1 EXT4NTFS 6FAT32 Allocation method IndexedIndexed, by “runs”Linked File representation i-node (default size 256KB) MFT record (default size 1Kb) Chain of clusters pointed from a Directory entry Location of filename Directory entry Directory entry, MFT record Directory entry Location of attributes i-nodeMFT recordDirectory entry Data access i-node contain pointers with different levels of indirection For small files- the contents inside the MFT record, for larger- organized as 'runs' which may span multiple MFT records Directory entry Points to 1 st link in chain Location of index table i-nodes table immediately after the superblock MFT anywhere, pointed by MBR FAT anywhere, pointed by MBR Design compare

2 EXT4NTFS 6FAT32 Built in securityYes No Recoverability Yes, via data and metadata journaling Yes, via metadata journaling No Efficient disk usage Yes, via sparse files Yes, via compression, sparse files No Fragmentation problem No Some, tries to store files sequentially Yes Max file size 16TB (for 4k block) 16EB by design, 16TB by implementation 4GB Max volume size 1EB (1EB=1,000,000TB) 16EB2TB Max filename length 255 chars (case sensitive) 255 chars (case sensitive) Originally 8+3, extended to 255 (not case sensitive) Hard linksYes No Soft linksYes No Features compare

3 EXT4NTFS 6FAT32 Pros Supports large volumes and files Built in security and permissions Recoverability Unicode file names Extended file attributes No fragmentation problems, no maintenance needed Small memory footprint Modern Supports large volumes and files Built in security and permissions Recoverability Unicode file names Extended file attributes High performance on large directories and files Simple Widely supported Efficient for small files on small volumes and sequential access Cons Compatibility issues with other OS Larger disk footprint than NTFS Fragmentation problem Inefficient on small volumes Performance degrades when disk is almost full Size of MFT grows with usage Obsolete Not suitable for large volumes and files No recoverability No security No user permissions Fragmentation reduce performance Pros & Cons