4.3BSD - /usr/man/cat8/newfs.0

NEWFS(8)                                                              NEWFS(8)


NAME
       newfs - construct a new file system

SYNOPSIS
       /etc/newfs [ -N ] [ -v ] [ -n ] [ mkfs-options ] special disk-type

DESCRIPTION
       Newfs  is  a ‘‘friendly’’ front-end to the mkfs(8) program.  Newfs will
       look up the type of disk a file system is being created on in the  disk
       description  file /etc/disktab, calculate the appropriate parameters to
       use in calling mkfs, then build the file system by forking mkfs and, if
       the  file  system  is a root partition, install the necessary bootstrap
       programs in the initial 8 sectors of the device.  The  -n  option  pre‐
       vents  the  bootstrap  programs  from  being  installed.  The -N option
       causes the file system parameters to be printed  out  without  actually
       creating the file system.

       If the -v option is supplied, newfs will print out its actions, includ‐
       ing the parameters passed to mkfs.

       Options which may be used to override default parameters passed to mkfs
       are:

       -s size   The size of the file system in sectors.

       -b block-size
                 The block size of the file system in bytes.

       -f frag-size
                 The fragment size of the file system in bytes.

       -t #tracks/cylinder

       -c #cylinders/group
                 The  number of cylinders per cylinder group in a file system.
                 The default value used is 16.

       -m free space %
                 The percentage of space reserved from normal users; the mini‐
                 mum free space threshhold.  The default value used is 10%.

       -o optimization preference (‘‘‘‘space’’’’ or ‘‘‘‘time’’’’)
                 The  file  system can either be instructed to try to minimize
                 the time spent allocating blocks, or to try to  minimize  the
                 space  fragmentation  on  the  disk.  If the value of minfree
                 (see above) is less than 10%, the default is to optimize  for
                 space;  if the value of minfree greater than or equal to 10%,
                 the default is to optimize for time.

       -r revolutions/minute
                 The speed of the disk in  revolutions  per  minute  (normally
                 3600).

       -S sector-size
                 The  size  of  a  sector  in bytes (almost never anything but
                 512).

       -i number of bytes per inode
                 This specifies the density of inodes in the file system.  The
                 default  is  to  create  an inode for each 2048 bytes of data
                 space.  If fewer inodes are desired, a larger  number  should
                 be  used;  to  create  more inodes a smaller number should be
                 given.

FILES
       /etc/disktab   for disk geometry and file system partition information
       /etc/mkfs to actually build the file system
       /usr/mdec for boot strapping programs

SEE ALSO
       disktab(5), fs(5), diskpart(8), fsck(8), format(8), mkfs(8), tunefs(8)

       M. McKusick, W. Joy, S. Leffler, R. Fabry, ‘‘A  Fast  File  System  for
       UNIX’’,  ACM Transactions on Computer Systems 2, 3.  pp 181-197, August
       1984.  (reprinted in the System Manager’s Manual, SMM:14)

BUGS
       Should figure out the type of the disk without the user’s help.


4.2 Berkeley Distribution        May 21, 1986                         NEWFS(8)