Use mhddfs to group hard disks and directories

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Article from Issue 183/2016
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The multi-hard drive disk filesystem (mhddfs) combines directories or hard disks on a union filesystem to create a single, large, virtual filesystem that you can use both locally and via Samba or NFS.

Establishing a reliable system and keeping track of a continually growing collection of movies and audio files can be very time consuming. What makes matters worse is that multimedia data typically resides on various disks.

This is where mhddfs enters the game: Using a union filesystem, it groups files from different locations to create a virtual directory. The tool not only combines existing data, it also provides details about free storage space on the individual filesystems. (See the box "What Is a Union Filesystem?")

Consequently, it is no longer a problem to use small disks to store a music collection that extends over three disks. You could just as easily store rock music on one disk, classical tracks on another, and e-books on the third. What happens, however, if your rock music disk is full, but your e-book disk still has room to spare? Things start to become untidy again.

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