pctechguide.com

CD-ROM File Systems

The Yellow Book does not actually specify how data is to be stored on, or retrieved from, CD-ROM. Over the years a number of such file systems have been developed for the CD-ROM’s various operating system platforms. The most common of these is ISO 9660, the international standard version of the High Sierra Group file system:

  • Level 1 ISO 9660 defines names in the 8+3 convention so familiar to MS-DOS of yesteryear: eight characters for the filename, a full-stop or period, and then three characters for the file type, all in upper case. The allowed characters are A-Z, 0-9, ., and _.Level 1 ISO 9660 requires that files occupy a contiguous range of sectors. This allows a file to be specified with a start block and a count. The maximum directory depth is 8.
  • Level 2 ISO 9660 allows far more flexibility in filenames, but isn’t usable on some systems, notably MS-DOS.
  • Level 3 ISO-9660 allows non-contiguous files, useful if the file was written in multiple packets with packet-writing software.

There have been a number of extensions to the ISO 9660 CD-ROM file format, the most important of which are:

  • Microsoft’s Joliet specification, designed to resolve a number of deficiencies in the original ISO 9660 Level 1 file system, and in particular to support the long file names used in Windows 95 and subsequent versions of Windows.
  • the Rock Ridge Interchange Protocol (RRIP), which specifies an extension to the ISO 9660 standard which enables the recording of sufficient information to support POSIX File System semantics.

The scope of ISO 9660 is limited to the provision of CD-ROM read-only interoperability between different computer systems. Subsequently, the UDF format was created to provide read-write interoperability for the recordable and rewritable CD formats – CD-R and CD-RW respectively.

Filed Under: CD-ROM

Latest Articles

What Tools Do You Need to be Successful in Sales in 2024?

Digital technology has led to major changes in the sales industry. Last year, salespeople around the world spent over $36 billion on software and online tools that help them optimize their sales strategies. That figure is growing by 16% a year and will be worth over $104 billion in the next six … [Read More...]

Top Free Registry Cleaners

Over the last 12 years I have used all the top rated registry cleaners in the market and plenty of sub-par registry cleaners out there.  I can say without any doubts that you get what you pay for.  Free registry cleaners have their own price. That price is normally limited support for issues, a few … [Read More...]

Top Computer Privacy Issues You Need to Know

The internet impacts every aspect of your life, irrespective of which part of the world you are in. Whether you're scouting for information for your research project or looking to order fresh vegetables, you’ll find it all on the internet. However, not everything is as great as it seems. Malware … [Read More...]

Guides

Recent Posts

Price Slicer Removal

Price Slicer may seem like a useful piece of software you can use to save money while shopping on the Internet. However, it is much more hassle than … [Read More...]