windows-server-2003/base/fs/ntfs/specnote.txt

These are a collection of notes that should be updated in the NTFS Design
Specification.  These do not include many changes which will be obvious
from a pass through ntfs.h - which will be a necessary activity for the
next spec update.

    File Number changed to File Reference, to denote that its use can
    become invalid (sequence number incremented).

    The second copy of the log is not needed, but a second copy of the MFT
    is, which just has the same first three file records: MFT, MFT2 and LOG.

    Add a discussion of the Boot Sector / Boot file, and a figure to show
    dual boot records and dual MFTs.

    Forget the security on attributes, just use READ_ATTRIBUTE, WRITE_ATTRIBUTE
    privilege on the file.

    The boot file is strictly a matter between Format, bootstrap, and the Mount
    code.  Where it goes and what its contents are will be system-specific.
    For NT:

        There will be one boot record at sector 0, and one on the last
        sector of the volume.  Each boot record will contain the cluster size
        and the starting LCN for the Master File, and the Master File 2.
        As a suggestion, Format on NT should start the MFT at LCN = 1 on
        the disk, and MFT2 should start three file record segments before the
        other boot record.  MFT2 contains mirrored copies of the first file
        record segment for the MFT, MFT2, and the Log file.  The boot file
        on NT just contains these two boot records.

        DOS may choose to actually have a bootstrap following the first
        boot record in the boot file, and it could just be the first N
        clusters of the disk.

    "Ideas by Butzi":

        Disks should schedule reads ahead of writes

        Have some way to detect temporary files (file attribute
        and/or directory attribute), and never write their data
        (or update valid data length).  This would be like putting
        \temp on the RAM disk on OS/2.

        make writes on close a dynamic option?