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chapter-10-filesystem-and-storage-device-management.md

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Chapter 10: Filesystem and Storage Device Management

Overview

Managing the filesystem and storage devices is a critical part of Linux administration. This chapter covers how to view, configure, and maintain storage devices, partitions, and filesystems effectively.

1. Understanding Filesystems

Common Filesystem Types:

  • ext4: Default filesystem for most Linux distributions.
  • xfs: High-performance journaling filesystem.
  • btrfs: Advanced filesystem with features like snapshots and compression.
  • ntfs: Commonly used on Windows systems, supported in Linux for compatibility.
  • vfat: Used for USB drives and older Windows systems.

2. Viewing Filesystem Information

lsblk: List Block Devices

  • Displays information about block devices such as disks and partitions.

Example:

lsblk

df: Disk Usage

  • Shows disk space usage for mounted filesystems.

Example:

df -h

du: Disk Usage for Files and Directories

  • Displays the space used by files and directories.

Example:

du -sh /path/to/directory

mount and umount

  • Mount and unmount filesystems.

Examples:

  • Mount a device: 
    sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt
  • Unmount a device: 
    sudo umount /mnt

3. Managing Partitions

fdisk: Partition Management Tool

  • Interactive utility for creating and managing partitions.

Example:

  1. Open the disk for partitioning: 
    sudo fdisk /dev/sdX
  2. Common commands inside fdisk:
    • n: Create a new partition.
    • d: Delete a partition.
    • p: Print the partition table.
    • w: Write changes and exit.

parted: Advanced Partition Tool

  • Used for creating and managing GPT and MBR partitions.

Example:

sudo parted /dev/sdX

lsblk with Partition Information:

lsblk -f

4. Filesystem Creation and Management

mkfs: Create a Filesystem

  • Used to format partitions with a specific filesystem.

Examples:

  • Create an ext4 filesystem: 
    sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1
  • Create an xfs filesystem: 
    sudo mkfs.xfs /dev/sdX1

fsck: Check and Repair Filesystems

  • Used to identify and fix filesystem errors.

Example:

sudo fsck /dev/sdX1

tune2fs: Adjust Filesystem Parameters

  • Modify parameters for ext-based filesystems.

Example:

sudo tune2fs -c 10 /dev/sdX1

5. Swap Management

Create a Swap Partition:

  1. Create the partition using fdisk or parted.
  2. Format the partition as swap: 
    sudo mkswap /dev/sdX2
  3. Enable the swap partition: 
    sudo swapon /dev/sdX2
  4. Make the swap persistent by adding it to /etc/fstab: 
    /dev/sdX2 none swap sw 0 0

Check Swap Usage:

free -h

6. Mounting Filesystems Automatically

/etc/fstab: Filesystem Table

  • Defines how and where filesystems are mounted automatically.

Example Entry:

/dev/sdX1 /mnt ext4 defaults 0 2

Testing /etc/fstab Changes:

  • After modifying /etc/fstab, test the configuration: 
    sudo mount -a

7. Disk Quotas

Enable Disk Quotas:

  1. Add quota options to /etc/fstab: 
    /dev/sdX1 /mnt ext4 defaults,usrquota,grpquota 0 2
  2. Remount the filesystem: 
    sudo mount -o remount /mnt
  3. Create the quota database: 
    sudo quotacheck -cum /mnt
sudo quotaon /mnt

Set Quotas for a User:

sudo edquota -u username

Summary

By the end of this chapter, you should be able to:

  • View and analyze storage devices and filesystems.
  • Manage partitions and format them with various filesystems.
  • Mount, unmount, and configure filesystems using /etc/fstab.
  • Create and manage swap partitions and disk quotas.

Next Steps:

Exercises

  1. Create a new ext4 partition, format it, and mount it to /mnt/newdrive.
  2. View the disk space usage of /home using du and df.
  3. Check and repair an ext4 filesystem using fsck.
  4. Add a swap partition and verify it is active using free.
  5. Configure a user quota on a mounted filesystem and test it.