reactos/sdk/tools/mkisofs/schilytools/mkisofs/README.sort

   1 Sort the order of file data on the CD
   2 =====================================
   3
   4 Note: this option does not sort the order of the file names that appear
   5 in the ISO9660 directory. It sorts the order in which the file data is
   6 written to the CD image.
   7
   8 This option is useful in order to optimize the data layout on a CD.
   9
  10 To use, type something like:
  11
  12 mkisofs -o cdimage.iso -sort sort_file [other_options] cd_dir
  13
  14 The file 'sort_file' contains two columns of:
  15
  16 filename        weight
  17
  18 where filename is the whole name of a file/directory as mkisofs will see it
  19 and weight is a whole number between +/- 2147483647
  20
  21 The files will be sorted with the highest weights first and lowest last.
  22 The default weight is zero.
  23
  24 If the filename is a directory name, then all the files in that directory (and
  25 sub-directories) will use its weight as their default weight.
  26
  27 e.g.
  28
  29 If the directory 'cd_dir' contains two directories called 'dir1' and 'dir2'
  30 with files 'A', 'B' and 'C' in dir1 and 'X', 'Y' and 'Z', the the file
  31 'sort_file' could look something like:
  32
  33 cd_dir/dir2     1000
  34 cd_dir/dir2/Y   2000
  35 cd_dir/dir1/B   -2000
  36 cd_dir/dir1/A   -8000
  37
  38 Note: There must be only one space or tab character between the filename and
  39 the weight and the weight must be the last characters on a line. The filename
  40 is taken to include all the characters from the first in a line, up to, but
  41 not including the last space or tab character on a line. This is to allow
  42 for space characters to be in, or at the end of a filename.
  43
  44
  45 The command:
  46
  47 mkisofs -o cdimage.iso -sort sort_file cd_dir
  48
  49 will sort the above file data as:
  50
  51 cd_dir/dir2/Y
  52 cd_dir/dir2/X
  53 cd_dir/dir2/Z
  54 cd_dir/dir1/C
  55 cd_dir/dir1/B
  56 cd_dir/dir1/A
  57
  58 Note: files 'X' and 'Z' both have the weight 1000 - their sort order will then
  59 be the normal ISO9660 sort order (i.e. alphabetical in this case).
  60
  61 File C will have the default weight of 0
  62
  63 Warning: the filenames in the sort list MUST match the whole path as seen by
  64 mkisofs. i.e. in the above case, if the command line was:
  65
  66 mkisofs -o cdimage.iso -sort sort_file ./cd_dir
  67
  68 then the sort_file filename will have to changed as accordingly.
  69
  70 Notes
  71 =====
  72
  73 CDs are written from the middle outwards. High weighted files will be nearer
  74 the inside of the CD.
  75
  76 Wildcards in the filename list should work.
  77
  78 If a file appears more than once in the source directory tree, then the file
  79 is only added once to the CD image - i.e. a hard linked file, or symbolic
  80 link if using the -f option. The file will be sorted according to the
  81 highest weighting given to any of the linked files.
  82
  83 Zero length files are not sorted - the 'start extent' *may* appear to be in
  84 the middle of another file after sorting. This is because zero length files
  85 are given the start extent after the last file added to the CD at that time.
  86 This address is not changed by the sorting, so it may appear that the file
  87 address is in another file - however as they are zero length, this will
  88 not matter!
  89
  90 Directories are not sorted by this flag - directories HAVE to be in the
  91 ISO9660 sort order - however, the files the directory entry points to, can be
  92 anywhere on the CD.
  93
  94 Existing files from any previous sessions will not be sorted - they already
  95 exist on the CD and can not be moved!
  96
  97 I have no idea if this is really useful ...
  98
  99
 100 James Pearson 22-Nov-2001
 101
 102 Any comments/problems to j.pearson@ge.ucl.ac.uk