Man Linux: Main Page and Category List

NAME

       filesystems   -  Linux  file-system  types:  minix,  ext,  ext2,  ext3,
       Reiserfs, XFS, JFS, xia, msdos, umsdos, vfat, 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                 been  completely  superseded  by  the  second  version of the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.

       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.

       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 3.24 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/.