30-08-2022 | Segger | Subs & Systems
SEGGER's BigFAT specification, which allows any third party to store files larger than 4GB on standard FAT media, is now available. This specification is not encumbered by any patents and may be freely used, together with the supporting tools.
Technical simplicity and universal support make it appealing even for applications running on resource-constrained devices such as mid-size microcontrollers. It is also an excellent choice for transferring files between systems.
FAT's primary shortcoming is limited file size, which becomes evident when storing or transferring video files or utilising databases.
The company manages this shortcoming with BigFAT, extending the FAT file system with support for files exceeding 1TB. It breaks large files into small pieces, each piece easily fitting on a FAT volume as an individual file and offers these files as a single massive file to the user, while retaining full compatibility with standard FAT.
The company provides a free tool called BigFAT Converter, which runs on Linux, macOS, and Windows. It enables users to create, read, or copy BigFAT files to and from the host file system.
"FAT plays an important role in the Embedded Space," says Rolf Segger, founder of SEGGER. "Whether used for removable storage media, such as SD cards and USB sticks, or as an internal file system, many embedded systems use FAT. exFAT, presented as successor to FAT for SD-cards, is unfortunately not compatible with FAT and is also patent encumbered."
"Any company using or implementing exFAT requires a license from Microsoft, which can be difficult or costly to obtain, especially for small businesses and the Open Source Community," says Ivo Geilenbruegge, managing director of SEGGER. "That's why we at SEGGER decided to introduce BigFAT as open, non-patent encumbered specification. By allowing all interested parties to use BigFAT without charge or hassles, we aim to establish it as a new standard. Anyone is welcome to implement it based on the specification."
SEGGER emFile PRO is provided with an implementation of BigFAT.
