Evaluation of an Alternative Implementation to Native Operating System Extended File Attributes

摘要

Extended attributes (xattrs) are a common means of storing file and directory metadata in a simple key-value pairing. Most, but not all, modern Linux file systems allow for this functionality. For those that do not, an alternative was developed using a locally stored database and a set of Python scripts to emulate the file system s method of storing xattrs. Comparing the two methods in three key areas speed, size, and portability will allow developers to determine which one may be the better option to fill their needs and fit their structure. The conclusion drawn favors using the database method in largely Python solutions and file systems that do not natively allow xattrs, while the file system method is preferred in most other situations or when hard drive space is in significantly short supply.