On 8/22/05, Pavel Machek <pavel@ucw.cz> wrote:
> Hi!
> 
> > > This is a take 2 of posix file attribute support on VFAT.
> >
> > Sorry, but this is far too scary.  Please just use one of the sane
> > filesystems linux supports.
> 
> Unfortunately, it makes sense. If you have compact flash card, you
> really want to have VFAT there, so that it is a) compatible with
> windows and b) so that you don't kill the hardware.

Why not using fuse in a initramfs?

Why not doing this with fuse? Write a filesystem that will use the
base fat file system (or any other stupid file system) but using a
database (BSD) or a file for non existent field. This new layer will
implement:
o mapping between true name and short name
o links (soft and emulated hard)
o permissions (and special files)

This solution is more general and can apply to all the stupid filesystems.
In the initramfs we need only to put:
o fuse module
o our fuse filesystem statically linked or again klibc.

Moreover this doesn't add more fat (fat because previous solution is
really ugly) to the kernel and will implement an universal umsdos.

I believe a shell program example will give you a better idea of my minds:
-----
modprobe fuse
mount -t vfat /dev/hda1 /mnt
#  fuse filesystem use the old /mnt
# It do a chdir in /mnt (base) before the mount was efective
mount -t fuse_extenddumbfilesystem none /mnt -o base=/mnt
# chroot
chroot /mnt
-------

But some could object that fuse like a support of write shared memory
mmaped segment, but it is not different than nfs root!

Slowness is not a valid argument because fat and other file system are
not really suitable for unix computing...

I join as an attachment (I know, it is not really good), my 1c simple
implementation of such filesystem. This program do only the fuse bind
mount nothing else but if somebody want to go further...

> I guess being able to use CF card for root filesystem is usefull,
> too....
> 
>                                                                Pavel
> --
> if you have sharp zaurus hardware you don't need... you know my address
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