System Administration Guide: Basic Administration


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Improved `mkfs` Performance

The mkfs command now has improve performance when you create file systems. Improved mkfs performance is often 10 times faster than in previous Solaris releases. Performance improvements occur on systems when you create both large and small file systems. However, the biggest performance improvements occur when creating file systems on systems with high-capacity disks or high-speed disks.

New `labelit` Options for UDF File Systems

The labelit command provides new options for use with Universal Disk Format (UDF) file systems. You can use the new labelit command options to identify the author name, organization, and contact information for a UDF volume.

There was no mechanism to update this information, which is part of general UDF file systems, in previous Solaris releases.

The new UDF specific options for the labelit command, specified with the -o option, are the following:

lvinfo1 - Identifies the person who is creating the file system
lvinfo2 - Identifies the organization that is responsible for creating the file system
lvinfo3 - Identifies the contact information for media that contains the UDF file system

The maximum length for each option is 35 bytes.

For more information, see labelit_udfs(1M).

Where to Find File System Management Tasks

Use these references to find step-by-step instructions for the management of file systems.

File System Management Task	For More Information
Create new file systems	Chapter 39, Creating File Systems (Tasks) and Chapter 41, Using The CacheFS File System (Tasks)
Make local and remote files available to users	Chapter 40, Mounting and Unmounting File Systems (Tasks)
Connect and configure new disk devices	Chapter 32, Managing Disks (Overview)
Design and implement a backup schedule and restoring files and file systems, as needed	Chapter 46, Backing Up and Restoring File Systems (Overview)
Check for and correct file system inconsistencies	Chapter 43, Checking UFS File System Consistency (Tasks)

Overview of File Systems

A file system is a structure of directories that is used to organize and store files. The term file system is used to describe the following:

A particular type of file system: disk-based, network-based, or virtual
The entire file tree, beginning with the root directory
The data structure of a disk slice or other media storage device
A portion of a file tree structure that is attached to a mount point on the main file tree so that the files are accessible

Usually, you can tell from the context which meaning is intended.

The Solaris operating system uses the virtual file system (VFS) architecture, which provides a standard interface for different file system types. The VFS architecture enables the kernel to handle basic operations, such as reading, writing, and listing files, and makes it easier to add new file systems.

Types of File Systems

The Solaris operating system supports three types of file systems:

Disk-based
Network-based
Virtual

To identify the file system type, see Determining a File System's Type.

Disk-Based File Systems

Disk-based file systems are stored on physical media such as hard disks, CD-ROMs, and diskettes. Disk-based file systems can be written in different formats. The available formats are the following:

Disk-Based File System	Format Description
UFS	UNIX file system (based on the BSD Fast File system that was provided in the 4.3 Tahoe release). UFS is the default disk-based file system for the Solaris operating system. Before you can create a UFS file system on a disk, you must format the disk and divide it into slices. For information on formatting disks and dividing disks into slices, see Chapter 32, Managing Disks (Overview).
HSFS	High Sierra, Rock Ridge, and ISO 9660 file system. High Sierra is the first CD-ROM file system. ISO 9660 is the official standard version of the High Sierra File System. The HSFS file system is used on CD-ROMs, and is a read-only file system. Solaris HSFS supports Rock Ridge extensions to ISO 9660, which, when present on a CD-ROM, provide all UFS file system features and file types, except for writability and hard links.
PCFS	PC file system, which allows read and write access to data and programs on DOS-formatted disks that are written for DOS-based personal computers.
UDF	The Universal Disk Format (UDF) file system, the industry-standard format for storing information on the optical media technology called DVD (Digital Versatile Disc or Digital Video Disc).

Each type of disk-based file system is customarily associated with a particular media device, as follows:

UFS with hard disk
HSFS with CD-ROM
PCFS with diskette
UDF with DVD

These associations are not, however, restrictive. For example, CD-ROMs and diskettes can have UFS file systems created on them.

Network-Based File Systems

Network-based file systems can be accessed from the network. Typically, network-based file systems reside on one system, typically a server, and are accessed by other systems across the network.

With NFS, you can administer distributed resources (files or directories) by exporting them from a server and mounting them on individual clients. For more information, see The NFS Environment.

Virtual File Systems

Virtual file systems are memory-based file systems that provide access to special kernel information and facilities. Most virtual file systems do not use file system disk space. However, the CacheFS file system uses a file system on the disk to contain the cache. Also, some virtual file systems, such as the temporary file system (TMPFS), use the swap space on a disk.