user manual | page 26
UNIX File System
This is the file system based on UNIX, and is preferrable for users developing UNIX-based applications within Mac OS 10.x.
Unless you have a specific reason to use the UNIX File System, you should instead format your drive using Mac OS Extended
(HFS+), because it provides Mac users with a more familiar operating experience.
Mac OS 9.x Users:
You will be able to format the drive in one of two formats, HFS (Mac OS Standard) or HFS+ (Mac OS Extended), using
Silverlining Pro (for specific instructions, please refer to the Silverlining User’s Manual, in the Silverlining folder).
5.1.2. Windows Users
There are basically two file system formats for Windows: FAT 32 and NTFS. The following information will hopefully make
choosing one or the other a little easier.
FAT 32
FAT is an acronym for File Allocation Table, which dates back to the beginnings of DOS programming. Originally, FAT was
only 16 bits, but after the second release of Windows 95 it was upgraded to 32 bits, hence the name FAT 32. In theory, FAT
32 volume sizes can range from less than 1MB all the way to 2TB. It is the native file system of Windows 98 and Windows
Me, and is supported by Windows 2000 and XP. When FAT 32 is used with Windows 2000 and XP, though, volume size is
limited to 32GB (by the Windows partition utility, i.e. Disk Manager), and the individual file size is limited to 4GB.
NTFS
This acronym stands for New Technology Filing System, and it is the native file system for Windows NT, Windows 2000 and
XP. NTFS offers several features that are not available with FAT 32; i.e. file compression, encryption, permissions, and
auditing, as well as the ability to mirror drives and RAID 5 capabilities. The minimum supported volume size for NTFS is
10MB, with a maximum of 2TB, with no limit to file size. Volumes created in NTFS can only be directly accessed (not through
shares) by Windows NT, Windows 2000 and XP, without resorting to help from third-party products.
5. Tech Tips
