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| -rw-r--r-- | Documentation/filesystems/romfs.txt | 186 |
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diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/romfs.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/romfs.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000..e2b07cc91 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/romfs.txt @@ -0,0 +1,186 @@ +ROMFS - ROM FILE SYSTEM + +This is a quite dumb, read only filesystem, mainly for initial RAM +disks of installation disks. It has grown up by the need of having +modules linked at boot time. Using this filesystem, you get a very +similar feature, and even the possibility of a small kernel, with a +file system which doesn't take up useful memory from the router +functions in the basement of your office. + +For comparison, both the older minix and xiafs (the latter is now +defunct) filesystems, compiled as module need more than 20000 bytes, +while romfs is less than a page, about 4000 bytes (assuming i586 +code). Under the same conditions, the msdos filesystem would need +about 30K (and does not support device nodes or symlinks), while the +nfs module with nfsroot is about 57K. Furthermore, as a bit unfair +comparison, an actual rescue disk used up 3202 blocks with ext2, while +with romfs, it needed 3079 blocks. + +To create such a file system, you'll need a user program named +genromfs. It is available on http://romfs.sourceforge.net/ + +As the name suggests, romfs could be also used (space-efficiently) on +various read-only media, like (E)EPROM disks if someone will have the +motivation.. :) + +However, the main purpose of romfs is to have a very small kernel, +which has only this filesystem linked in, and then can load any module +later, with the current module utilities. It can also be used to run +some program to decide if you need SCSI devices, and even IDE or +floppy drives can be loaded later if you use the "initrd"--initial +RAM disk--feature of the kernel. This would not be really news +flash, but with romfs, you can even spare off your ext2 or minix or +maybe even affs filesystem until you really know that you need it. + +For example, a distribution boot disk can contain only the cd disk +drivers (and possibly the SCSI drivers), and the ISO 9660 filesystem +module. The kernel can be small enough, since it doesn't have other +filesystems, like the quite large ext2fs module, which can then be +loaded off the CD at a later stage of the installation. Another use +would be for a recovery disk, when you are reinstalling a workstation +from the network, and you will have all the tools/modules available +from a nearby server, so you don't want to carry two disks for this +purpose, just because it won't fit into ext2. + +romfs operates on block devices as you can expect, and the underlying +structure is very simple. Every accessible structure begins on 16 +byte boundaries for fast access. The minimum space a file will take +is 32 bytes (this is an empty file, with a less than 16 character +name). The maximum overhead for any non-empty file is the header, and +the 16 byte padding for the name and the contents, also 16+14+15 = 45 +bytes. This is quite rare however, since most file names are longer +than 3 bytes, and shorter than 15 bytes. + +The layout of the filesystem is the following: + +offset content + + +---+---+---+---+ + 0 | - | r | o | m | \ + +---+---+---+---+ The ASCII representation of those bytes + 4 | 1 | f | s | - | / (i.e. "-rom1fs-") + +---+---+---+---+ + 8 | full size | The number of accessible bytes in this fs. + +---+---+---+---+ + 12 | checksum | The checksum of the FIRST 512 BYTES. + +---+---+---+---+ + 16 | volume name | The zero terminated name of the volume, + : : padded to 16 byte boundary. + +---+---+---+---+ + xx | file | + : headers : + +Every multi byte value (32 bit words, I'll use the longwords term from +now on) must be in big endian order. + +The first eight bytes identify the filesystem, even for the casual +inspector. After that, in the 3rd longword, it contains the number of +bytes accessible from the start of this filesystem. The 4th longword +is the checksum of the first 512 bytes (or the number of bytes +accessible, whichever is smaller). The applied algorithm is the same +as in the AFFS filesystem, namely a simple sum of the longwords +(assuming bigendian quantities again). For details, please consult +the source. This algorithm was chosen because although it's not quite +reliable, it does not require any tables, and it is very simple. + +The following bytes are now part of the file system; each file header +must begin on a 16 byte boundary. + +offset content + + +---+---+---+---+ + 0 | next filehdr|X| The offset of the next file header + +---+---+---+---+ (zero if no more files) + 4 | spec.info | Info for directories/hard links/devices + +---+---+---+---+ + 8 | size | The size of this file in bytes + +---+---+---+---+ + 12 | checksum | Covering the meta data, including the file + +---+---+---+---+ name, and padding + 16 | file name | The zero terminated name of the file, + : : padded to 16 byte boundary + +---+---+---+---+ + xx | file data | + : : + +Since the file headers begin always at a 16 byte boundary, the lowest +4 bits would be always zero in the next filehdr pointer. These four +bits are used for the mode information. Bits 0..2 specify the type of +the file; while bit 4 shows if the file is executable or not. The +permissions are assumed to be world readable, if this bit is not set, +and world executable if it is; except the character and block devices, +they are never accessible for other than owner. The owner of every +file is user and group 0, this should never be a problem for the +intended use. The mapping of the 8 possible values to file types is +the following: + + mapping spec.info means + 0 hard link link destination [file header] + 1 directory first file's header + 2 regular file unused, must be zero [MBZ] + 3 symbolic link unused, MBZ (file data is the link content) + 4 block device 16/16 bits major/minor number + 5 char device - " - + 6 socket unused, MBZ + 7 fifo unused, MBZ + +Note that hard links are specifically marked in this filesystem, but +they will behave as you can expect (i.e. share the inode number). +Note also that it is your responsibility to not create hard link +loops, and creating all the . and .. links for directories. This is +normally done correctly by the genromfs program. Please refrain from +using the executable bits for special purposes on the socket and fifo +special files, they may have other uses in the future. Additionally, +please remember that only regular files, and symlinks are supposed to +have a nonzero size field; they contain the number of bytes available +directly after the (padded) file name. + +Another thing to note is that romfs works on file headers and data +aligned to 16 byte boundaries, but most hardware devices and the block +device drivers are unable to cope with smaller than block-sized data. +To overcome this limitation, the whole size of the file system must be +padded to an 1024 byte boundary. + +If you have any problems or suggestions concerning this file system, +please contact me. However, think twice before wanting me to add +features and code, because the primary and most important advantage of +this file system is the small code. On the other hand, don't be +alarmed, I'm not getting that much romfs related mail. Now I can +understand why Avery wrote poems in the ARCnet docs to get some more +feedback. :) + +romfs has also a mailing list, and to date, it hasn't received any +traffic, so you are welcome to join it to discuss your ideas. :) + +It's run by ezmlm, so you can subscribe to it by sending a message +to romfs-subscribe@shadow.banki.hu, the content is irrelevant. + +Pending issues: + +- Permissions and owner information are pretty essential features of a +Un*x like system, but romfs does not provide the full possibilities. +I have never found this limiting, but others might. + +- The file system is read only, so it can be very small, but in case +one would want to write _anything_ to a file system, he still needs +a writable file system, thus negating the size advantages. Possible +solutions: implement write access as a compile-time option, or a new, +similarly small writable filesystem for RAM disks. + +- Since the files are only required to have alignment on a 16 byte +boundary, it is currently possibly suboptimal to read or execute files +from the filesystem. It might be resolved by reordering file data to +have most of it (i.e. except the start and the end) laying at "natural" +boundaries, thus it would be possible to directly map a big portion of +the file contents to the mm subsystem. + +- Compression might be an useful feature, but memory is quite a +limiting factor in my eyes. + +- Where it is used? + +- Does it work on other architectures than intel and motorola? + + +Have fun, +Janos Farkas <chexum@shadow.banki.hu> |