'Apple File System' will scale from Apple Watch to Macs, replace HFS+
In an under-the-radar WWDC announcement, Apple on Monday introduced the Apple File System, designed to eventually replace the HFS+ format and better exploit modern technologies.
The Apple File System -- or APFS for short -- is "optimized for Flash/SSD storage, and engineered with encryption as a primary feature," according to an entry in the WWDC 2016 schedule. In official documentation, Apple adds that it uses a "unique copy-on-write design" with I/O coalescing, meant to optimize performance while staying reliable. It will scale from the Apple Watch through to the Mac Pro.
It can be used on conventional hard disks, but Apple cautions that it initially won't work on hybrid Fusion Drives or on startup disks. Likewise, Time Machine and FileVault aren't yet supported, and filenames are still case-sensitive.
A feature called "Space Sharing" will however allow multiple file systems to share the the same storage blocks, and for volumes to change size without any repartitioning. Another space-saving measuring is a new cloning system, which will only write changes to a cloned file to new locations.
Other improvements include things like snapshots and Fast Directory Sizing. Among the encryption features are options for single- or multi-key encryption for each container volume, per-file keys for file data, and a separate metadata key. Either AES-XTS or AES-CBC is used depending on the hardware.
A developer preview of APFS is included with macOS Sierra, although the technology isn't expected to launch until sometime in 2017. In fact there is no open-source implementation at the moment, though Apple says it will document and publish the APFS volume format when the launch happens.
The Apple File System -- or APFS for short -- is "optimized for Flash/SSD storage, and engineered with encryption as a primary feature," according to an entry in the WWDC 2016 schedule. In official documentation, Apple adds that it uses a "unique copy-on-write design" with I/O coalescing, meant to optimize performance while staying reliable. It will scale from the Apple Watch through to the Mac Pro.
It can be used on conventional hard disks, but Apple cautions that it initially won't work on hybrid Fusion Drives or on startup disks. Likewise, Time Machine and FileVault aren't yet supported, and filenames are still case-sensitive.
A feature called "Space Sharing" will however allow multiple file systems to share the the same storage blocks, and for volumes to change size without any repartitioning. Another space-saving measuring is a new cloning system, which will only write changes to a cloned file to new locations.
Other improvements include things like snapshots and Fast Directory Sizing. Among the encryption features are options for single- or multi-key encryption for each container volume, per-file keys for file data, and a separate metadata key. Either AES-XTS or AES-CBC is used depending on the hardware.
A developer preview of APFS is included with macOS Sierra, although the technology isn't expected to launch until sometime in 2017. In fact there is no open-source implementation at the moment, though Apple says it will document and publish the APFS volume format when the launch happens.
Comments
Besides USB sticks are usually FAT32 or xFAT as sold, and left at that in use.
Very few people format their USB sticks as HFS+, and those that do are not the kind of users that will wonder why those formatted in a new FS wont be read by older computers.
Glad to see it coming, but yikes. I'm afraid they will push it out faster than it's ready. A file system is the last place I want bugs. There is something to be said for stability in some areas.
So I have to ask...what exactly made it a borefest? What were you expecting? If it was hardware then you were setup for disappointment from the start. This isn't the right event to spend time releasing hardware during a software conference.
And since this new file system won't be out until 2017 it really wasn't worth mentioning.
john Siricosa, who is an expert on these things, and who analyses Apple's OS, and who has been a major voice behind Apple getting a new file system, seems to be very enthusiastic right now. I'm really looking forward to finding out more tomorrow, and when available, getting my hands on Apple's technical papers on this.
Ummm it's a DEVELOPER conference. That means there's very little flash and mostly behind the scenes things.
App-centric vs. app-agnostic is an issue where people have strong opinions, so I'm curious to see where the new file system lands in that debate.
I agree - I've never seen anyone whine about why Microsoft doesn't support HFS read/write support natively, yet Apple is blamed for Microsoft needing license fees for ntfs ( does Apple require license fees for HFS support say on a Windows computer?).
OS X can be 'manually' made to enable ntfs write using some Terminal commands, so the system has ntfs write capability built in, but presumably (?) not enabled due to licensing issues.
Just so anyone else. not aware - either the Tuxera or i think it was some app from Paragon i have used previously, both work perfectly, which means invisibly. Yes, it's a bit of an eye roll that you hav to pay for an app to get this functionality but it's a bargain compared to having to go back to using a Windows machine.
Apple had to move on from HFS+. Microsoft is moving to a newer, faster FS focused on virtualization. NTFS will phase out over the next few years. Apple's focus will definitely be cloud and mobile. So a compressible, encryptable FS that spans all devices AND their backend infrastructure is the only way to normalize performance and keep a laser focus on its development.