File Systems

File systems are used to categorize information, allowing it to be stored in separate files and folders allowing easy retrieval during the operation of the device.

For an embedded device, one of the most critical aspects of a file system is reliability – the device must always be able to boot up, regardless of when the power was interrupted.

Depending on the implementation of the embedded system and the RTOS or operating system chosen there may only be a small number of data files being stored or for a Linux root file system many thousands of files. For simplicity and compatibility reasons many embedded systems still use the file allocation table (FAT) file system that was originally developed in 1977 despite its lack of robustness.

Embedded systems using Linux as their operating system have a number of file systems available to them depending on the application and which type of flash device is being used.  The most commonly file systems within Linux are ext4, JFFS2 and UBIFS.  Whilst these file systems provide more reliability the implementation of this resilience comes at a cost with variable and extended mount times.

High performance file systems from Tuxera

SDC Systems have partnered with Tuxera to bring their best in class file system and flash memory driver products to the UK mobile, industrial, medical and embedded markets.

Tuxera’s file systems are designed for power interruption, and give the developer complete control over how much data is at risk with dynamic transaction points. Within the scope of this requirement, the developers, at Tuxera, have worked to give the best possible performance, often on-par with non-reliable solutions such as FAT.

Tuxera offer a number of different file systems that meet different needs of the embedded market including the high performance Reliance Nitro, the MISRA compliant Reliance Edge and the combined file system and flash translation layer for SPI NAND devices, Reliance EdgeNAND.

Tuxera products are provided either in source code or object code format, and run in a variety of embedded and real time operating system (RTOS) environments. More details…

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For more information on high performance file systems available from SDC Systems then please complete the form below.