The Multi-Boot Configuration Handbook

Alternatives to Sharing Filesystems

There are ways to share data across OSs without sharing filesystems, and therefore without using common disk filesystem drivers. I briefly describe two such options in this section.

Raw tar Files

One time-honored method of transferring data between UNIX OSs is to place a tar file directly on a transportable medium, such as a tape or a floppy disk, without using a filesystem. The UNIX tar program is a utility that combines several programs into a single file. That file can then be written "raw" to a removable medium, without using a filesystem. In some sense, the tar format itself is the filesystem; but tar wasn't designed as a filesystem, so you don't access the medium in the same way.

To create a floppy ...