FILESYSTEMS(5)
NAME
filesystems - Linux filesystem types: minix, ext, ext2,
xia, msdos, umsdos, vfat, proc, nfs, iso9660, hpfs, sysv,
smb, ncpfs
DESCRIPTION
In the file /proc/filesystems you can find which
filesystems your kernel currently supports. (If you need
a currently unsupported one, insert the corresponding
module or recompile the kernel.)
Below a description of the various 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It has been completely superseded by the second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 will
eventually be removed from the kernel.
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.
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 is used infrequently.
msdos is the filesystem used by DOS, Windows, and some
OS/2 computers. msdos filenames can be no longer
than an 8 character name 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 extended DOS filesystem used by Microsoft
Windows95 and Windows NT. VFAT adds capability for
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 provides
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).