14. Ext2 and Ext3 Concepts and Analysis

The Ext2 and Ext3 file systems, which I will lump into the term ExtX from now on, are the default file systems for many distributions of the Linux operating system. Ext3 is the newer version of Ext2 and adds file system journaling, but the basic Ext2 construction remains the same. ExtX are based on the UNIX File System (UFS). ExtX removed many of the components of UFS that are no longer needed, so it is easier to understand and explain and will be covered first. Unlike other operating systems, Linux supports a large number of file systems, and each distribution can choose which file system will be the default. At the time of this writing, Ext3 is the default file system of most distributions, but the Reiser ...

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