filesystems

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  It has been completely superseded by the second version of the extended filesystem (ext2) and  has  been  removed  from  the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 ftp://ftp.gwdg.de/pub/linux/misc/ncpfs.

   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 https://www.samba.org/samba/smbfs/.

   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)