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

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

DESCRIPTION
       In   the   file   /proc/filesystems  you  can  find  which
       filesystems your kernel currently supports.  (If you  need
       a  currently  unsupported  one,  insert  the corresponding
       module or recompile the kernel.)

       Below a description of the various 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              It has been completely  superseded  by  the  second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 will
              eventually be removed from the kernel.

       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.

       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 is used infrequently.

       msdos  is  the  filesystem  used by DOS, Windows, and some
              OS/2 computers.  msdos filenames can be  no  longer
              than  an  8  character name 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  extended  DOS  filesystem  used  by   Microsoft
              Windows95 and Windows NT.  VFAT adds capability for
              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  provides
                     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).

                          25 March 1996                         1