[Info-vax] Request description of UFS for VMS person

[AEF]

On Apr 30, 8:52 am, billg... at cs.uofs.edu (Bill Gunshannon) wrote:
> In article <fcd0bac2-e51a-449d-bfcc-1d4f561df... at f1g2000prb.googlegroups.com>,
>         AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> writes:
>
>
>
> > On Apr 29, 8:07 pm, glen herrmannsfeldt <g... at ugcs.caltech.edu> wrote:
> >> AEF <spamsink2... at yahoo.com> wrote:
> >> > The primary one I can think of is that everything on the volume really
> >> > *is* a file. Everything in the volume is "transparent". In Unix, at
> >> > least the ones I have access to I don't know how to dump the super
> >> > block or inodes. And on one of them I can't even dump a directory!
> >> > So can you or anyone else tell us more of the advantages? And on the
> >> > Unix side if there is a way to read the super block and inodes? So
> >> > much for "everything is a file in Unix".
>
> >> If you can read or write the raw device, you can see or change
> >> anything on the disk.  (Some might be in cache, so you have
> >> to be careful while it is mounted.)
>
> >> With dd and the raw device you can extract a copy of the superblock.
> > How? And it's still not a file.
>
> I think the problem here is you aren't being very clear on just what you
> want to do.  What's not a file?  What do you want to see in "a file".
> What are you trying to do with it?  If you had a real reason to play
> with the super-block it is accessable and well defined.  There may not
> be a pre-written utility to do what you want to do, but the ability to
> write one is there.  Actually, there may be a utility, if we had a clue
> what you were trying to do.

Whatever Unix people mean when they say "Everything is just a file" as
if that we're supposed to be some big advantage or make things easier.

If it has an inode, it's a file.

Or, on a different level, if you can write it as a path it's a file.

The superblock and inode seem to be neither. If I have to write
utilities and hunt down the blocks myself, it isn't a file in my book.
If I have to put the parts together to make a car, it's not a car.
It's a pile of parts.

>
> bill
>
> --
> Bill Gunshannon          |  de-moc-ra-cy (di mok' ra see) n.  Three wolves
> billg... at cs.scranton.edu |  and a sheep voting on what's for dinner.
> University of Scranton   |
> Scranton, Pennsylvania   |         #include <std.disclaimer.h>  

AEF