2 kiB and 4 kiB block sizes

Has anybody looked at handling 2 kiB and 4 kiB block sizes for mass storage devices?

At least two people (I’m one) have found media players with 2 kiB block sizes. Discs started to appear a couple of years back with 4 kiB blocks.

Right now I’m rummaging about in ScsiFs20, where the “Bad block size, must be 256/512/1024” error message appears. The 1 kiB maximum block size looks as if it is applied at a higher level. I have no idea how far any change would ripple through the FS code.

One option would be to perform what CP/M used to refer to as “sector blocking/deblocking” (is there a more modern term?) at a lower SCSIFS level and keep one complete block at that lower level, transferring just the required amount to/from higher levels. That would allow access to SCSIFS devices with big blocks, without rippling through the whole FS code.

It’s FileCore which is ultimately responsible for the block size limits. The block size is due to be increased to 4KB as part of the first filesystem improvements bounty, so anyone who wants to see it fixed should consider sending some money that way (or just claiming the task and getting on with it!)