This process also improves performance because it shortens the journaling time. In an ext4 file system, undistributed groups of blocks and inode tables are marked. The time required to run the fsck command is significantly shortened because marked groups are skipped. It improves overall performance. Disk fragmentation leads to performance degradation, which was a significant issue with the ext2 and ext3 file systems. The ext4 file system supports the e4defrag tool that lets users defragment individual files or the complete file system.
Although the ext4 file system is considered as the best file system for Linux distributions, there are a few limitations that should be considered in the further development of the system:. There are several alternatives to the ext4 file system. The Linux kernel supports all the alternatives listed below.
XFS is a bit file system that was first introduced in and built into the Linux kernel since It is the default file system for RedHat Linux. XFS supports a maximum file size of 8 EiB and restricts filename length to bytes. It supports journaling, and like ext4, it saves the changes in a journal before changes are committed to the main file system. This reduces the possibility of file corruption.
OpenZFS is a platform that combines file systems with volume managers. It was first introduced in OpenZFS supports a maximum file size of 16 EiB and limits the maximum filename length to characters.
That is resolved by compiling and loading the ZFS code to the Linux kernel. BtrFS supports a maximum file size of 16 EiB and limits the maximum filename length to characters. The Linux file system evolved for decades to gain its complexity and functionality. Each new functionality resolved an issue present in the outdated versions of the system.
After reading this article, you should have a better understanding of the Linux file system and how it functions. Next, consider learning about data backups in our article Snapshot vs Backup. Introduction to the Linux File System October 21, Introduction A file system is a set of processes that controls how, where and when data is stored and retrieved from a storage device.
Note: To avoid issues, use alternative file systems under separate directories. Was this article helpful? Nevena Pavlicic. She has always enjoyed researching and building knowledge on cutting edge technologies, but she is also passionate about simplifying complex concepts. Next you should read. Bare Metal Servers SysAdmin. In Linux, an NTFS partition is accessed in dual-boot setups where file exchange between drives is required Here are the differences:.
There are other Linux file systems too, including file systems designed specifically for flash storage in embedded devices and on SD cards. The Best Tech Newsletter Anywhere Join , subscribers and get a daily digest of news, geek trivia, and our feature articles. How-To Geek is where you turn when you want experts to explain technology.
Since we launched in , our articles have been read more than 1 billion times. Want to know more? Now, let's talk about the physical storage of data. There are only strings of specific binary digits. The problem is how to save the information about those data logical structure forms to external storage. To explain this problem, I must mention partitions , which are used to manage the storage space of storage device better.
When you create partitions on a storage device, the information about these partitions is stored in Partition Table that is located on the first sector of disk MBR sector. Then, you need to add file systems to these partitions by formatting.
In a file system partition, part of the storage space is used to store the logical structure information of the file system. Then, the remaining space is used to store data in the form of files and directories. As for the last part: file system API, it is an application programming interface through which a utility or user program requests services of a file system.
Some file system APIs may also include interfaces for maintenance operations, such as creating or initializing a file system, verifying the file system for integrity, and defragmentation.
Get stuck in invalid partition table error message when booting up Windows 10? Now find solutions in this article to remove invalid partition table Windows Linux uses directory tree to manage directories and files. Therefore, the storage device layout becomes as shown in the following picture:. As we all know, root file system is one directory of Linux system.
You may wonder what the relationship between Linux directory structure and file system partition is. To figure out this problem, you should understand Linux directory structure first.
The above directories also contain subdirectories secondary directories. When you install Linux system, you should partition the disk and then mount partitions under these directories.
As for other directories under which no partition is mounted, they and their data are stored in the root partition file system along with the root directory. Linux supports reading around partition types, but it can create and write to only a few of these.
In this part, I will introduce them briefly to you. The ext extended file system is the first file system created specifically for the Linux kernel.
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