exFAT for Embedded Systems Comes to Linux from Tuxera

Tuxera exFAT for Embedded Systems will be made available for the open-source Linux operating system as a result of an intellectual property agreement between Tuxera and Microsoft. Helsinki-based Tuxera revealed that, after more than a year of preparation and three days of intense negotiations with Microsoft, it entered an Intellectual Property Agreement with the Redmond company, but also joined the software giant’s exFAT Program. Tuxera is a file system provider founded by the open-source NTFS project NTFS-3G, and because of the IP deal inked with Microsoft it is now the first independent software vendor to deliver exFAT drivers.

“We are looking forward to working with an increasing number of OEM customers. Adding exFAT into our existing NTFS product portfolio is the logical step to help our customers solve any interoperable file system need they have,” revealed Szabolcs Szakacsits, Tuxera CTO and the founder of NTFS-3G.

Microsoft developed the Extended File Allocation Table (exFAT) as a file system designed to play nice with both large storage devices and large files. Operating systems from the Redmond company such as Windows Vista SP1 and later feature exFAT support by default. Microsoft informed that among the main benefits of the file system is the fact that it can deal with in excess of 1,000 files in a single directory and that it does not limit file size at 4 GB.

“As an open source company, we feel excited to sign an intellectual property agreement with Microsoft. They are a great partner, and I am confident that our agreements, and this collaboration, will ensure a bright future for file system interoperability and data portability that benefits device manufacturers and consumers alike,” added Mikko Välimäki, Tuxera CEO.