Most USB mass storage devices fall in one of the categories below:
- memory sticks,
- hard drives,
- CD/DVD readers,
- memory card readers,
- digital cameras.
The main difference between these devices is the type of file system (i.e the format in which the data is stored). The following table lists the most common file system type for each device:
|
USB Mass Storage Device |
FAT(*) |
NTFS |
ISO
9660 |
UDF |
PIMA |
Other |
|
Memory sticks |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Hard drives |
X |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
Floppy disks |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
|
CD/DVD readers |
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
| Memory
card readers |
X |
|
|
|
|
|
| Digital
cameras |
X |
|
|
|
X |
X |
|
|
(*) the FAT file system includes 3
versions: FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32.
This table for reference only - Axel do not yet support all the options shown. |
Axel File System Support
They key benefit of Axel terminals is that they have no operating system, but this also means there is
no embedded file system.
To provide support for mass storage devices Axel have to develop two components:
- an embedded file system,
- the RDP/ICA 'Drive Redirection'.
Currently the Axel file system supports:
- FAT12, FAT16 and FAT32 in read/write mode
- ISO9660 in read-only mode
Windows TSE and Citrix Metaframe
The terminal’s set-up allows the USB storage
device to be redirected and seen as a new drive
on the server. The USB drive can then be browsed
and files can either be copied onto the Windows
server or opened directly by an application.
At the server level, drive redirection is
supported by:
- RDP Protocol: Windows Server 2003 minimum
- ICA Protocol: Metaframe XP minimum.
☺: the Axel terminal supports 'hot-plug' management, i.e the drive can be plugged/unplugged during the RDP/ICA session. The
ICA hot-plug management is exclusive to Axel.
