Chapter 14. File Systems

In Chapter 4, Chapter 5, and Chapter 13, we looked at file I/O, with a particular focus on regular (i.e., disk) files. In this and the following chapters, we go into detail on a range of file-related topics:

• This chapter looks at file systems.

• Chapter 15 describes various attributes associated with a file, including the timestamps, ownership, and permissions.

• Chapter 16 and 17 consider two new features of Linux 2.6: extended attributes and access control lists (ACLs). Extended attributes are a method of associating arbitrary metadata with a file. ACLs are an extension of the traditional UNIX file permission model.

• Chapter 18 looks at directories and links.