Generic Linux Filesystem Stuff

Partitioning Block Devices

Any block device can be partitioned. Likewise, you can make a filesystem on any block device. I discovered this inadvertently when doing 'mkfs.ext3 /dev/md0', and created a new filesystem instead of a partition. This can of course have its uses, but I think I prefer creating partitions. It gives you a better idea what's on the drive via fstab.

Creating a Usable Filesystem

mkfs.ext3 /dev/sdb1 will create an ext3 filesystem on device /dev/sdb1. However, you won't have the ability to write to it until you've mounted the filesystem.

Useful extXfs Information

The 'tune2fs' program allows you to tweak a number of ext2/ext3 parameters. One of the most useful parameters is the '-m' switch, which allows you to adjust at which point the filesystem reports 100% utilization and non-root users are unable to continue writing to the device. This can be useful to adjust, particularly since it's typically set to 5% or so.

-- SeanNewton - 08 Jan 2008