file system

operating system (FS, or "filesystem") 1. A system for

organizing directories and files, generally in terms of

how it is implemented in the disk operating system. E.g.,

"The Macintosh file system is just dandy as long as you

don't have to interface it with any other file systems".

2. The collection of files and directories stored on a given

drive (floppy drive, hard drive, disk partition, logical

drive, RAM drive, etc.). E.g., "mount attaches a named file

system to the file system hierarchy at the pathname location

directory [...]" -- Unix manual page for "mount(8)".

As an extension of this sense, "file system" is sometimes used

to refer to the representatation of the file system's

organisation (e.g. its file allocation table) as opposed the

actual content of the files in the file system.

Unix manual page: fs(5), mount(8).

(1997-04-10)