This is a problem I'm having when using Ubuntu: I have two computers that have Ubuntu installed on them (comp1 and comp2). I create a document with Ubuntu on comp1 and then copy the file onto a FAT formatted USB flash drive. Via the flash drive I paste the document onto comp2. The problem is that the file-permissions are never preserved during the transfer. I'm assuming because the FAT is not supporting the permissions.
Is there a solution to this? Should I continue to use FAT file system for USB flash drives (because FAT is best for flash drives) and just live with this permissions issue? Or is it recommended to reformat my flash drive with a more "Ubuntu Friendly" file system that will preserve the permissions?
Best Answer
ext4 is a journalling filesystem which means that if the device is unplugged prematurely it stands more of a chance of recovering the damaged filesystem. The journal part of the write contains information about what is about to be done and it gets cleared after the operation is completed. If it is found that there is an uncompleted journal on a device when it is mounted, the filesystem can be reverted to it's previous state thereby preserving its integrity.
While there is some extra overhead in terms of space involved in having a journalling filesystem on a USB stick, it's actually a good choice for most things.
Obviously, if you need a device that can also plug into any computer at any time then FAT would be the way to go. If you want a device that needs to be plugged into one Windows computer only occasionally, then it's possible to install ext2 device drivers in Windows that will allow it to read any and all ext(x) drives. Of course, since Windows doesn't know about Linux permissions and ownership these will not be handled as well.