fs

FILESYSTEMS(5)		  Linux Programmer’s Manual	       FILESYSTEMS(5)



NAME
       filesystems  -  Linux  filesystem  types: minix, ext, ext2, ext3, xia,
       msdos, umsdos, vfat, 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.  If you need a currently unsupported	 one,  insert
       the corresponding module or recompile the kernel.

       In  order  to use a filesystem, you have to mount it, see mount(8) for
       the mount command, and for the available mount options.

       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: a 64MB
	      partition size limit, short filenames,  a	 single	 time  stamp,
	      etc.  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	      completely superseded by the second  version  of	the  extended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	 file
	      system  (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.  ext3  offers  the
	      most   complete  set  of	journaling  options  available	among
	      journaling filesystems.

       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.

       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)



				  2001-12-07		       FILESYSTEMS(5)