FAT filesystem and Linux: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 00:20, 30 June 2023

Revision as of 09:19, 2 March 2025

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{{Short description|Widely used Linux filesystem format}}

[[Linux]] has several [[filesystem]] drivers for the [[File Allocation Table]] (FAT) filesystem format. These are commonly known by the names used in the <code>[[mount (Unix)|mount]]</code> command to invoke particular drivers in the kernel: ''{{Not a typo|msdos}}'', ''{{Not a typo|vfat}}'', and ''{{Not a typo|umsdos}}''.<ref name="StanfieldSmith">{{cite book |title=Linux system administration |series=Craig Hunt Linux library |author-first1=Vicki |author-last1=Stanfield |author-first2=Roderick W. |author-last2=Smith |edition=2nd |publisher=[[John Wiley and Sons]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7821-4138-2 |pages=166}}</ref><ref name="Ward">{{cite book |title=How Linux works: what every superuser should know |series=No Starch Press Series |author-first=Brian |author-last=Ward |publisher=[[No Starch Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59327-035-3 |pages=41}}</ref>

== History and support ==

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== Feature comparison ==

{{anchor|Differences, advantages, and disadvantages}}

All of the Linux filesystem drivers support all three FAT types, namely [[FAT12]], [[FAT16]] and [[FAT32]]. Where they differ is in the provision of support for [[long filename]]s, beyond the [[8.3 filename]] structure of the original FAT filesystem format, and in the provision of Unix file semantics that do not exist as standard in the FAT filesystem format such as [[file permissions]].<ref name="StanfieldSmith">{{cite book |author-last1=Stanfield |author-first1=Vicki |title=Linux system administration |author-last2=Smith |author-first2=Roderick W. |publisher=[[John Wiley and Sons]] |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7821-4138-2 |edition=2nd |series=Craig Hunt Linux library |pages=166}}</ref> The filesystem drivers are mutually exclusive. Only one can be used to mount any given disk volume at any given time. Thus the choice among them is determined by what long filenames and Unix semantics they support and what use one wants to make of the disk volume.<ref name="Smith1">{{cite book |title=Linux in a Windows world |author=Roderick W. Smith |publisher=[[O'Reilly Media, Inc.]] |year=2005 |isbn=0-596-00758-2 |pages=449}}</ref>

=== {{Not a typo|msdos}} ===

The ''{{Not a typo|msdos}}'' filesystem driver provides no extra Unix file semantics and no long filename support. If a FAT disk filesystem is mounted using this driver, only 8.3 filenames will be visible, no long filenames will be accessible, nor will any long filename data structures of any kind on the disk volume be maintained. The ''{{Not a typo|vfat}}'' filesystem driver provides long filename support using the same disk data structures that [[Microsoft Windows]] uses for [[VFAT]] long filename support on FAT format volumes, but it does not support any extra Unix file semantics. The ''{{Not a typo|umsdos}}'' filesystem driver provides long filename support, and extra Unix file semantics. However, it does so using on-disk data structures that are not recognized by any filesystem drivers for any operating systems other than Linux.<ref name="StanfieldSmith"/><ref name="Ward">{{cite book |author-last=Ward |author-first=Brian |title=How Linux works: what every superuser should know |publisher=[[No Starch Press]] |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-59327-035-3 |series=No Starch Press Series |pages=41}}</ref><ref name="Smith1"/><ref name="Negus">{{cite book |title=Linux bible: boot up to Ubuntu, Fedora, KNOPPIX, Debian, SUSE, and 11 other distributions |series=Bible Series |author-first=Christopher |author-last=Negus |publisher=[[John Wiley and Sons]] |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-470-08279-9 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/linuxbiblebootup0000negu/page/159 159] |url=https://archive.org/details/linuxbiblebootup0000negu/page/159 }}</ref>

=== {{Not a typo|umsdos}} ===