## Chapter 5 Summary

NTFS for Windows NT is a real file system that offers security, large file and volume sizes, and fault tolerance. Windows NT can use either file allocation table (FAT), or NTFS, or a mixture of both.

Security schemes in each environment differ because most UNIX systems depend on file and directory permission bits to determine who has access and what kind of access is allowed. However, Windows NT access control lists (ACLs) allow a more complex but more intuitive security scheme.

UNIX administrators access multiple file systems or physical drives from a single root. Under Windows NT, you have to specify the drive letter as part of an absolute path name.

When associating file types, UNIX treats a file as a simple byte stream, and allows the program reading the file to impose a structure. Windows has traditionally used a three-character extension to tell the operating system which application should be used to open a file.

UNIX backup and restore procedures have traditionally been very vendor-specific and require advanced system administration skills. Windows NT backup tends to be much easier to learn and operate. Simple file systems such as FAT have allowed Windows users to recover accidentally deleted files. UNIX does not have this capability.

UNIX and Windows NT do not come with a compatible network file system. Windows NT uses the server message block (SMB) and UNIX uses the NFS.

The following table outlines UNIX and Windows NT file system similarities and differences.

File system feature | Windows NT | UNIX
File system types | FAT and NTFS | UFS
Security | Access control list | File and directory permission bits
Unknown users | Supported by the everyone user | Denied access, not supported
Quotas | Third party | Supported
Hierarchy model | Volume/drive based | Single root
Namespace issues | FAT compatibility | Case sensitive
File type association | Uses file extensions | Uses magic numbers
Backup | Ntbackup, third party | Dump/restore, third party
Undelete | Supported by FAT, not supported by NTFS | Not supported by UFS
Security | Access control list | UNIX permission bits, ACLs in vendor-specific versions
Network access | SMB, Third-party NFS support | NFS, third-party SMB support

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Last Updated: December 1, 1997