Re: Kernel support for VFAT long-filenames in 1.3 kernels?

David C. Niemi (niemidc@clark.net)
Tue, 3 Oct 1995 13:57:51 -0400 (EDT)

On Mon, 2 Oct 1995, lilo wrote:
> Probably worth passing on....
>
> ---------- Forwarded message ----------
> Date: Mon, 2 Oct 1995 10:08:24 -0400
> From: Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>
> To: Multiple recipients of list <redhat-list@redhat.com>
> Subject: Re: Red Hat Linux 2.0 available via FTP! 100% ELF!
>
> On Mon, 2 Oct 1995, Craig Goodrich wrote:
>
> > Just to change the subject (it's about time), anybody have any
> > late bulletins on support for the so-called VFAT long-file-name
> > structure in Linux?
>
> There are kernel patches and a new mtools avaialble on sunsite which handle
> this. I assume the patches will be folded into the 1.3 kernels.
>
> Erik

I won't speak for the people working on VFAT kernel support (there are two
separate groups); but last I checked (a couple of months ago) they had
read-only support working fairly well and were just starting on read-write
support (which, at least for me, was several times as much work as
read-only).

The Mtools that does VFAT is a totally separate effort and needs no kernel
mods over 1.2.x or 1.3.x (though there is a minor change pending to better
support the OS/2 and 2m XDF formats). As for its status, it is in late
ALPHA and should go to BETA after it gets a bit more testing and Alain
Knaff and I find some time to finish it off. Many bugs have been fixed
(mostly by Alain) since the 2.5.0 ALPHA version.

Cheers,

---David C. Niemi---niemidc@clark.net----703-904-3596---Reston, VA USA---
There is no match for the fervor of a new initiate, the confidence of the
unquestioning, or the appeal of oversimplified answers to complex issues.