EA DATA. SF

'''EA DATA. SF''' is the filename of a special hidden file that may be present on FAT filesystems used by OS/2. It contains extended file attributes that are supported by HPFS but not by FAT.

Format details
The EA DATA file is highly "fragmented", in such a way as to keep a user file's attributes physically close to its data.

Accurately decoding an EA DATA file can only be done in the context of the FAT filesystem that contains it. For a user file that has extended attributes, its FAT directory entry contains a special nonzero identifier at offset 20 (from the beginning of the filename field). These identifiers refer to sections of the EA DATA file.

Specifications

 * Implementation of extended attributes on the FAT file system, section titled "Notes on the format of the EA datafile"
 * Minerva II → OS2/EADATA.ARJ - Same information

Sample files

 * Often found on OS/2 floppy disk images. For example, see LoadDskF/SaveDskF.

Links

 * File Allocation Table
 * EDM2: The Fundamentals of Extended Attributes
 * EDM2: CPGuide - Extended Attributes
 * US patent 5367671: System for accessing extended object attribute (EA) data through file name or EA handle linkages in path tables