DiscUtils

LTRData.DiscUtils.Net provides networking helpers for DiscUtils integrations, specifically focusing on:

• DNS record types
• Unicast and multicast clients
• ServiceDiscoveryClient for DNS-SD

Note: This package is used by OpticalDiscSharing; it is not the iSCSI or NFS implementation. Unlike other DiscUtils packages, no DiscUtils format registration is required when using this library.

DiscUtils is a modular .NET library designed for working with disk images, virtual disks, filesystems, storage protocols, and related storage formats. It allows applications to open, inspect, create, and modify storage images without requiring the operating system to mount them.

Key capabilities include:

• Working with complete disks, partitions, filesystems, files, and directories using standard .NET streams.
• Support for various disk/image formats (VHD, VMDK, RAW, etc.), filesystems (NTFS, FAT, ext4, etc.), and network protocols (iSCSI, NFS).
• High-performance implementation using modern .NET APIs like Span<T>, asynchronous I/O, and memory-oriented patterns.
• Optional platform integrations for mounting filesystems via Dokan or FUSE.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.Ntfs package provides a managed .NET implementation for NTFS filesystems with the following capabilities:

It supports NTFS-specific features including:

• Alternate data streams
• Security descriptors
• Reparse points
• Hard links
• Allocation metadata

Formatting is performed via NtfsFileSystem.Format.

You can use this package independently of DiscUtils.Core or specific filesystem implementations. It provides low-level primitives such as:

• Sparse memory streams: Streams that only consume memory for the parts of the stream that are actually written to.
• Stream composition: Tools to build complex streams from simpler ones.
• Allocation extents: Managing non-contiguous memory/storage allocations.
• Buffers and stream builders.

Note on Ownership: When using stream wrappers provided by this library, pay attention to ownership settings; ownership determines whether the wrapper will automatically dispose of the underlying stream it wraps.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.HfsPlus package provides managed .NET support for reading HFS+ filesystems.

Supported:

• Reading files and directories.
• Accessing Unix metadata and file allocation extents.

Not Supported:

• Creating a new filesystem.
• Modifying an existing filesystem.
• APFS (this package is strictly for HFS+).

Important Note: The package reads HFS+ volumes; it is not an APFS implementation.

This package provides managed .NET discovery and stream mapping for specific Linux storage configurations.

Supported

• LVM Discovery: Discovering LVM physical and logical volumes.
• LVM Reading: Reading supported logical volumes (specifically single-stripe/linear segments).
• MD Discovery: Discovering Linux MD arrays (specifically RAID 1 partition members).

Not Supported

• Metadata: Creating or editing LVM or MD metadata.
• Complex LVM Layouts: Multi-stripe, thin, snapshot, and RAID segment layouts are not implemented.

Important Usage Notes

• Mapping vs. Management: These are mapping APIs for stream access, not volume-management or array-repair tools.
• Write Access: Mapped streams may forward writes to writable storage; open-source disks are typically read-only for inspection.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.Iso9660 package provides the following filesystem capabilities:

• Read ISO filesystems: Supported, including Joliet and Rock Ridge views.
• Create ISO images: Supported using the CDBuilder class.
• Modify existing ISO filesystems: Not supported. You cannot edit an existing ISO image directly; you must build a new one from scratch.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.Iscsi package provides the following capabilities:

Important Note: This is a client library for target discovery, sessions, and read/write access. It is not an iSCSI server or an operating-system initiator driver.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.Xva package provides the following capabilities:

• Read existing appliance disks: Supported via the VirtualMachine class which exposes the disks inside an existing XVA.
• Build new appliances: Supported via VirtualMachineBuilder using disk streams.
• Modify existing appliance disks: Not supported.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.Vhdx package provides the following capabilities:

• Read existing images: Yes
• Create fixed / dynamic images: Yes
• Create differencing images: Yes
• Write virtual disk content: Yes (for writable images)
• Parent chains: Yes

Important Usage Notes:

• Layered Architecture: A disk image and a filesystem are separate layers. To work with files inside a disk, you must add partitioning and filesystem packages.
• Differencing Disks: Parent images must be accessible when opening differencing disks.
• Driver Requirement: This package does not install a Windows virtual-disk driver.

The LTRData.DiscUtils.Transports package is a meta-package that includes several specialized packages. If you require a smaller footprint, you can install these individual packages instead of the meta-package: