NAME¶
filesystems - Linux filesystem types: minix, ext, ext2, ext3, ext4, Reiserfs,
XFS, JFS, xia, msdos, umsdos, vfat, ntfs, proc, nfs, iso9660, hpfs, sysv, smb,
ncpfs
DESCRIPTION¶
When, as is customary, the
proc filesystem is mounted on
/proc,
you can find in the file
/proc/filesystems which filesystems your
kernel currently supports; see
proc(5) for more details. If you need a
currently unsupported filesystem, insert the corresponding module or recompile
the kernel.
In order to use a filesystem, you have to
mount it; see
mount(8).
Below a short description of a few of the available filesystems.
- minix
- is the filesystem used in the Minix operating system, the first to run
under Linux. It has a number of shortcomings, including a 64MB partition
size limit, short filenames, and a single timestamp. It remains useful for
floppies and RAM disks.
- ext
- is an elaborate extension of the minix filesystem. It has been
completely superseded by the second version of the extended filesystem
(ext2) and has been removed from the kernel (in 2.1.21).
- ext2
- is the high performance disk filesystem used by Linux for fixed disks as
well as removable media. The second extended filesystem was designed as an
extension of the extended filesystem (ext). ext2 offers the
best performance (in terms of speed and CPU usage) of the filesystems
supported under Linux.
- ext3
- is a journaling version of the ext2 filesystem. It is easy to switch back
and forth between ext2 and ext3.
- ext4
- is a set of upgrades to ext3 including substantial performance and
reliability enhancements, plus large increases in volume, file, and
directory size limits.
- Reiserfs
- is a journaling filesystem, designed by Hans Reiser, that was integrated
into Linux in kernel 2.4.1.
- XFS
- is a journaling filesystem, developed by SGI, that was integrated into
Linux in kernel 2.4.20.
- JFS
- is a journaling filesystem, developed by IBM, that was integrated into
Linux in kernel 2.4.24.
- xiafs
- was designed and implemented to be a stable, safe filesystem by extending
the Minix filesystem code. It provides the basic most requested features
without undue complexity. The xia filesystem is no longer actively
developed or maintained. It was removed from the kernel in 2.1.21.
- msdos
- is the filesystem used by DOS, Windows, and some OS/2 computers.
msdos filenames can be no longer than 8 characters, followed by an
optional period and 3 character extension.
- umsdos
- is an extended DOS filesystem used by Linux. It adds capability for long
filenames, UID/GID, POSIX permissions, and special files (devices, named
pipes, etc.) under the DOS filesystem, without sacrificing compatibility
with DOS.
- vfat
- is an extended DOS filesystem used by Microsoft Windows95 and Windows NT.
VFAT adds the capability to use long filenames under the MSDOS
filesystem.
- ntfs
- replaces Microsoft Window's FAT filesystems (VFAT, FAT32). It has
reliability, performance, and space-utilization enhancements plus features
like ACLs, journaling, encryption, and so on.
- proc
- is a pseudo filesystem which is used as an interface to kernel data
structures rather than reading and interpreting /dev/kmem. In
particular, its files do not take disk space. See proc(5).
- iso9660
- is a CD-ROM filesystem type conforming to the ISO 9660 standard.
- High Sierra
- Linux supports High Sierra, the precursor to the ISO 9660 standard for
CD-ROM filesystems. It is automatically recognized within the
iso9660 filesystem support under Linux.
- Rock Ridge
- Linux also supports the System Use Sharing Protocol records specified by
the Rock Ridge Interchange Protocol. They are used to further describe the
files in the iso9660 filesystem to a UNIX host, and provide
information such as long filenames, UID/GID, POSIX permissions, and
devices. It is automatically recognized within the iso9660
filesystem support under Linux.
- hpfs
- is the High Performance Filesystem, used in OS/2. This filesystem is
read-only under Linux due to the lack of available documentation.
- sysv
- is an implementation of the SystemV/Coherent filesystem for Linux. It
implements all of Xenix FS, SystemV/386 FS, and Coherent FS.
- nfs
- is the network filesystem used to access disks located on remote
computers.
- smb
- is a network filesystem that supports the SMB protocol, used by Windows
for Workgroups, Windows NT, and Lan Manager.
To use smb fs, you need a special mount program, which can be found
in the ksmbfs package, found at
ftp://sunsite.unc.edu/pub/Linux/system/Filesystems/smbfs
- ncpfs
- is a network filesystem that supports the NCP protocol, used by Novell
NetWare.
To use ncpfs, you need special programs, which can be found at
ftp://linux01.gwdg.de/pub/ncpfs
SEE ALSO¶
proc(5),
fsck(8),
mkfs(8),
mount(8)
COLOPHON¶
This page is part of release 3.74 of the Linux
man-pages project. A
description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the latest
version of this page, can be found at
http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.