Chapter 10. Creating an XFS file system

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

     Note

     The minimum XFS file system size is 300 MB. mkfs.xfs does not support creating smaller file systems to prevent performance and redundancy issues.

     • 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

     • 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

2. Use the following command to wait for the system to register the new device node:

   # udevadm settle

   For more information, see the mkfs.xfs(8) man page on your system.