THIS WEBTOPIC IS IN CREATION SO IGNORE LACK OF STYLE

SGI's XFS & Be Inc's BFS

DataBaseLikeFileSystems // if users don't want database, file systems will!

DataBaseLikeFileSystems are becoming more of reality these days, so even Microsoft is taking the ideas developted in SGI (with their well known and powerfull XFS) and Be Inc. (with less known but more advanced/sofisticated BFS), to enhance their future versions of Windows. GNU/Linux on the other hand has the chance to use both of these file systems with modules (no native support in karnel any time sone surely). Inclusions of such technologies makes use of database concept transparent (unvisible) for average users, yet makes the whole system more dynamic and natural for advanced users and developers. Inclusion of extended attributs and live queries, with existing 64-bit design and journaling makes these file systems capable of replacing dtabases in some of the lest demanding activities. Interesting articles on the subject:

• Future of Win file system: News on The Register "XP successor Longhorn goes SQL, P2P - Microsoft leaks" By Andrew Orlowski: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/23852.html
• Educational Interview on The Register "Windows on a database - sliced and diced by BeOS vets By Andrew Orlowski: http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/4/24648.html
• Interview With the People Behind JFS, ReiserFS & XFS - On OS News

Why is this issue relewant for any WIKI developer/user?

Firstly because underlaying structure (OS) is rapidly changing making the previosly strong devision between servers and clients less obvious. Most OSes today come with webservers and although without databases, their OSes can use file systems to arrange metadata in dynamic relations. It would be interesting to note what are the posible implications of this... Will WIKIz become also a client or p2p applications as they would no longer require relativly complex setups and use of databases? THIS PART IS TO BE REWRITEN...

XFS - File System developed and open sourced by SGI

XFS for Linux Features

"XFS combines advanced journaling technology with full 64-bit addressing and scalable structures and algorithms. This combination delivers the most scalable and high-performance filesystem in the world" -- although "perfect" for big media needs of SGI's IRIX power machines... when inplemented on Linux it is a bit slower when dealing with a lot of small files (the case for the most web sites), however SGI programmers are working on this issue.

Extended Attributes (relevant for WIKIz)

"XFS implements fully journaled extended attributes. An extended attribute is a name/value pair associated with a file. Attributes can be attached to all types of inodes: regular files, directories, symbolic links, device nodes, and so forth. Attribute values can contain upto 64KB of arbitrary binary data. XFS implements two attribute namespaces: a user namespace available to all users, protected by the normal file permissions; and a system namespace, accessible only to privileged users. The system namespace can be used for protected filesystem meta-data such as access control lists (ACLs) and hierarchical storage manager (HSM) file migration status." Other relevant info provide by SGI website:

• Features of XFS - http://oss.sgi.com/projects/xfs/features.html
• Linux XFS FAQ - http://oss.sgi.com/projects/xfs/faq.html#usexfs
• Making a Linux XFS Root - http://oss.sgi.com/projects/xfs/xfsroot.html

BFS - File System developed by Be Inc, refactored(?term?) in OpenSource form by OpenBeOS developers

http://www.bug-br.org.br/openbfs/

Mapped (Open)BFS arguments:

• Educational Discussion on Open BFS: http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=1195&limit=no
• "MacOSX Week: Tales of a BeOS Refugee" By Scot Hacker
  • article: http://www.osnews.com/story.php?news_id=421&page=all
  • comments: http://www.osnews.com/comment.php?news_id=421&limit=no
  • redux: http://www.birdhouse.org/macos/beos_osx/redux.html

-- ZeljkoBlace - 19 Aug 2002

-- ZeljkoBlace - 26 Oct 2002

Similar interest group at mothership http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?FilesystemBasedWiki

-- ZeljkoBlace - 10 Jul 2003

ReiserFS is also planning rather heavily to include very similar ideas. The recent slashdot interview with Hans Reiser is very interesting from a Wiki perspective. Essentially think of RCS/CVS/TWiki metadata & structure subsumed into the file system sound realistic based on the interview.

I think in terms of people making use of these features using traditional applications people would occasionally get lost. When you consider it as a backend for a Wiki you potentially have massive improvements.

-- MichaelSparks - 10 Jul 2003

"people would occasionally get lost" - I occasionaly get lost in all wikies (and so shouold you, it's fun :), on the other hand people were running away from film projection of train comming towards tham... I hope thay later return to enjoy DataBaseLikeFileSystem and not-only hiararchical way, as thay did with adopting moving picture metaphor! We should just lead the way

-- ZeljkoBlace - 11 Jul 2003