Apple File System revealed at WWDC 2016, focused on encryption and SSD support

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For the Apple folks here is a highlight of just how far Apple will come this fall.

 

Excerpt:

 

"Apple recently announced the new Apple File System (APFS), replacing the decades-old HFS system.

 

On Monday, Tim Cook and his executive team took to the stage at the 2016 Apple WWDC event to discuss the latest updates to their core operating systems in the keynote address. One of the biggest releases for the enterprise, however, wasn't even announced.

 

As part of the updates with macOS Sierra, a new file system for storage called the Apple File System (APFS) is being released in developer preview. An explanation of the system was first spotted as part of a description for a system frameworks breakout session at WWDC:

 

"The Apple File System (APFS) is the next-generation file system designed to scale from an Apple Watch to a Mac Pro. APFS is optimized for Flash/SSD storage, and engineered with encryption as a primary feature. Learn about APFS benefits versus HFS+ and how to make sure your file system code is compatible."

 

SEE: Apple WWDC 2016: What business users need to know from the keynote (TechRepublic)

 

As noted, APFS was created to replace the aging HFS and HFS+ systems, which Apple said were "developed in an era of floppy disks and spinning hard drives, where file sizes were calculated in kilobytes or megabytes." The APFS is built with Flash storage in mind and to handle millions of files that may be larger in size.

 

Let's take a look at some of the potential improvements that APFS holds over HFS+. For starters, APFS supports 64-bit inode numbers vs. the 32-bit IDs supported by HFS+. APFS also has support sparse files, but HFS+ doesn't."

 

The screen shots and links to the related articles are all here: http://www.techrepublic.com/article/apple-file-system-revealed-at-wwdc-2016-focused-on-encryption-and-ssd-support/?ftag=TRE20d3f17&bhid=19724681974700635514865380622813

[Dave Sand]

Some additional comments.

 

APFS will not be part of the Sierra release. It is currently scheduled for sometime in 2017. Most likely it will be part of the release after Sierra.

 

By including APFS in the Sierra developer previews people can start learning about it and include the necessary changes in their software upgrade planning. Applications that use standard I/O ( input / output ) routines will not be affected.

 

Changing the file system used by the operating system is a major undertaking. It is especially challenging if the goal is to do the conversion in place without requiring a new install from scratch.