their opinion of how things should be, but even if so, what happened can be described as fact. It's not based on the opinions on whoever answers any longer.
– ilkkachu
46 secs ago
Please don't use the "primarily opinion-based" close vote excuse for questions that ask for design rationale. The designers may have decided some things on a whim, or based on their opinion of how things should be, but even if so, what happened can be described as fact. It's not based on the opinions on whoever answers any longer.
– ilkkachu
46 secs ago
add a comment |
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Please don't use the "primarily opinion-based" close vote excuse for questions that ask for design rationale. The designers may have decided some things on a whim, or based on their opinion of how things should be, but even if so, what happened can be described as fact. It's not based on the opinions on whoever answers any longer.
– ilkkachu
46 secs ago