[PLUG] Maximum file sizes

[Shannon C. Dealy]

On 2 Jun 2002, Ed Sawicki wrote:

> I'd like to confirm a few things that I think are true:
>
> 1. The maximum file and volume sizes are the same for both
> ext2 and ext3.

Don't know about this one, I've never used ext3.

> 2. The 2 GB file size limit is a library limitation - not a limitation
> of the file system or the kernel.

It's been a while since I went through this stuff, but I believe that it
is a limitation (on 32 bit systems) of all pre-2.4 kernels, and requires
that libraries and many command line tools be updated as well.  In other
words, to use >2GB files, you need to be running a 2.4+ kernel, and
up-to-date libraries and command set.  When I first upgraded to the 2.4
kernel, the system would only sort-of handle 2GB+ file sizes because I
was using an old version of most of the system software with a 2.4
kernel (some programs had to be updated for the 2.4 kernel, but the rest
wasn't).  With this setup, some programs couldn't handle it, others could,
depending on if I was running an updated and/or relinked version of the
command.  I can't remember specifically, but I think I had problems with
cp, tar, and a few other commands.

Of course I could be senile, it's been over a year since I had any
problems with 2+ gig. files, so the details are a little vague in my
memory.

Shannon C. Dealy      |               DeaTech Research Inc.
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