NetWare File System (NWFS), is a file system, based on a heavily-modified version of FAT. It was used in the Novell NetWare operating system. It is the default and only file system for all volumes in versions 2.x through 4.x, and the default and only file system for the SYS volume continuing through version 5.x. There were two varieties of NWFS: 16-bit NWFS 286, used in Netware 2.x; and 32-bit NWFS 386, used in Netware 3.x through Netware 6.x. It was superseded by the release of Novell Storage Services (NSS) in 1998. In computing, a file system (often also written as filesystem) is a method for storing and organizing computer files and the data they contain to make it easy to find and access them. ... File Allocation Table (FAT) is a partially patented file system developed by Microsoft for MS-DOS and was the primary file system for consumer versions of Microsoft Windows up to and including Windows Me. ... NetWare is a network operating system developed by Novell, Inc. ... An operating system (OS) is a set of computer programs that manage the hardware and software resources of a computer. ... Novell Storage Services (NSS) is a file system used by Novells NetWare Operating system and recently ported to Linux. ...

The published specifications for 32-bit NWFS are:

• Maximum file size: 4GB
• Maximum volume size: 1TB
• Maximum files per volume: 2 million when using a single name space.
• Maximum files per server: 16 million
• Maximum directory entries: 16 million
• Maximum volumes per server: 64
• Maximum volumes per partition: 8
• Maximum open files per server: 100,000
• Maximum directory tree depth: 100 levels
• Characters used: ASCII double-byte
• Maximum extended attributes: 16
• Maximum data streams: 10
• Support for different name spaces: Microsoft Windows Long names (A.K.A. OS/2 namespace), Unix, Apple Macintosh
• Support for restoring deleted files (salvage)
• Support for journaling (transaction tracking service)
• Support for block suballocation, starting in NetWare 4.x

Transparent file compression was also supported, although this had a significant impact on the performance of file serving. Metadata is data about data. ... In computing, a fork is additional data associated with a file system object. ... Microsoft Corporation, (NASDAQ: MSFT, HKSE: 4338) is a multinational computer technology corporation with global annual revenue of US$44. ... Microsoft Windows is the name of several families of proprietary software operating systems by Microsoft. ... Filiation of Unix and Unix-like systems Unix (officially trademarked as UNIX®) is a computer operating system originally developed in the 1960s and 1970s by a group of AT&T employees at Bell Labs including Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie and Douglas McIlroy. ... Apple Inc. ... The first Macintosh computer, introduced in 1984, upgraded to a 512K Fat Mac. The Macintosh or Mac, is a line of personal computers designed, developed, manufactured, and marketed by Apple Computer. ...

Every name space requires its own separate directory entry for each file. While the maximum number of directory entries is 16,000,000, two resident name spaces would reduce the usable maximum number of directory entries to 8,000,000, and three to 5,333,333.

16-bit NWFS could handle volumes of up to 256MB. However its only name space support was a dedicated API to handle Macintosh clients.

See also

• List of file systems
• Comparison of file systems

The following lists identify, characterise and link to fuller information on computer file systems. ... The following tables compare general and technical information for a number of file systems. ...

External links

• Comparison of NW file systems
• Another specification comparison page