Glossary

NTFS - Files

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Overview

Everything on an NTFS volume is a file. There are two categories: Metadata and Normal. The Metadata files contain information about the volume and the Normal files contain your data.

Layout of the Volume

Below is a table of files found on a Win2K volume (Key).

Inode Filename OS Description
0 $MFT   Master File Table - An index of every file
1 $MFTMirr   A backup copy of the first 4 records of the MFT
2 $LogFile   Transactional logging file
3 $Volume   Serial number, creation time, dirty flag
4 $AttrDef   Attribute definitions
5 . (dot)   Root directory of the disk
6 $Bitmap   Contains volume's cluster map (in-use vs. free)
7 $Boot   Boot record of the volume
8 $BadClus   Lists bad clusters on the volume
9 $Quota NT Quota information
9 $Secure 2K Security descriptors used by the volume
10 $UpCase   Table of uppercase characters used for collating
11 $Extend 2K A directory: $ObjId, $Quota, $Reparse, $UsnJrnl
       
12-15 <Unused>   Marked as in use but empty
16-23 <Unused>   Marked as unused
       
Any $ObjId 2K Unique Ids given to every file
Any $Quota 2K Quota information
Any $Reparse 2K Reparse point information
Any $UsnJrnl 2K Journalling of Encryption
       
> 24 A_File   An ordinary file
> 24 A_Dir   An ordinary directory
... ...   ...

Notes

Unused Inodes

On a freshly formatted volume, inodes 0x0B to 0x0F are marked as in use, but empty. Inodes 0x10 to 0x17 are marked as free and not used. This doesn't change until the volume is under a lot of stress.

When the $MFT becomes very fragmented it won't fit into one FILE Record and an extension record is needed. If a new record was simply allocated at the end of the $MFT then we encounter a problem. The $DATA Attribute describing the location of the new record is in the new record.

The new records are therefore allocated from inode 0x0F, onwards. The $MFT is always a minimum of 16 FILE Records long, therefore always exists. After inodes 0x0F to 0x17 are used up, higher, unreserved, inodes are used.

This effect may not be limited to the $MFT, but more evidence is needed.

Other Information

For some reason $ObjId, $Quota, $Reparse and $UsnJrnl don't have inode numbers below 24, like the rest of the Metadata files.

Also, the sequence number for each of the system files is always equal to their mft record number and it is never modified.


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