huschi.net

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

NAME
       filesystems  -  Linux  file-system 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 file system is mounted on /proc, you
       can find in the file /proc/filesystems which file systems  your  kernel
       currently  supports.   If  you need a currently unsupported one, insert
       the corresponding module or recompile the kernel.
       In order to use a file system, you have to mount it; see mount(8).
       Below a short description of a few of the available file systems.
       minix     is the file system 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
                 timestamp,  etc.   It  remains  useful  for  floppies and RAM
                 disks.
       ext       is an elaborate extension of the minix file system.   It  has
                 been  completely  superseded  by  the  second  version of the
                 extended file system (ext2) and has  been  removed  from  the
                 kernel (in 2.1.21).
       ext2      is  the  high  performance disk file system used by Linux for
                 fixed disks as well as removable media.  The second  extended
                 file system 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 file systems supported under
                 Linux.
       ext3      is a journaling version of the ext2 file system.  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  file system, designed by Hans Reiser, that
                 was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.1.
       XFS       is a journaling file  system,  developed  by  SGI,  that  was
                 integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.20.
       JFS       is  a  journaling  file  system,  developed  by IBM, that was
                 integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.24.
       xiafs     was designed and implemented to be a stable, safe file system
                 by  extending  the  Minix  file system code.  It provides the
                 basic most requested features without undue complexity.   The
                 xia   file   system   is  no  longer  actively  developed  or
                 maintained.  It was removed from the kernel in 2.1.21.
       msdos     is the file system  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  file  system  used  by Linux.  It adds
                 capability for long filenames,  UID/GID,  POSIX  permissions,
                 and special files (devices, named pipes, etc.)  under the DOS
                 file system, without sacrificing compatibility with DOS.
       vfat      is an extended DOS file system used  by  Microsoft  Windows95
                 and  Windows  NT.   VFAT  adds  the  capability  to  use long
                 filenames under the MSDOS file system.
       ntfs      replaces Microsoft Window's FAT file systems  (VFAT,  FAT32).
                 It   has   reliability,  performance,  and  space-utilization
                 enhancements plus features like ACLs, journaling, encryption,
                 and so on.
       proc      is  a  pseudo  file  system  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 file system  type  conforming  to  the  ISO  9660
                 standard.
                 High Sierra
                        Linux  supports  High Sierra, the precursor to the ISO
                        9660  standard  for  CD-ROM  file  systems.    It   is
                        automatically  recognized  within  the  iso9660  file-
                        system 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 file system to a UNIX host, and provide
                        information such as  long  filenames,  UID/GID,  POSIX
                        permissions,   and   devices.    It  is  automatically
                        recognized  within  the  iso9660  file-system  support
                        under Linux.
       hpfs      is  the High Performance Filesystem, used in OS/2.  This file
                 system is read-only under Linux due to the lack of  available
                 documentation.
       sysv      is  an implementation of the SystemV/Coherent file system for
                 Linux.  It implements all of Xenix FS,  SystemV/386  FS,  and
                 Coherent FS.
       nfs       is  the  network  file system used to access disks located on
                 remote computers.
       smb       is a network file system 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 file system 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 3.53 of the Linux man-pages project.  A
       description of the project, and information about reporting  bugs,  can
       be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.

Linux                             2012-08-05                    FILESYSTEMS(5)