[TriLUG] Create EXT3 compact flash devices from Windows

[Scott G. Hall]

Rodney Radford wrote:
> However, one of the requirements is to allow the customer to download an
> EXT3 image file and copy it to a new CF image through a USB/CF adapter.
> This is trivial in Linux - just a dd - but the problem is that the
> customers are primarily using Windows based system and could care less
> that Linux exists on that embedded hardware they are using.
> [...]
> 
> Any thoughts?
> 

You can load a EXT2/EXT3 IFS device driver directly in Windows, and from
Windows update any files directly on the CF drive.  In this way you wouldn't
have to ship a full CF image file, but just the changes needed in ZIP
format or something similar.  On a dual-boot box I have, this allowed me
to use a separate partition and have my Linux home directory also be my
Windows "Documents and Settings" folder and maintain file and group
permissions (somewhat..).

The one I have been using and working well is:
http://www.fs-driver.org/

There is another:
http://linuxhelp.blogspot.com/2007/03/mount-ext2-or-ext3-partition-in-windows.html

Both of these are open source, and both work well with EXT2 or EXT3
filesystems.

SourceForge also maintains one, but I have heard of some corruption problems
with it:
http://sourceforge.net/projects/ext2fsd

-- 
Scott G. Hall
Raleigh, NC, USA
ScottGHall at BellSouth.Net