NAME

newfs − construct a new file system

SYNOPSIS

/etc/newfs [ -L | -S ] [ -n ] [ -v ] [ mkfs-options ] special disk-type

DESCRIPTION

Newfs is a “friendly” front-end to the mkfs(1M) 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 section, install the necessary bootstrap programs in the initial 8192 bytes of the device.  The −n option prevents the bootstrap programs from being installed.  special is the character special file for the disk and disk-type is the type of the disk as specified in /etc/disktab. 

If the −v option is supplied, newfs will print out its actions, including the parameters passed to mkfs.

There are two types of HFS file systems; they are distinguished mainly by differing directory formats that place different limits on the length of directory entries (file names).  By default, newfs creates a file system of the same type as the root file system.  However, the type of file system can be explicitly specified with either the −L option, which indicates a file system that allows file names up to MAXNAMLEN (255) bytes long, or with the −S option, which indicates a file system that allows file names at most DIRSIZ (14) bytes long. 

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

−s size The size of the file system in DEV_BSIZE blocks (defined in <sys/param.h>). 

−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
The number of tracks per 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 minimum free space threshold.  The default value used is 10%.

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

−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/disktabfor disk geometry and file system section information

DEPENDENCIES

Series 800
Newfs will not install bootstrap programs in a root section since the boot programs are kept in a separate section. 

AUTHOR

Newfs was developed by the University of California, Berkeley and HP. 

SEE ALSO

fsck(1M), mkfs(1M), tunefs(1M), disktab(4), fs(4). 

Hewlett-Packard Company  —  May 11, 2021