Chapter 10. Creating an XFS file system


As a system administrator, you can create an XFS file system on a block device to enable it to store files and directories.

10.1. Creating an XFS file system with mkfs.xfs

This procedure describes how to create an XFS file system on a block device.

Procedure

  1. To create the file system:

    • If the device is a regular partition, an LVM volume, an MD volume, a disk, or a similar device, use the following command:

      # mkfs.xfs block-device
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      • Replace block-device with the path to the block device. For example, /dev/sdb1, /dev/disk/by-uuid/05e99ec8-def1-4a5e-8a9d-5945339ceb2a, or /dev/my-volgroup/my-lv.
      • In general, the default options are optimal for common use.
      • When using mkfs.xfs on a block device containing an existing file system, add the -f option to overwrite that file system.
    • To create the file system on a hardware RAID device, check if the system correctly detects the stripe geometry of the device:

      • If the stripe geometry information is correct, no additional options are needed. Create the file system:

        # mkfs.xfs block-device
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      • If the information is incorrect, specify stripe geometry manually with the su and sw parameters of the -d option. The su parameter specifies the RAID chunk size, and the sw parameter specifies the number of data disks in the RAID device.

        For example:

        # mkfs.xfs -d su=64k,sw=4 /dev/sda3
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  2. Use the following command to wait for the system to register the new device node:

    # udevadm settle
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