Paragon ExtFS User Manual

PARAGON Software GmbH

Heinrich-von-Stephan-Str. 5c  79100 Freiburg, Germany

Tel. +49 (0) 761 59018201  Fax +49 (0) 761 59018130

Internet www.paragon-software.com  E-mail sales@paragon-software.com

Paragon ExtFS for Mac OS X™

User Manual

Contents

Introduction .......................................................................................................................... 3

Features Overview ................................................................................................................. 4

Key Features ............................................................................................................................................... 4

What’s New ................................................................................................................................................ 4

Supported Media ........................................................................................................................................ 4

Getting Started ...................................................................................................................... 5

Distribution ................................................................................................................................................ 5

Registration ................................................................................................................................................ 5

To Register as a New User ...................................................................................................................................................... 5

To Register a New Product ..................................................................................................................................................... 7

Trial Version Activation ........................................................................................................................................................... 8

System Requirements ................................................................................................................................ 14

Installing the Driver ................................................................................................................................... 14

Using the Driver ................................................................................................................... 18

Configuring the Driver ................................................................................................................................ 20

Driver Setup with Graphical Interface .................................................................................................................................. 20

Extra Functionality ..................................................................................................................................... 23

Typical Application Cases ........................................................................................................................... 27

Updating the Driver ............................................................................................................. 29

Submitting Support Request ................................................................................................ 30

De-installing the Driver ........................................................................................................ 32

Known Issues ....................................................................................................................... 33

Contacting Paragon Software GmbH .................................................................................... 34

Glossary ............................................................................................................................... 35

Our company is constantly releasing new versions and updates to its software, that's why images shown in this manual may be different from what you see on your screen.

Introduction

Paragon ExtFS for Mac OS X™ is a low-level file system driver specially developed to bridge incompatibility of Linux and Mac OS X by providing full read/write access to the Ext2, Ext3 and Ext4 file systems under Mac OS X.

Based on the Paragon UFSD™ (Universal File System Driver) technology our driver enables to provide fast and transparent access to ExtFS partitions as Mac OS X-native, thus achieving an unprecedented high level of performance (the same as for HFS Plus and in some cases even better). Mac OS X programs can process such partitions without any restrictions – browse contents, read and modify files, copy and create new files and folders, etc.

Paragon ExtFS for Mac OS X comes in one universal binary edition in the form of a standard DMG disk image that includes user manual and installation/uninstallation files to automatically install/uninstall and configure the ExtFS driver. During installation of the driver two powerful utilities to create/format and check/repair Ext2, Ext3 and Ext4 file systems will be integrated into the Disk Utility.

In this manual you will find the answers to many of the technical questions, which might arise while using our driver.

Features Overview

This chapter dwells upon key benefits and technical highlights of the product.

Key Features

Let us list some of the key features:

 Extremely easy to use as it requires no additional configuration after installation  Fast and transparent access to any ExtFS (Ext2,Ext3 or Ext4) partition under Mac OS X  Advanced driver engine to guarantee reliable operation and stability even under heavy workload  Unprecedented high level of performance thanks to the Paragon UFSD™ technology  Advanced support system to help you submit correct support requests with operation logs and all necessary

information with minimal time and effort

 Complete support of Mac OS X 10.8 Mountain Lion, 10.9 Mavericks, 10.10 Yosemite, 10.11 El Capitan  Advanced support of the HFS Plus file system features to guarantee data consistency (POSIX file attributes,

Hardlinks, Symlinks, Data Fork and Resource Fork, etc.)

 Advanced support of the ExtFS file system features to guarantee data consistency (Hardlinks, Symlinks)  Improved product activation that includes online and offline options  Flexible notification system  Support of Mac OS X extended attributes  Support of non-Roman characters

What’s New

 Added support of almost all Ext4 features, except for bigalloc, journal_dev, meta_bg  Better performance for small files, random read/write operations, volumes with little free space  Much faster disk mounting/unmounting  Fixed issues with hardlinks and aliases  Rock-solid stability under extreme loads  Improved command-line utilities that now can format huge volumes and volumes with Ext4-specific options,

check and repair volumes with Ext4-specific options, etc.

Supported Media

 Ultra high capacity disks (up to 10 TB tested)  IDE, SCSI and SATA/eSATA disks  SSD (Solid State Drive)  Thunderbolt, FireWire (i.e. IEEE1394), USB 1.0, USB 2.0 , USB 3.0, ZIP® and Jazz® disks  PC card storage devices (all types of flash memory, etc.)

