[ale] Cross Platform File Systems (was re: external hard drive)

Thu Jan 28 15:18:35 EST 2010

Welcome to multi-OS hell.

There is currently no such thing as a "Universal Translator Drive System".
The closest are the NAS systems that actually run an embedded Linux with
Samba and Mac connection layers. Using something like that would be my first
choice. While it won't be as fast as an internally mounted drive or even a
USB2 drive, it will be easily accessible and stable.

Look at these gizmos for ideas:
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0321845
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0321393
http://microcenter.com/single_product_results.phtml?product_id=0318027

etc...

an older pc running samba with gbit nic and a gbit switch may be easier to
handle. Just set up the samba to be essentially no security and you have an
instant microshaft/crapintosh NAS :-)

On Thu, Jan 28, 2010 at 2:51 PM, m-aaron-r <aaron at pd.org> wrote:

> I'm in process on a project where cross platform file system
> compatibility is an issue.  The project involves digitizing and
> reviving an archive of 30+ hours of multi layered, real time
> Amiga Video Animation art that was recorded live onto
> 3/4 inch U-Matic video tapes circa 1989-92.
>
> I now have several hundred gigs of DV.mov video files on
> external hard drives in native Mac OSeX file format.  I need
> to copy these gigs onto an empty (blank) TB SATA drive
> provided by one of the other animation artists on the project
> (the one who stored all the video tapes for all these years).
> Unfortunately, he is a windisease victim, so I really need to
> use NTFS for him, given that most of these files are at least
> 10GB in size.
>
> First hurdle was that all of my (many) external Firewire drive
> cases are designed for IDE (PATA) drives. Fortunately I also
> have a little open cable device that interfaces USB 2.0 to SATA
> drives that includes the needed power supply adaptor.
>
> Even with both Mac and Linux at my disposal, the process of
> testing the drive, formatting it with the NTFS file system and
> copying the files has been very problematic.
>
> Native Mac OSeX does not support NTFS for writing or disk
> formatting, though it will mount NTFS as Read Only.  Linux
> NTFS support is native now, though enabling NTFS write
> support requires a couple extra steps with Ubuntu.
>
> Easiest way to test the drive was to use the Mac OSeX disk
> utility.  I was able to format in FAT 32, but for unknown reasons
> the systems was very stubborn about formatting the drive as
> a single partition regardless of the FS I selected.  Disk utility
> has never given me any difficulties before. Very weird.
>
> After formatting and testing the drive on the Mac, I hooked
> it up to my Ubuntu 9.10 system, which is where I planned
> to do the actual NTFS formatting and file transfer since
> Linux supports both Mac HFS and Windisease NTFS file
> systems.  More weirdness in that even when formatted in
> FAT 32, none of the partitions I made on the Mac were
> being recognized in Ubuntu.  I ignored that and moved
> on to trying to format the drive in NTFS on Linus, but I
> couldn't get any of the GUI partitioning and formatting
> tools available in Ubuntu to work for me. (argh).
>
> After hours of futzing with this Hitachi TB SATA drive, I
> finally gave up and took the drive to Stargate Computers
> around the corner and had our friend Sukru format it in
> NTFS on a windisease system for me.  Took the disk
> home, plugged that back into my Ubuntu box via USB,
> and plugged the Mac OSeX HFS drive via Firewire. With
> both drives powered up at startup, they were both auto
> mounted by the system and I am successfully transferring
> the files.
>
> Of course, the big frustration here is that all these problems
> stem from the fact that all Windisease OS products are
> defective by design. If Windisease were any kind of
> competent OS it would, at the very least,  include native
> support for reading commonly used file systems outside
> of its user abusive proprietary junk.
>
> I did look into FUSE for Mac OSeX, but the installation
> and implementation did NOT look to be trivial -- at least
> not as trivial as I wanted it to be in terms of time and effort
> for a one time need.  Has anyone here successfully
> installed FUSE on an OSeX system??
>
> As a recommendation for anyone needing a cross platform
> file system, I would say the most functional choice is to go
> with the Mac OSeX native HFS file system, then repair the
> defective windisease system(s) that need to access the
> drive with something like FUSE.  There are also low cost
> proprietary products for reading HFS under Windisease,
> but I haven't looked at these since the Xcrement Pile days
> and can't say if they are available for newer versions of
> Windisease.
>
> peace
> aaron
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> On 2010/01/27, at 11:50 , Robert Coggins wrote:
>
> > Do macs work with NTFS?  If not am I safe to assume there is a mac
> > port
> > of FUSE?
> >
> > Rob
> >
> > On 01/27/2010 11:46 AM, Damon L. Chesser wrote:
> >> On Wed, 2010-01-27 at 09:55 -0600, Preston Boyington wrote:
> >>> Robert Coggins wrote:
> >>>> Speaking of drives, I just bought a 500 gig portable drive that I
> >>>> will
> >>>> be mostly using with linux and mac.  Sometimes I might connect it
> >>>> to a
> >>>> windows box.  What is the best file system to use so that the drive
> >>>> works between all three?  Right now it is vfat but I am limited
> >>>> to 4 gig
> >>>> files.  I would like to keep some virtuals on it...
> >>>>
> >>> <snipped>
> >>>
> >>> wouldn't this be a case for NTFS?  not a fan of it, but FUSE will
> >>> allow
> >>> read and write on mac/linux with 3g-ntfs.
> >>>
> >>> i used to use Ext2 on Windows via a plugin, but patching my linux
> >>> boxes
> >>> was always easier and more reliable.
> >>>
> >>
> >> As a home user, this is exactly what I do (Ubuntu x64 9.10).  I
> >> just got
> >> a 1TB USB disk, plugged it in:  Linux sees it just fine as does
> >> Windows
> >> 7.  Not sure what I would do in a data center (USB drives are good
> >> for
> >> manual backus given the size and cost of them.) as I have not
> >> actually
> >> had to do that.
> >>
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-- 
-- 
James P. Kinney III
Actively in pursuit of Life, Liberty and Happiness
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