Traveling with a big file

[hewitt_tech]

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Tech Writer" <TechWtr at handspun.com>
To: "GNHLUG Group" <gnhlug-discuss at mail.gnhlug.org>
Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 3:22 PM
Subject: Re: Traveling with a big file


> Thanks for the quick feedback, so far....  I've noticed that most of these 
> USB portable disks (FIRELITE, etc) are marked as being compatible with 
> Windows and MAC, but don't mention Linux.
>
> My task is to document some Linux tasks, so I'm running in Linux, and plan 
> to copy files to/from there.  But, I'd also like to still be able to plug 
> the disk into a Windows machine on occasion, to transfer scripts (I have 
> used Samba, but the machines aren't always accessible to each other).
>
> So...  if I reformat this USB disk with NTFS, will I be able to read it on

NTFS file systems can be read on Linux systems but writing is a diffent 
matter.

> both Linux and Windows systems?  If I try EX2/EXT3, with Windows read it?

AFAIK there isn't an EXT2/EXT3 file system driver for Windows.

-Alex

> If not, I think I'll try to split the file, as was suggested earlier.
>
> Peg
>
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Ben Scott" <dragonhawk at gmail.com>
> To: "GNHLUG Group" <gnhlug-discuss at mail.gnhlug.org>
> Sent: Thursday, November 30, 2006 2:06 PM
> Subject: Re: Traveling with a big file
>
>
>> On 11/30/06, Ted Roche <tedroche at tedroche.com> wrote:
>>>>  You can also use the "split" command to split files into chunks, and
>>>> then use "cat" to put the pieces back together into one big file.  Or
>>>> on 'doze, use "COPY PART1+PART2 BIGFILE" to concatenate.
>>>
>>> Bearing in mind, of course, that the target file system may have
>>> limitations on the size of the file that can be created.
>>
>>  Yah, if the computer the OP is trying to transport *to* is limited
>> to 4 GB files, you're in trouble.  But generally speaking, they would
>> find their DVD writing program would fall apart with that limit
>> anyway, so there's not much you can do about that.
>>
>>> I'm pretty sure FAT32 is limited to 4 Gb
>>
>>  It is.  But NTFS can do up to 16 TB per file, and I think EXT2/3 can
>> do 2 TB per file.
>>
>>> I've heard of people successfully
>>> reformatting their drive in other less-limited filesystems, but
>>> haven't tried it myself.
>>
>>  The various 'doze OSes which support NTFS also provide
>> "CONVERT.EXE", which will convert from FAT to NTFS in-place.  It
>> actually works surprisingly well, for the most part.  The major
>> problem is that it doesn't set-up file permissions the way a new
>> install to NTFS would.  But then, if one is running FAT, security is
>> likely not a big concern anyway... :)
>>
>> -- Ben
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