NAME | DESCRIPTION | SEE ALSO | COLOPHON

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

NAME         top

       filesystems  -  Linux  filesystem types: ext, ext2, ext3, ext4, hpfs,
       iso9660, JFS, minix, msdos, ncpfs nfs,  ntfs,  proc,  Reiserfs,  smb,
       sysv, umsdos, vfat, XFS, xiafs,

DESCRIPTION         top

       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; see proc(5) for more details.  If you need a
       currently unsupported filesystem, insert the corresponding module or
       recompile the kernel.
       In order to use a filesystem, you have to mount it; see mount(8).
       Below a short description of the available or historically available
       filesystems in the Linux kernel.  See kernel documentation for a
       comprehensive description of all options and limitations.
       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                 been completely superseded by the second version of the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 filesystem (ext).  See ext2 (5).
       ext3      is a journaling version of the ext2 filesystem.  It is easy
                 to switch back and forth between ext2 and ext3.  See ext3
                 (5).
       ext4      is a set of upgrades to ext3 including substantial
                 performance and reliability enhancements, plus large
                 increases in volume, file, and directory size limits.  See
                 ext4 (5).
       hpfs      is the High Performance Filesystem, used in OS/2.  This
                 filesystem is read-only under Linux due to the lack of
                 available documentation.
       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.
       JFS       is a journaling filesystem, developed by IBM, that was
                 integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.24.
       minix     is the filesystem used in the Minix operating system, the
                 first to run under Linux.  It has a number of shortcomings,
                 including a 64MB partition size limit, short filenames, and
                 a single timestamp.  It remains useful for floppies and RAM
                 disks.
       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.
       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⟩.
       nfs       is the network filesystem used to access disks located on
                 remote computers.
       ntfs      replaces Microsoft Window's FAT filesystems (VFAT, FAT32).
                 It has reliability, performance, and space-utilization
                 enhancements plus features like ACLs, journaling, encryp‐
                 tion, and so on.
       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).
       Reiserfs  is a journaling filesystem, designed by Hans Reiser, that
                 was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.1.
       smb       is a network filesystem that supports the SMB protocol,
                 used by Windows for Workgroups, Windows NT, and Lan Man‐
                 ager.
                 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⟩.
       sysv      is an implementation of the SystemV/Coherent filesystem for
                 Linux.  It implements all of Xenix FS, SystemV/386 FS, and
                 Coherent FS.
       umsdos    is an extended DOS filesystem used by Linux.  It adds capa‐
                 bility 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 file‐
                 names under the MSDOS filesystem.
       XFS       is a journaling filesystem, developed by SGI, that was
                 integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.20.
       xiafs     was designed and implemented to be a stable, safe filesys‐
                 tem by extending the Minix filesystem code.  It provides
                 the basic most requested features without undue complexity.
                 The xiafs filesystem is no longer actively developed or
                 maintained.  It was removed from the kernel in 2.1.21.

SEE ALSO         top

       fuse(4), btrfs(5), ext2(5), ext3(5), ext4(5), nfs(5), proc(5),
       tmpfs(5), fsck(8), mkfs(8), mount(8)

COLOPHON         top

       This page is part of release 4.12 of the Linux man-pages project.  A
       description of the project, information about reporting bugs, and the
       latest version of this page, can be found at
       https://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.
Linux                            2016-12-12                   FILESYSTEMS(5)

Pages that refer to this page: fstab(5)proc(5)mkfs(8)