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Extended Attributes

What

Extended attributes (EAs) allow arbitrary metadata (name-value pairs) to be associated with a file.

When

Linux 2.6.0

Where

Not standardised, but some other implementations have a similar feature, e.g., the BSDs (see extattr(2)) and Solaris 9 and later (see fsattr(5)).

Why

General-purpose framework allowing applications to associate metadata with files

• e.g., file version number, MIME type or character set for a file, pointer to a graphical icon.

Also used to implement ACLs (Access Control Lists).

(C) 2006, Michael Kerrisk