Features/WindowsDataMigrationTool

= Windows Data Migration Tool =

Summary
We already have an option to mount Windows partitions on Fedora. WDMT is a tool that can be used to migrate files and settings from the Windows partitions

Owner

 * Name: NikhilBharadwaj

Current status

 * Targeted release:  Fedora 10
 * Last updated: (05/05/2008)
 * Percentage of completion: 0%

Detailed Description
When Fedora is being installed on the system, the Anaconda will include a code which starts mounting the other partitions in the system.If the mount of all the filesystem fails then it proceeds as it has to (without this idea during installation).

Once the installation phase is done,the system admin can try to mount all the partitions using Sync part of the idea. This sync starts changing the file '/etc/fstab' creates directory for a user to mount his windows files there.If there is an error it restores the file content again.

And as far as the NTFS write is concerned I feel it has been working absolutely fine since Fedora 7. I have been doing almost all operations like Read,Write,Execute(.exe's using Wine), I have found no problem that the application may face as far as NTFS write is concerned.

The complexity lies in the synchronous maintainance of files and folders.Just Windows data migration may be an easier task. But providing a rich set of utilities of how to maintain data in both the OS' will be an issue to focus upon.

The system administrator can have the following options like:
 * Add users to access a particular directory
 * Map users and files on both OS'
 * Grant/Revoke permissions to access files
 * Provide a collaborative folder for a group of users

The normal users can have options like:
 * View their files in their respective 'My Documents','My Pictures',etc folders irrespective of the existence of the file in the same OS viz, it may exist in Windows too.
 * Have an overview of what files have been modified by the other OS like Delete,Append,etc.
 * Maintain a back up of the data.

Benefit to Fedora
The current versions of Fedora have packages like ntfs-3g that are useful to mount ntfs filesystems. But the control issues developed using this tool will help Fedora users experience a new face of documents & settings portability.

Scope
Requires updates to Fedora installer Anaconda.

Test Plan

 * 1) Work with Fedora QA to ensure that we have sufficient coverage

User Experience

 * 1) Users should notice the effective utilization of Fedora to read and write the same files (on Windows) on Fedora
 * 2) Users should achieve security in accessing their windows files in Fedora

Documentation

 * http://nikhilbharadwaj.wordpress.com/fedora-project-soc-2008/