Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By : James Kent Lewis
Book Image

Linux Utilities Cookbook

By: James Kent Lewis

Overview of this book

<p>Linux is a stable, reliable and extremely powerful operating system. It has been around for many years, however, most people still don't know what it can do and the ways it is superior to other operating systems. Many people want to get started with Linux for greater control and security, but getting started can be time consuming and complicated. <br /><br />A practical, hands-on guide that provides you with a number of clear step-by-step examples to help you solve many of the questions that crop up when using an operating system you may not be familiar with.</p> <p>Presenting solutions to the most common Linux problems in a clear and concise way, this helpful guide starts with spicing up the terminal sessions by command retrieval and line editing, and shell prompt variables. We will then get to know the different desktops (GUIs) available for Linux systems and which is the best fit for you. We will then explore the world of managing files and directories, connectivity, and what to do when it goes wrong. We will also learn a range of skills, from creating and managing user accounts to securing your system, managing and limiting processes, and letting information flow from one process to another using pipes. Later, we will master disk management, working with scripts and automating tasks quickly, and finally, understand the need for a custom kernel and tips on how to build one.</p> <p><br />Based on the author's extensive experience, there is a section on best practices that every Linux user should be familiar with.</p>
Table of Contents (19 chapters)
Linux Utilities Cookbook
Credits
About the Author
About the Reviewers
www.PacktPub.com
Preface
Index

Using mkfs to format a drive


The mkfs command builds a filesystem on the device (similar to formatting a drive). It determines the filesystem type and calls the appropriate mkfs.<type> program. For example, if you were to run mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdb5, it would actually run the mkfs.ext4 program. The mkfs options are as follows:

  • -t: It specifies the type of filesystem desired

  • -V: It produces verbose output

  • -V: It displays version information if used as the only parameter

  • -h: It displays a help screen

Note that no other parameters are passed to the filesystem’s specific program. Also note that in some cases, a size value needs to be provided.

Getting ready

The mkfs program will destroy any data currently residing in the partition. So, make sure you have taken the desired backups before proceeding with this command. Once this action has been taken, it cannot be reversed. If you would like to follow these steps, you should first practice on a USB stick or some other device you don’t care about...