Integrated file system and optical device programming

The integrated file system is a part of the IBM® i operating system that supports stream input/output and storage management similar to personal computer and UNIX operating systems, while providing an integrated structure over all information stored on your system.

The integrated file system comprises 11 file systems, each with its own set of logical structures and rules for interacting with information in storage. Key features of the integrated file system include the following items:
  • Support for storing information in stream files that can contain long continuous strings of data. These strings of data might be, for example, the text of a document or the picture elements in a picture. The stream file support is designed for efficient use in client/server applications.
  • A hierarchical directory structure that allows objects to be organized similar to common PC file structures. A path specified through the directories to an object accesses the object.
  • A common interface that allows users and applications to access not only the stream files but also database files, documents, and other objects that are stored on your system.
  • A common view of stream files that are stored locally on your system, on an integrated System x or IBM BladeCenter server, or on a remote Windows server. Stream files can also be stored remotely on a local area network (LAN) server, a Novell NetWare server, another remote system running the IBM i operating system, or a Network File System server.

The integrated file system enhances the already extensive data management capabilities of IBM i with additional capabilities to better support emerging and future forms of information processing, such as client/server, open systems, and multimedia.

The integrated file system enables you to do the following tasks:
  • Attain fast access to IBM i data, especially for applications such as IBM i Access that use the IBM i file server.
  • Handle types of stream data, such as images, audio, and video more efficiently.
  • Use a file system base and a directory base for supporting UNIX-based open system standards, such as Portable Operating System Interface for Computer Environments (POSIX) and XPG. This file structure and this directory structure also provides a familiar environment for users of PC operating systems such as Disk Operating System (DOS), and Windows operating systems.
  • Gain access to file support with unique capabilities (such as record-oriented database files, UNIX-based stream files, and file serving) to be handled as separate file systems, while allowing them all to be managed through a common interface.

LAN-attached optical devices do not support this interface.