[comp.sys.mac.programmer] disk space allocation

ted@hpwrce.HP.COM ( Ted Johnson) (03/11/89)

Does anyone know what kind of disk space allocation algorithm
the Mac O.S. uses?  Is it contiguous, linked, indexed, or 
something completely different?

-Ted

amanda@lts.UUCP (Amanda Walker) (03/14/89)

ted@hpwrce.HP.COM ( Ted Johnson) writes:
    Does anyone know what kind of disk space allocation algorithm
    the Mac O.S. uses?  Is it contiguous, linked, indexed, or 
    something completely different?
    
    -Ted

Well, the old file system (MFS) used a linked-block system sickeningly
similar to MS-DOS.  The new file system (HFS) uses a better scheme
involving (effectively) a linked list of extents for each file, each of
which is a contiguous area on disk.  Inside Macintosh Volume IV has a
fairly detailed discussion of this.

-- 
Amanda Walker, InterCon Systems Corporation
amanda@lts.UUCP / ...!uunet!lts!amanda / 703.435.8170
--
I we were meant to fly, they wouldn't keep losing our luggage...