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diff --git a/Documentation/filesystems/squashfs.txt b/Documentation/filesystems/squashfs.txt new file mode 100644 index 000000000000..3e79e4a7a392 --- /dev/null +++ b/Documentation/filesystems/squashfs.txt @@ -0,0 +1,225 @@ +SQUASHFS 4.0 FILESYSTEM +======================= + +Squashfs is a compressed read-only filesystem for Linux. +It uses zlib compression to compress files, inodes and directories. +Inodes in the system are very small and all blocks are packed to minimise +data overhead. Block sizes greater than 4K are supported up to a maximum +of 1Mbytes (default block size 128K). + +Squashfs is intended for general read-only filesystem use, for archival +use (i.e. in cases where a .tar.gz file may be used), and in constrained +block device/memory systems (e.g. embedded systems) where low overhead is +needed. + +Mailing list: squashfs-devel@lists.sourceforge.net +Web site: www.squashfs.org + +1. FILESYSTEM FEATURES +---------------------- + +Squashfs filesystem features versus Cramfs: + + Squashfs Cramfs + +Max filesystem size: 2^64 16 MiB +Max file size: ~ 2 TiB 16 MiB +Max files: unlimited unlimited +Max directories: unlimited unlimited +Max entries per directory: unlimited unlimited +Max block size: 1 MiB 4 KiB +Metadata compression: yes no +Directory indexes: yes no +Sparse file support: yes no +Tail-end packing (fragments): yes no +Exportable (NFS etc.): yes no +Hard link support: yes no +"." and ".." in readdir: yes no +Real inode numbers: yes no +32-bit uids/gids: yes no +File creation time: yes no +Xattr and ACL support: no no + +Squashfs compresses data, inodes and directories. In addition, inode and +directory data are highly compacted, and packed on byte boundaries. Each +compressed inode is on average 8 bytes in length (the exact length varies on +file type, i.e. regular file, directory, symbolic link, and block/char device +inodes have different sizes). + +2. USING SQUASHFS +----------------- + +As squashfs is a read-only filesystem, the mksquashfs program must be used to +create populated squashfs filesystems. This and other squashfs utilities +can be obtained from http://www.squashfs.org. Usage instructions can be +obtained from this site also. + + +3. SQUASHFS FILESYSTEM DESIGN +----------------------------- + +A squashfs filesystem consists of seven parts, packed together on a byte +alignment: + + --------------- + | superblock | + |---------------| + | datablocks | + | & fragments | + |---------------| + | inode table | + |---------------| + | directory | + | table | + |---------------| + | fragment | + | table | + |---------------| + | export | + | table | + |---------------| + | uid/gid | + | lookup table | + --------------- + +Compressed data blocks are written to the filesystem as files are read from +the source directory, and checked for duplicates. Once all file data has been +written the completed inode, directory, fragment, export and uid/gid lookup +tables are written. + +3.1 Inodes +---------- + +Metadata (inodes and directories) are compressed in 8Kbyte blocks. Each +compressed block is prefixed by a two byte length, the top bit is set if the +block is uncompressed. A block will be uncompressed if the -noI option is set, +or if the compressed block was larger than the uncompressed block. + +Inodes are packed into the metadata blocks, and are not aligned to block +boundaries, therefore inodes overlap compressed blocks. Inodes are identified +by a 48-bit number which encodes the location of the compressed metadata block +containing the inode, and the byte offset into that block where the inode is +placed (<block, offset>). + +To maximise compression there are different inodes for each file type +(regular file, directory, device, etc.), the inode contents and length +varying with the type. + +To further maximise compression, two types of regular file inode and +directory inode are defined: inodes optimised for frequently occurring +regular files and directories, and extended types where extra +information has to be stored. + +3.2 Directories +--------------- + +Like inodes, directories are packed into compressed metadata blocks, stored +in a directory table. Directories are accessed using the start address of +the metablock containing the directory and the offset into the +decompressed block (<block, offset>). + +Directories are organised in a slightly complex way, and are not simply +a list of file names. The organisation takes advantage of the +fact that (in most cases) the inodes of the files will be in the same +compressed metadata block, and therefore, can share the start block. +Directories are therefore organised in a two level list, a directory +header containing the shared start block value, and a sequence of directory +entries, each