The hard disk is of course a medium for storing information. Hard disks grow in size
every year, and as they get larger, using them in an efficient way becomes more difficult.
The file system is the general name given to the logical structures and software
routines used to control the access to the storage on a hard disk system. Different
operating systems use different ways of organizing and controlling access to data on the
hard disk, and this choice is basically independent of the specific hardware being used.
The information in this section in fact straddles the fine line between hardware and
software, a line which gets more and more blurry every year.
The nature of the logical structures on the hard disk has an important influence on the
performance, reliability, expandability and compatibility of your storage subsystem. This
section takes a look at the logical structures on the hard disk and how they are set up
and used for a typical PC installation. Of particular concern is how setup and operation
of the file system has an impact on performance.
The focus in this section is primarily on "standard" file systems used on
PCs, and in particular the FAT file system (and its variants) used by DOS (and its
successors). This is done because these are by far the most commonly used, and also
because my familiarity with them is higher. If you are using Linux (only) for example,
much of what is in this section will not apply to you, although much of it still will.
Next: Operating Systems
and File Systems
