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.

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 It has been completely superseded by the second version of the extended filesystem (ext2) and has been removed from the kernel (in Linux 2.1.21).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 9660 standard.

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)