Changing Filesystem

[Michael Meissner]

In article <172 at plx.UUCP> jk at plx.UUCP (John Kullmann) writes:
>I am thinking about changing the UN*X filesystem.
>If I did away with inodes, for example, how badly
>would that screw user level programs. I am concerned
>because calls like stat() return things like dev number
>and inode number to the user, although I am not sure
>what he would do with them...
>

Inodes and device numbers are used by knowledgable programs to determine
whether two filenames actually point to the same file via a hard link.
Also, the device field can be used to determine if two files are on the
same device, and one can be linked to the other.

Some programs which use inode #/device # to keep track of links are:
	tar
	cpio
	du

	Michael Meissner, Data General
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