NAME    [Toc]    [Back]

     newfs_msdos -- construct a new MS-DOS (FAT) file system

SYNOPSIS    [Toc]    [Back]

     newfs_msdos [-N] [-B boot] [-F FAT-type] [-I volid] [-L label] [-O OEM]
		 [-S sector-size] [-a FAT-size] [-b block-size]
		 [-c cluster-size] [-e dirents] [-f format] [-h heads]
		 [-i info] [-k backup] [-m media] [-n FATs] [-o hidden]
		 [-r reserved] [-s total] [-u track-size] special [disktype]

DESCRIPTION    [Toc]    [Back]

     The newfs_msdos utility creates a FAT12, FAT16, or FAT32 file system on
     device special, using disktab(5) entry disktype to determine geometry, if
     required.

     The options are as follow:

     -N      Don't create a file system: just print out parameters.

     -B boot
	     Get bootstrap from file.

     -F FAT-type
	     FAT type (one of 12, 16, or 32).

     -I volid
	     Volume ID.

     -L label
	     Volume label (up to 11 characters).  The label should consist of
	     only those characters permitted in regular DOS (8+3) filenames.

     -O OEM  OEM string (up to 8 characters).  The default is "BSD  4.4".

     -S sector-size
	     Number of bytes per sector.  Acceptable values are powers of 2 in
	     the range 128 through 32768.

     -a FAT-size
	     Number of sectors per FAT.

     -b block-size
	     File system block size (bytes per cluster).  This should resolve
	     to an acceptable number of sectors per cluster (see below).

     -c cluster-size
	     Sectors per cluster.  Acceptable values are powers of 2 in the
	     range 1 through 128.

     -e dirents
	     Number of root directory entries (FAT12 and FAT16 only).

     -f format
	     Specify a standard (floppy disk) format.  The standard formats
	     are (capacities in kilobytes): 160, 180, 320, 360, 640, 720,
	     1200, 1232, 1440, 2880.

     -h heads
	     Number of drive heads.

     -i info
	     Location of the file system info sector (FAT32 only).  A value of
	     0xffff signifies no info sector.

     -k backup
	     Location of the backup boot sector (FAT32 only).  A value of
	     0xffff signifies no backup sector.

     -m media
	     Media descriptor (acceptable range 0xf0 to 0xff).

     -n FATs
	     Number of FATs.  Acceptable values are 1 to 16 inclusive.	The
	     default is 2.

     -o hidden
	     Number of hidden sectors.

     -r reserved
	     Number of reserved sectors.

     -s total
	     File system size.

     -u track-size
	     Number of sectors per track.

NOTES    [Toc]    [Back]

     FAT file system parameters occupy a "Boot Sector BPB (BIOS Parameter
     Block)" in the first of the "reserved" sectors which precede the actual
     file system.  For reference purposes, this structure is presented below.

     struct bsbpb {
	 u_int16_t   bps;	     /* [-S] bytes per sector */
	 u_int8_t    spc;	     /* [-c] sectors per cluster */
	 u_int16_t   res;	     /* [-r] reserved sectors */
	 u_int8_t    nft;	     /* [-n] number of FATs */
	 u_int16_t   rde;	     /* [-e] root directory entries */
	 u_int16_t   sec;	     /* [-s] total sectors */
	 u_int8_t    mid;	     /* [-m] media descriptor */
	 u_int16_t   spf;	     /* [-a] sectors per FAT */
	 u_int16_t   spt;	     /* [-u] sectors per track */
	 u_int16_t   hds;	     /* [-h] drive heads */
	 u_int32_t   hid;	     /* [-o] hidden sectors */
	 u_int32_t   bsec;	     /* [-s] big total sectors */
     };
     /* FAT32 extensions */
     struct bsxbpb {
	 u_int32_t   bspf;	     /* [-a] big sectors per FAT */
	 u_int16_t   xflg;	     /* control flags */
	 u_int16_t   vers;	     /* file system version */
	 u_int32_t   rdcl;	     /* root directory start cluster */
	 u_int16_t   infs;	     /* [-i] file system info sector */
	 u_int16_t   bkbs;	     /* [-k] backup boot sector */
     };

EXAMPLES    [Toc]    [Back]

	   newfs_msdos /dev/ad0s1

     Create a file system, using default parameters, on /dev/ad0s1.

	   newfs_msdos -f 1440 -L foo fd0

     Create a standard 1.44M file system, with volume label foo, on /dev/fd0.

SEE ALSO    [Toc]    [Back]

     disktab(5), disklabel(8), fdisk(8), newfs(8)

DIAGNOSTICS    [Toc]    [Back]

     Exit status is 0 on success and 1 on error.

HISTORY    [Toc]    [Back]

     The newfs_msdos utility first appeared in FreeBSD 3.0.

AUTHORS    [Toc]    [Back]

     Robert Nordier <rnordier@FreeBSD.org>.


FreeBSD 5.2.1			 July 6, 1998			 FreeBSD 5.2.1