man > 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  It has been completely  superseded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 6.7                          2024-01-28                               filesystems(5)