Mkfs
Encyclopedia
mkfs is the Linux/GNU
command for formatting a disk partition with a specific filesystem.
mkfs -t type device
where type is the type of the filesystem and device is the Unix device the filesystem will reside on. Generally supported filesystems are Unix ext2
and ext3
, MS-DOS
, and Windows
FAT32 (NTFS
is typically not supported). Some Unices may support Sun
and Mac OS
filesystems.
At least on Linux
, mkfs itself is only a wrapper for several filesystem-specific commands such as mkfs.ext3 or mkfs.vfat. These filesystem-specific commands can also be called directly.
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
command for formatting a disk partition with a specific filesystem.
Syntax
The basic syntax is:mkfs -t type device
where type is the type of the filesystem and device is the Unix device the filesystem will reside on. Generally supported filesystems are Unix ext2
Ext2
The ext2 or second extended filesystem is a file system for the Linux kernel. It was initially designed by Rémy Card as a replacement for the extended file system ....
and ext3
Ext3
The ext3 or third extended filesystem is a journaled file system that is commonly used by the Linux kernel. It is the default file system for many popular Linux distributions, including Debian...
, MS-DOS
MS-DOS
MS-DOS is an operating system for x86-based personal computers. It was the most commonly used member of the DOS family of operating systems, and was the main operating system for IBM PC compatible personal computers during the 1980s to the mid 1990s, until it was gradually superseded by operating...
, and Windows
Microsoft Windows
Microsoft Windows is a series of operating systems produced by Microsoft.Microsoft introduced an operating environment named Windows on November 20, 1985 as an add-on to MS-DOS in response to the growing interest in graphical user interfaces . Microsoft Windows came to dominate the world's personal...
FAT32 (NTFS
NTFS
NTFS is the standard file system of Windows NT, including its later versions Windows 2000, Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2008, Windows Vista, and Windows 7....
is typically not supported). Some Unices may support Sun
Sun Microsystems
Sun Microsystems, Inc. was a company that sold :computers, computer components, :computer software, and :information technology services. Sun was founded on February 24, 1982...
and Mac OS
Mac OS
Mac OS is a series of graphical user interface-based operating systems developed by Apple Inc. for their Macintosh line of computer systems. The Macintosh user experience is credited with popularizing the graphical user interface...
filesystems.
At least on Linux
Linux
Linux is a Unix-like computer operating system assembled under the model of free and open source software development and distribution. The defining component of any Linux system is the Linux kernel, an operating system kernel first released October 5, 1991 by Linus Torvalds...
, mkfs itself is only a wrapper for several filesystem-specific commands such as mkfs.ext3 or mkfs.vfat. These filesystem-specific commands can also be called directly.