ExtFS for Mac OS X is a commercially distributed product, which is however can be used with no limitations completely for free during a 10-day trial period. Once it’s over, you

won’t be able to use the product until you activate it through Preferences Pane.

It is recommended to use Safari, Internet Explorer 5+ or any compatible browser.

Getting Started

In this chapter you will find all the information necessary to get the product ready to use.

Distribution

Paragon ExtFS for Mac OS X™ is distributed in two ways:

 Boxed package from Paragon Software GmbH and resellers  Downloadable package over the Internet at the company’s web-site

The two contain a standard DMG disk image with an installation package to automatically install and configure the ExtFS driver.

Thus in order to get the product ready for use, you need to install it first (see Installing the Driver).

Registration

Paragon Software GmbH provides a wide range of online services through its web-portal - www.paragon-

software.com/support:

 Registration of new users;  Registration of purchased products for registered users;  Available around-the-clock downloading center, where registered users can get product updates/upgrades as

well as all the necessary documentation;

 Downloadable free demo versions and open documentation for all users.

To Register as a New User

To register as a new user, please do the following:

1. Run an Internet browser and visit the page: http://my.paragon-software.com/

2. Click the Create an account hyperlink.

3. Fill out the registration form. The most important field in the form is an e-mail address, as it serves as a login to

enter the system. Besides, an activation link will be sent to this address as well.

4. Click Sign up. If the provided e-mail address was used to register products in the old Paragon MyAccount

system, all data from that account will be migrated to the newly created account.

You can register (activate) the product directly from the program’s interface.

5. Once your account is created, you will be prompted to check your inbox for an email with an activation link.

6. By following the link from the email you can set a password to your account.

7. That is all.

To Register a New Product

If you are a registered user and would like to register Paragon ExtFS for Mac OS X, please do the following:

1. Run an Internet browser and visit the page: http://my.paragon-software.com/

2. Enter an email and password of your Paragon’s account, then click Sign in. If the user name and password are

valid, you will get to your account.

3. Select Register new product in the left pane. Enter your product serial number. You can find it in the product

box or obtain from your reseller. Click Register when ready.

4. That is all. The product is now registered, which you can see in the My products section. Once the product is

downloaded and installed, you can unlock it for unlimited use as described in the Trial Version Activation chapter.

Trial Version Activation

You can purchase and unlock the product for unlimited use at any moment through Preferences Pane. The

recommended procedure requires an active Internet connection and minimal participation from your part. However, if

you don’t have the Internet on the target computer, you can try an offline option.

Online activation

There are two ways of activating the product over the Internet: with login to MyParagon Customer Portal or Facebook and without it. We highly recommend you to use the first option to let us offer you personal discounts in the future. Besides, you will be able to issue support tickets directly from the product.

1. First you should purchase the product. The easiest way is to use a direct link located on the EXTFS Preferences

Pane:

- Select Applications > System Preferences > ExtFS for Mac OS X;

- The Activation tab is displayed by default. Click on Buy…

2. By this moment you should have your own serial number. Click on Activate…

Activating with login

3. In the opened dialog enter an email and password of your Paragon’s account, then click Sign in. If you don’t

have an account yet, please create it by clicking the corresponding option.

Alternatively, you can sign in with your Facebook account.

4. If the provided credentials are invalid, you will be prompted to reset your password.

5. If you have purchased the product online as described in the first step, then your serial number will be pasted

automatically. If having to do with a box version of the product, enter your serial number, then click Activate. This info will be sent to our activation server to complete the procedure.

6. Next you are to provide a password of a user with the administrator privilege.

7. If a success, you’ll get a corresponding notification.

Activating without login

3. In the opened dialog click Skip.

4. Enter your serial number, then click Activate. This info will be sent to our activation server to complete the

procedure.

5. If a success, you’ll get a corresponding notification.

Offline Activation

1. If having problems with the Internet or specifically configured Firewall at login to your Paragon’s (Facebook)

account on the target computer, the wizard will offer you to try an offline option. Before you proceed, write down your GUID and the provided link somewhere.

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Paragon ExtFS User Manual

Specifications and Main Features

Frequently Asked Questions

User Manual