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

NAME

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

DESCRIPTION

       When, as is customary, the proc file system is mounted on /proc, you can find in the file /proc/filesystems which file systems your  kernel
       currently supports.  If you need a currently unsupported one, insert the corresponding module or recompile the kernel.

       In order to use a file system, you have to mount it; see mount(8).

       Below a short description of a few of the available file systems.

       minix	 is  the  file	system	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 timestamp, etc.  It remains useful for floppies and RAM disks.

       ext	 is an elaborate extension of the minix file system.  It has been completely superseded by the second version of the extended file
		 system (ext2) and has been removed from the kernel (in 2.1.21).

       ext2	 is  the  high	performance  disk  file system used by Linux for fixed disks as well as removable media.  The second extended file
		 system 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 file systems supported under Linux.

       ext3	 is a journaling version of the ext2 file system.  It is easy to switch back and forth between ext2 and ext3.

       ext4	 is  a	set  of  upgrades  to ext3 including substantial performance and reliability enhancements, plus large increases in volume,
		 file, and directory size limits.

       Reiserfs  is a journaling file system, designed by Hans Reiser, that was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.1.

       XFS	 is a journaling file system, developed by SGI, that was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.20.

       JFS	 is a journaling file system, developed by IBM, that was integrated into Linux in kernel 2.4.24.

       xiafs	 was designed and implemented to be a stable, safe file system by extending the Minix file system code.   It  provides	the  basic
		 most  requested  features  without  undue complexity.	The xia file system is no longer actively developed or maintained.  It was
		 removed from the kernel in 2.1.21.

       msdos	 is the file system 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.

       umsdos	 is  an  extended  DOS	file system used by Linux.  It adds capability for long filenames, UID/GID, POSIX permissions, and special
		 files (devices, named pipes, etc.)  under the DOS file system, without sacrificing compatibility with DOS.

       vfat	 is an extended DOS file system used by Microsoft Windows95 and Windows NT.  VFAT adds the capability to use long filenames  under
		 the MSDOS file system.

       ntfs	 replaces  Microsoft Window's FAT file systems (VFAT, FAT32).  It has reliability, performance, and space-utilization enhancements
		 plus features like ACLs, journaling, encryption, and so on.

       proc	 is a pseudo file system 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 file system type conforming to the ISO 9660 standard.

		 High Sierra
			Linux  supports  High  Sierra,	the  precursor	to  the  ISO  9660  standard for CD-ROM file systems.  It is automatically
			recognized within the iso9660 file-system 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 file system to a Unix host, and provide information such as long
			filenames, UID/GID, POSIX permissions, and devices.  It is automatically recognized within the iso9660 file-system support
			under Linux.

       hpfs	 is  the  High	Performance  Filesystem,  used	in  OS/2.   This file system is read-only under Linux due to the lack of available
		 documentation.

       sysv	 is an implementation of the SystemV/Coherent file system for Linux.  It implements all of Xenix FS, SystemV/386 FS, and  Coherent
		 FS.

       nfs	 is the network file system used to access disks located on remote computers.

       smb	 is a network file system 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 file system 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)

COLOPHON

       This page is part of release 3.25 of the Linux man-pages project.  A description of the project, and information about reporting bugs,  can
       be found at http://www.kernel.org/doc/man-pages/.

Linux								    2010-05-24							    FILESYSTEMS(5)