20.1 Synopsis

File systems are an integral part of any operating system. They allow for users to upload and store files, provide access to data, and of course, make hard drives useful. Different operating systems usually have one major aspect in common, that is their native file system. On FreeBSD this file system is known as the Fast File System or FFS which is built on the original Unix™ File System, also known as UFS. This is the native file system on FreeBSD which is placed on hard disks for access to data.

FreeBSD also supports a multitude of different file systems to provide support for accessing data from other operating systems locally, i.e. data stored on locally attached USB storage devices, flash drives, and hard disks. There is also support for some non-native file systems. These are file systems developed on other operating systems, like the Linux® Extended File System (EXT), and the Sun™ Z File System (ZFS).

There are different levels of support for the various file systems in FreeBSD. Some will require a kernel module to be loaded, others may require a toolset to be installed. This chapter is designed to help users of FreeBSD access other file systems on their systems, starting with the Sun Z file system.

After reading this chapter, you will know:

• The difference between native and supported file systems.

• What file systems are supported by FreeBSD.

• How to enable, configure, access and make use of non-native file systems.

Before reading this chapter, you should:

• Understand UNIX® and FreeBSD basics (Chapter 3).

• Be familiar with the basics of kernel configuration/compilation (Chapter 8).

• Feel comfortable installing third party software in FreeBSD (Chapter 4).

• Have some familiarity with disks, storage and device names in FreeBSD (Chapter 18).