filesystems — Linux filesystem types: ext, ext2, ext3, ext4, hpfs, iso9660, JFS, minix, msdos, ncpfs nfs, ntfs, proc, Reiserfs, smb, sysv, umsdos, vfat, XFS, xiafs,
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 the available or historically available filesystems in the Linux kernel. See kernel documentation for a comprehensive description of all options and limitations.
extis 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has been completely superseded by the second version of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).
ext2is 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). See ext2(5).
ext3is a journaling version of the ext2 filesystem. It is
easy to switch back and forth between ext2 and ext3. See ext3(5).
ext4is a set of upgrades to ext3 including
substantial performance and reliability enhancements,
plus large increases in volume, file, and directory
size limits. See ext4(5).
hpfsis the High Performance Filesystem, used in OS/2. This filesystem is read-only under Linux due to the lack of available documentation.
iso9660is a CD-ROM filesystem type conforming to the ISO 9660 standard.
High SierraLinux supports High Sierra, the precursor to the ISO 9660 standard for CD-ROM filesystems. It is automatically recognized within the
iso9660filesystem support under Linux.Rock RidgeLinux 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
iso9660filesystem to a UNIX host, and provide information such as long filenames, UID/GID, POSIX permissions, and devices. It is automatically recognized within theiso9660filesystem support under Linux.
JFSis a journaling filesystem, developed by IBM, that was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.24.
minixis 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.
msdosis 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.
ncpfsis 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
nfsis the network filesystem used to access disks located on remote computers.
ntfsreplaces Microsoft Window's FAT filesystems (VFAT, FAT32). It has reliability, performance, and space-utilization enhancements plus features like ACLs, journaling, encryption, and so on.
procis 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).
Reiserfsis a journaling filesystem, designed by Hans Reiser, that was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.1.
smbis 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
sysvis an implementation of the SystemV/Coherent filesystem for Linux. It implements all of Xenix FS, SystemV/386 FS, and Coherent FS.
umsdosis 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.
vfatis an extended DOS filesystem used by Microsoft
Windows95 and Windows NT. vfat adds the
capability to use long filenames under the MSDOS
filesystem.
XFSis a journaling filesystem, developed by SGI, that was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.20.
xiafswas 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 xiafs filesystem is no
longer actively developed or maintained. It was removed
from the kernel in 2.1.21.
This page is part of release 4.07 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
https://www.kernel.org/doc/man−pages/.
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Copyright 1996 Daniel Quinlan (Daniel.Quinlanlinux.org) %%%LICENSE_START(GPLv2+_DOC_FULL) This is free documentation; you can redistribute it and/or modify it under the terms of the GNU General Public License as published by the Free Software Foundation; either version 2 of the License, or (at your option) any later version. The GNU General Public License's references to "object code" and "executables" are to be interpreted as the output of any document formatting or typesetting system, including intermediate and printed output. This manual is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. See the GNU General Public License for more details. You should have received a copy of the GNU General Public License along with this manual; if not, see <http://www.gnu.org/licenses/>. %%%LICENSE_END 2007-12-14 mtk Added Reiserfs, XFS, JFS. |