1FILESYSTEMS(5) Linux Programmer's Manual FILESYSTEMS(5)
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6 filesystems - Linux file-system types: minix, ext, ext2, ext3, ext4,
7 Reiserfs, XFS, JFS, xia, msdos, umsdos, vfat, ntfs, proc, nfs, iso9660,
8 hpfs, sysv, smb, ncpfs
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11 When, as is customary, the proc file system is mounted on /proc, you
12 can find in the file /proc/filesystems which file systems your kernel
13 currently supports. If you need a currently unsupported one, insert
14 the corresponding module or recompile the kernel.
15 In order to use a file system, you have to mount it; see mount(8).
17 Below a short description of a few of the available file systems.
19 minix is the file system used in the Minix operating system, the
21 first to run under Linux. It has a number of shortcomings: a
22 64MB partition size limit, short filenames, a single
23 timestamp, etc. It remains useful for floppies and RAM
24 disks.
25 ext is an elaborate extension of the minix file system. It has
27 been completely superseded by the second version of the
28 extended file system (ext2) and has been removed from the
29 kernel (in 2.1.21).
30 ext2 is the high performance disk file system used by Linux for
32 fixed disks as well as removable media. The second extended
33 file system was designed as an extension of the extended file
34 system (ext). ext2 offers the best performance (in terms of
35 speed and CPU usage) of the file systems supported under
36 Linux.
37 ext3 is a journaling version of the ext2 file system. It is easy
39 to switch back and forth between ext2 and ext3.
40 ext4 is a set of upgrades to ext3 including substantial
42 performance and reliability enhancements, plus large
43 increases in volume, file, and directory size limits.
44 Reiserfs is a journaling file system, designed by Hans Reiser, that
46 was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.1.
47 XFS is a journaling file system, developed by SGI, that was
49 integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.20.
50 JFS is a journaling file system, developed by IBM, that was
52 integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.24.
53 xiafs was designed and implemented to be a stable, safe file system
55 by extending the Minix file system code. It provides the
56 basic most requested features without undue complexity. The
57 xia file system is no longer actively developed or
58 maintained. It was removed from the kernel in 2.1.21.
59 msdos is the file system used by DOS, Windows, and some OS/2
61 computers. msdos filenames can be no longer than 8
62 characters, followed by an optional period and 3 character
63 extension.
64 umsdos is an extended DOS file system used by Linux. It adds
66 capability for long filenames, UID/GID, POSIX permissions,
67 and special files (devices, named pipes, etc.) under the DOS
68 file system, without sacrificing compatibility with DOS.
69 vfat is an extended DOS file system used by Microsoft Windows95
71 and Windows NT. VFAT adds the capability to use long
72 filenames under the MSDOS file system.
73 ntfs replaces Microsoft Window's FAT file systems (VFAT, FAT32).
75 It has reliability, performance, and space-utilization
76 enhancements plus features like ACLs, journaling, encryption,
77 and so on.
78 proc is a pseudo file system which is used as an interface to
80 kernel data structures rather than reading and interpreting
81 /dev/kmem. In particular, its files do not take disk space.
82 See proc(5).
83 iso9660 is a CD-ROM file system type conforming to the ISO 9660
85 standard.
86 High Sierra
88 Linux supports High Sierra, the precursor to the ISO
89 9660 standard for CD-ROM file systems. It is
90 automatically recognized within the iso9660 file-
91 system support under Linux.
92 Rock Ridge
94 Linux also supports the System Use Sharing Protocol
95 records specified by the Rock Ridge Interchange
96 Protocol. They are used to further describe the files
97 in the iso9660 file system to a UNIX host, and provide
98 information such as long filenames, UID/GID, POSIX
99 permissions, and devices. It is automatically
100 recognized within the iso9660 file-system support
101 under Linux.
102 hpfs is the High Performance Filesystem, used in OS/2. This file
104 system is read-only under Linux due to the lack of available
105 documentation.
106 sysv is an implementation of the SystemV/Coherent file system for
108 Linux. It implements all of Xenix FS, SystemV/386 FS, and
109 Coherent FS.
110 nfs is the network file system used to access disks located on
112 remote computers.
113 smb is a network file system that supports the SMB protocol, used
115 by Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, and Lan Manager.
116 To use smb fs, you need a special mount program, which can be
118 found in the ksmbfs package, found at ⟨ftp://sunsite.unc.edu
119 /pub/Linux/system/Filesystems/smbfs⟩.
120 ncpfs is a network file system that supports the NCP protocol, used
122 by Novell NetWare.
123 To use ncpfs, you need special programs, which can be found
125 at ⟨ftp://linux01.gwdg.de/pub/ncpfs⟩.
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128 proc(5), fsck(8), mkfs(8), mount(8)
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131 This page is part of release 3.53 of the Linux man-pages project. A
132 description of the project, and information about reporting bugs, can
133 be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
134Linux 2012-08-05 FILESYSTEMS(5)