Indexing support for a third-party filesystem driver

[softperfect]

First, thank you for Everything - it's on every machine I own, and still the fastest thing on the system by a wide margin.

I'm writing from SoftPerfect, also an Aussie company We're finishing a custom kernel-mode filesystem driver for Windows, presenting its own memory-backed volumes, and we'd like them to be indexable by Everything as many of our customers rely on it.

I traced a cold index build with Process Monitor to understand the requirements: the volume opened directly, a 512-byte boot-sector read, FSCTL_QUERY_USN_JOURNAL, a 1 KB read of $MFT's own record at the MFT LCN, then the entire MFT streamed in 64 KB reads, with FSCTL_READ_USN_JOURNAL polling afterwards.

I also noticed that on a volume with no active USN journal, updates arrived via directory change notifications and targeted FileIdBothDirectoryInformation queries instead - a path our filesystem could support natively.

So:

1. For a third-party filesystem, is a folder index the intended route, and does it give live updates?
2. How is the indexing mode chosen - the name from GetVolumeInformation? Our driver report "NTFS" for an unrelated reason (mpr.dll breaks ShellExecute for elevated executables otherwise). If that pushes Everything down the NTFS path and it fails, can a volume be pinned to folder-index mode?
3. Is there a middle tier short of a full MFT? Supporting the USN journal is realistic for us, but synthesising an MFT isn't.

Happy to send a test build - and equally happy if the answer is just "add it as a folder index"

[void]

For a third-party filesystem, is a folder index the intended route, and does it give live updates?

Yes, folder index is the intended route.
Folder indexing uses ReadDirectoryChanges and SHChangeNotifyRegister for live updates.

How is the indexing mode chosen - the name from GetVolumeInformation?

Everything will automatically try to index fixed NTFS volumes.
Volumes that report NTFS from GetVolumeInformation are listed under Tools -> Options -> NTFS.

NTFS path and it fails, can a volume be pinned to folder-index mode?

Yes, NTFS volumes can be indexed as folders under Tools -> Options -> Folders.

Is there a middle tier short of a full MFT? Supporting the USN journal is realistic for us, but synthesising an MFT isn't.

ReFS might be the better option here.
ReFS uses FileIdExtdDirectoryInfo for indexing and the USN Journal for live updates.
However, Everything currently doesn't support adding an NTFS volume as a ReFS volume. (root folder id 0x600 will be missing)

Everything doesn't have the option to index as a folder and use the USN Journal for live updates.
Indexing as a folder and using the USN Journal for live updates would be difficult as folder indexing doesn't gather folder IDs.

[RPB]

in the actual Version 1.4 or Beta 1.5 it doesnt work as described, witch technical Details are usefull foryou?
https://www.softperfect.com/board/read. ... #msg-31343

[void]

Please make sure you add the RAM Z: drive under Tools -> Options -> Folders

Indexing the RAM drive under Tools -> Options -> NTFS will not work.

Does the issue persist?