filesystems(5) File Formats Manual filesystems(5)
NAME
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
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. There is also a
legacy sysfs(2) system call (whose availability is controlled by the
CONFIG_SYSFS_SYSCALL kernel build configuration option since Linux 3.15)
that enables enumeration of the currently available filesystem types
regardless of /proc availability and/or sanity.
If you need a currently unsupported filesystem, insert the corresponding
kernel module or recompile the kernel.
In order to use a filesystem, you have to mount it; see mount(2) and
mount(8).
The following list provides a short description of the available or
historically available filesystems in the Linux kernel. See the kernel
documentation for a comprehensive description of all options and
limitations.
erofs is the Enhanced Read-Only File System, stable since Linux 5.4.
See erofs(5).
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completely superseded by the second version of the extended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 Linux
2.1.21).
ext2 is a disk filesystem that was 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/IEC 9660
standard.
High Sierra
Linux supports High Sierra, the precursor to the
ISO/IEC 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 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
64 MB 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. It was removed from the kernel in Linux 4.17.
To use ncpfs, you need special programs, which can be found at
]8;;ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/ncpfs\ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/ncpfs]8;;\.
nfs is the network filesystem used to access disks located on remote
computers.
ntfs is the filesystem native to Microsoft Windows NT, supporting
features like ACLs, journaling, encryption, 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 2.4.1.
smb is a network filesystem that supports the SMB protocol, used by
Windows. See ]8;;https://www.samba.org/samba/smbfs/\https://www.samba.org/samba/smbfs/]8;;\.
sysv is an implementation of the System V/Coherent filesystem for
Linux. It implements all of Xenix FS, System V/386 FS, and
Coherent FS.
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.
tmpfs is a filesystem whose contents reside in virtual memory. Since
the files on such filesystems typically reside in RAM, file
access is extremely fast. See tmpfs(5).
vfat is an extended FAT filesystem used by Microsoft Windows95 and
Windows NT. vfat adds the capability to use long filenames under
the MSDOS filesystem.
XFS is a journaling filesystem, developed by SGI, that was integrated
into Linux 2.4.20.
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 xiafs
filesystem is no longer actively developed or maintained. It was
removed from the kernel in Linux 2.1.21.
SEE ALSO
fuse(4), btrfs(5), ext2(5), ext3(5), ext4(5), nfs(5), proc(5), sysfs(5),
tmpfs(5), xfs(5), fsck(8), mkfs(8), mount(8)
Linux man-pages 6.9.1 2024-05-02 filesystems(5)
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