e2fsprogs
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e2fsprogs | |
---|---|
Developed by | Theodore Ts'o |
Latest release | 1.40.10 / May 21, 2008 |
OS | Unix-like |
Genre | File system utilities |
License | GPL |
Website | http://e2fsprogs.sourceforge.net/ |
e2fsprogs (sometimes called the e2fs programs) is a set of utilities for maintaining the ext2 and ext3 file systems. Since those file systems are often the default for Linux distributions, it is commonly considered to be essential software.
Included with e2fsprogs are:
- e2fsck, a fsck program that checks for and corrects inconsistencies
- mke2fs, used for creating ext2 and ext3 file systems
- resize2fs, which can expand and shrink ext2 and ext3 file systems
- tune2fs, used to modify file system parameters
- dumpe2fs, which prints superblock and block group information.
- debugfs, used to manually view or modify internal structures of the file system
Many of these utilities are based on the libext2fs library.
Despite what its name might suggest, the e2fsprogs work not only with ext2, but also with ext3, which is based on ext2. Although ext3's journaling capability can reduce the need to use e2fsck, it is sometimes still necessary to help protect from kernel bugs or bad hardware.
As the userspace companion for the ext2 and ext3 drivers in the Linux kernel, the e2fsprogs are most commonly used with the Linux operating system. However, they have been ported to other systems, such as FreeBSD and Darwin.
[edit] History
The e2fsprogs were developed and are maintained by Theodore Ts'o. The latest version, 1.40.8, was released on May 21, 2008.