of which share the shared start block. A new directory header +is written once/if the inode start block changes. The directory +header/directory entry list is repeated as many times as necessary. + +Directories are sorted, and can contain a directory index to speed up +file lookup. Directory indexes store one entry per metablock, each entry +storing the index/filename mapping to the first directory header +in each metadata block. Directories are sorted in alphabetical order, +and at lookup the index is scanned linearly looking for the first filename +alphabetically larger than the filename being looked up. At this point the +location of the metadata block the filename is in has been found. +The general idea of the index is ensure only one metadata block needs to be +decompressed to do a lookup irrespective of the length of the directory. +This scheme has the advantage that it doesn't require extra memory overhead +and doesn't require much extra storage on disk. + +3.3 File data +------------- + +Regular files consist of a sequence of contiguous compressed blocks, and/or a +compressed fragment block (tail-end packed block). The compressed size +of each datablock is stored in a block list contained within the +file inode. + +To speed up access to datablocks when reading 'large' files (256 Mbytes or +larger), the code implements an index cache that caches the mapping from +block index to datablock location on disk. + +The index cache allows Squashfs to handle large files (up to 1.75 TiB) while +retaining a simple and space-efficient block list on disk. The cache +is split into slots, caching up to eight 224 GiB files (128 KiB blocks). +Larger files use multiple slots, with 1.75 TiB files using all 8 slots. +The index cache is designed to be memory efficient, and by default uses +16 KiB. + +3.4 Fragment lookup table +------------------------- + +Regular files can contain a fragment index which is mapped to a fragment +location on disk and compressed size using a fragment lookup table. This +fragment lookup table is itself stored compressed into metadata blocks. +A second index table is used to locate these. This second index table for +speed of access (and because it is small) is read at mount time and cached +in memory. + +3.5 Uid/gid lookup table +------------------------ + +For space efficiency regular files store uid and gid indexes, which are +converted to 32-bit uids/gids using an id look up table. This table is +stored compressed into metadata blocks. A second index table is used to +locate these. This second index table for speed of access (and because it +is small) is read at mount time and cached in memory. + +3.6 Export table +---------------- + +To enable Squashfs filesystems to be exportable (via NFS etc.) filesystems +can optionally (disabled with the -no-exports Mksquashfs option) contain +an inode number to inode disk location lookup table. This is required to +enable Squashfs to map inode numbers passed in filehandles to the inode +location on disk, which is necessary when the export code reinstantiates +expired/flushed inodes. + +This table is stored compressed into metadata blocks. A second index table is +used to locate these. This second index table for speed of access (and because +it is small) is read at mount time and cached in memory. + + +4. TODOS AND OUTSTANDING ISSUES +------------------------------- + +4.1 Todo list +------------- + +Implement Xattr and ACL support. The Squashfs 4.0 filesystem layout has hooks +for these but the code has not been written. Once the code has been written +the existing layout should not require modification. + +4.2 Squashfs internal cache +--------------------------- + +Blocks in Squashfs are compressed. To avoid repeatedly decompressing +recently accessed data Squashfs uses two small metadata and fragment caches. + +The cache is not used for file datablocks, these are decompressed and cached in +the page-cache in the normal way. The cache is used to temporarily cache +fragment and metadata blocks which have been read as a result of a metadata +(i.e. inode or directory) or fragment access. Because metadata and fragments +are packed together into blocks (to gain greater compression) the read of a +particular piece of metadata or fragment will retrieve other metadata/fragments +which have been packed with it, these because of locality-of-reference may be +read in the near future. Temporarily caching them ensures they are available +for near future access without requiring an additional read and decompress. + +In the future this internal cache may be replaced with an implementation which +uses the kernel page cache. Because the page cache operates on page sized +units this may introduce additional complexity in terms of locking and +associated race conditions. |
