Re: Adding support for Apple File Systems to Linux

Paul H. Hargrove (hargrove@sccm.stanford.edu)
Wed, 28 Jun 1995 09:49:42 -0700 (PDT)


In message <199506280041.KAA24649@wraith.cs.uow.edu.au>, "David E A Wilson" writes:
> I am interested in adding support for reading Apple disks on my Linux box
> (I am an Apple // user from way back and at work we have a lot of Macs).
>
> I have planned it as follows:
>
> 1) Add support for Apple partitioning of SCSI HDs and CD-ROMs.
> 2) Write a Read-Only ProDOS fs handler.
> 3) Make 2) Read-Write.
> 4) Write a Read-Only HFS fs handler.
> 5) Make 4) Read-Write.

I have done #4 and am working on #5. Please see hfs_fs_0.5.1.tgz,
currently in Sunsites's Incoming, soon to move to pub/Linux/ALPHA/hfs/

> At the moment I am still working on step 1. I have a number of Mac
> and Apple // CD-ROMs to use as sample file systems. I have written
> user programs to read the partition table successfully but modifying
> genhd.c looks interesting. At the moment CDs are explictly denied
> partitions. Is this because ISO CDs can only have a single
> partition. It appears that the SCSI driver has its own code for
> handling PC partitions - why is it not in a common file with the
> IDE/MFM disk partition code?

It would certainly be helpful (and sensible) to see partitioning at
a separate level of abstraction from the raw device driver, since it is
not solely a function of the media type, but also of what machine (PC or
Mac or whatever) formatted it.

>
> Is there anyone out there who would be interested in working on this
> with me?

Rather than attempt to teach Linux about Apple's partitioning
method, I put partition support in the HFS code. Unfortunately this
limits you to only mounting one partition from each device. I'd very
much like to see #1 completed, so I'll provide what little help I can.

> --
> David Wilson Dept CompSci Uni Wollongong Australia david@cs.uow.edu.au

----
Paul H. Hargrove
hargrove@sccm.stanford.edu