Non-Volatile File System

NVFS ( Non-volatile file system; German: non-volatile file system) is a development of PalmOne, to keep the data and applications of a PDA in non-volatile memory. As a memory module of DiskOnChip flash memory is used.

Since flash memory is significantly slower than conventional volatile RAM ( " volatile" RAM), palmOne caches the currently active application in a conventional 10 MB memory ( this is comparable to the relatively slow hard disk and the fast RAM in the PC).

Benefits of NVFS

  • Batteries can be changed without loss of data.
  • There is no regular charging the device longer necessary.

Disadvantages of NVFS

  • By NVFS occupied each entry in Palm databases exact multiples of 512 bytes; the memory is therefore used less efficiently than in volatile memories
  • Since the active application in the cache is, in the worst case the currently active data set can go despite NVFS lost
  • The launch of applications may take slightly longer, as they are only loaded into the cache. If this is not enough free memory, other files need to be written back to the flash memory, which can also take some time.

PDAs with NVFS

PDAs with NVFS are the Tungsten T5 ( 256 MB), the Tungsten E2 and the Treo 650 ( 32 MB), the Treo 680, Centro, the Treo 700w (128 MB), the Treo 700p (128 MB), the LifeDrive, the T | X (128 MB) and Z22 (32 MB), all from PalmOne.

A similar system (Persistent Storage) is also applied to all PDAs running the operating system Windows Mobile 5.0.

Palm, Inc. Cache (computing) Palm Tungsten
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