From: kent@sunfs3.Camex.COM (Kent Borg)
Subject: Re: # of files
Organization: Camex Inc., Boston MA
Date: Thu, 27 Aug 1992 14:38:19 EDT

In article <YORK.92Aug26160243@oakland-hills.lucid.com> York@Lucid.COM writes:
>In article <BtLr5D.Hy7@iat.holonet.net> kellys@orac.holonet.net (Kelly Schwarzhoff) writes:
>
>   From: kellys@orac.holonet.net (Kelly Schwarzhoff)
>
>   Is there anyway to get around this limit? I have a 600MB drive and have it
>   formatted so that each block is 10k and can't find a way to have smaller
>   blocks.  Is the limit of 2^16 due to the operating software or just the
>   software that formats the drive.
>
>   The reason I'm asking this is that we're setting up a large FirstClass BBS
>   software and it stores every message as a file and you cannot have the
>   messages in seperate volumes / partitions.  I'm running System 7.0 on a IIfx.
>
>Can the software store messages in sub-folders of the main
>message-area folder?  You could then make these sub-folders be aliases
>pointing to folders on different partitions.  Or does the BBS software
>circumvent your access to the filesystem completely?
>


The 2^16 limit is an HFS limit.

No, Firstclass does not circumvent the file system, aliases are not
implemented by the file system--which is what annoys the makers of
Firstclass.  I think they wish they were on a Unix box.  To use
aliases would require extra irksome work on their part.

As a result Firstclass does not know about aliases and isn't likely to
soon--at least judging from a phone conversation I once had with
someone fairly technical there.  It seems that they are getting burned
by the Mac's lack of preemptive multitasking and generally starting to
fight with their server platform choice, not cooperate with it.  I am
worried.  (Notice sometime how the server's screen--1.0 at least--can
get painted and scroll *while* a menu is down.  Horrors.)

Disclaimer: I have not yet installed Firstclass version 2, my only
experiance is with the first version.

As for how to make partitioning choices, put your system folder and
any non-FirstClass stuff on a small partition (or separate disk) and
give the the Firstclass database (I think just the "FirstClass Post
Office" folder) as much space as you can.  Your limit is likely going
to be the 64K-blocks wall.  A big allocation size will keep the larger
files from gobbling up so many of those blocks.  Yes, seeing 10K
vanish with each little message hurts, but total bytes is not the
first limit you are going to hit with a little-file-laden BBS on a big
disk.  Yes, using two 300 Meg partitions would get you farther, but
only if you are allowed.  A 600 partition is always going to hold at
least as much as a 300--and usually far more.

Weasel Words: I am sure I have the term "allocation size" slightly
wrong, but it shouldn't demolish my underlying points.

Coward's Words: Please be gentle when it does become obvious that I
have no valid underlying points.


--
Kent Borg                                   kent@camex.com or kentborg@aol.com
                                            H:(617) 776-6899  W:(617) 426-3577
As always, things look better when some costs are left out.
						      -Economist 3-28-92 p. 94