Boot File System

The Boot File System (named BFS on Linux, but BFS also refers to the Be File System) was used on UnixWare to store files necessary to its boot process.[1]

BFS
Developer(s)Bell Labs
Full nameBoot File System
Introducedwith UNIX System V
Partition identifier0x63 (MBR)
Structures
Directory contentssingle inode table
File allocation16-bit inodes
Limits
Max. filename length14 characters
Other
Supported operating systemsUnixWare

It does not support directories, and only allows contiguous allocation for files, to make it simpler to be used by the boot loader.

Implementations

Besides the UnixWare support, Martin Hinner wrote a bfs kernel module for Linux that supports it.[2]

He documented the file system layout as part of the process.[3]

The Linux kernel implementation of BFS was written by Tigran Aivazian and it became part of the standard kernel sources on 28 October 1999 (Linux version 2.3.25).[4]

The original BFS was written at AT&T Bell Laboratories for the UNIX System V, Version 4.0 porting base in 1986. It was written by Ron Schnell, who is also the author of Dunnet (game).

BFS was the first non-S5 (System V) Filesystem written using VFS (Virtual Filesystem) for AT&T UNIX.

gollark: I wonder how hard/expensive it'd be to run your own channel on the satellite system if there are THAT many.
gollark: We have exciting TV like "BBC Parliament".
gollark: Analog TV got shut down here ages ago.
gollark: So I guess if you consider license costs our terrestrial TV is *not* free and costs a bit more than Netflix and stuff. Oops.
gollark: - it funds the BBC, but you have to pay it if you watch *any* live TV, or watch BBC content online- it's per property, not per person, so if you have a license, and go somewhere without a license, and watch TV on some of your stuff, you are breaking the law (unless your thing is running entirely on battery power and not mains-connected?)- it costs about twice as much as online subscription service things- there are still black and white licenses which cost a third of the priceBut the enforcement of it is even weirder than that:- there are "TV detector vans". The BBC refuses to explain how they actually work in much detail. With modern TVs I don't think this is actually possible, and they probably can't detect iPlayer use, unless you're stupid enough to sign up with your postcode (they started requiring accounts some years ago).- enforcement is apparently done by some organization with almost no actual legal power (they can visit you and complain, but not *do* anything without a search warrant, which is hard to get)- so they make up for it by sending threatening and misleading letters to try and get people to pay money

References
  1. "UnixWare architecture supports multiplatform interoperability". InfoWorld: 66. 28 June 1993.
  2. Martin Hinner (1999). "UnixWare boot filesystem for Linux". Martin Hinner. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  3. Martin Hinner (1999). "The BFS filesystem structure". Martin Hinner. Retrieved 2008-12-21.
  4. Tigran Aivazian (1999). "Linux Implementation of SCO UnixWare BFS". Tigran Aivazian. Retrieved 2018-06-14.
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