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

NAME

       filesystems - Linux filesystem types: minix, ext, ext2, ext3, xia, msdos, umsdos, vfat, proc, nfs, iso9660, hpfs, sysv, smb, ncpfs

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.  If you need a currently unsupported one, insert the corresponding module or recompile the kernel.

       In order to use a filesystem, you have to mount it, see mount(8) for the mount command, and for the available mount options.

       Below a short description of a few of the available filesystems.

       minix  is the filesystem 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 time stamp, etc.	It remains useful for floppies and RAM disks.

       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   It  has been completely superseded by the second version of the extended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 file system (ext).	ext2 offers the best performance (in terms of speed and CPU usage)
	      of the filesystems supported under Linux.

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

       ext3   is a journaling version of the ext2 filesystem.  ext3 offers the most complete set of journaling options available among	journaling
	      filesystems.

       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 xia filesystem is no longer actively developed or maintained.  It was removed from
	      the kernel in 2.1.21.

       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.

       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.

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

       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).

       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.

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

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

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

       smb    is a network filesystem 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 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.

SEE ALSO

       proc(5), fsck(8), mkfs(8), mount(8)

								    2001-12-07							    FILESYSTEMS(5)