mkfs_pcfs(1M)
NAME
mkfs_pcfs - construct a FAT file system
SYNOPSIS
mkfs -F pcfs [generic_options] [-o FSType_specific_options]
raw_device_file
DESCRIPTION
The pcfs-specific module of mkfs constructs a File Alloca-
tion Table (FAT) on removable media (diskette, JAZ disk, ZIP
disk, PCMCIA card), a hard disk, or a file (see NOTES). FATs
are the standard MS-DOS and Windows file system format. Note
that you can use fdformat(1) to construct a FAT file system
only on a diskette or PCMCIA card.
mkfs for pcfs determines an appropriate FAT size for the
medium, then it installs an initial boot sector and an empty
FAT. A sector size of 512 bytes is used. mkfs for pcfs can
also install the initial file in the file system (see the
pcfs-specific -o i option). This first file can optionally
be marked as read-only, system, and/or hidden.
If you want to construct a FAT with mkfs for pcfs on a
medium that is not formatted, you must first perform a low-
level format on the medium with fdformat(1) or format(1M).
Non-diskette media must also be partitioned with the
fdisk(1M) utility. Note that all existing data on the
diskette or disk partition, if any, is destroyed when a new
FAT is constructed.
generic_options are supported by the generic mkfs command.
See mkfs(1M) for a description of these options.
raw_device_file indicates the device on which to write
unless the -o N option has been specified, or if the -V or
-m generic options are passed from the generic mkfs module.
OPTIONS
See mkfs(1M) for the list of supported generic options.
The following options are supported:
-o FSType_specific_options
Specify pcfs file system-specific options in a comma-
separated list with no intervening spaces. If
invalid options are specified, a warning message is
printed and the invalid options are ignored.
b=label
Label the media with volume label. The volume
label is restricted to 11 uppercase characters.
B=filename
Install filename as the boot loader in the file
system's boot sector. If you don't specify a
boot loader, an MS-DOS boot loader is installed.
The MS-DOS boot loader requires specific MS-DOS
system files to make the diskette bootable. See
NOTES for more information.
fat=n The size of a FAT entry. Currently, only 12 and
16 are valid values. The default is 12 for
diskettes, 16 for larger media.
h Mark the first file installed as a hidden file.
The -i option must also be specified.
hidden=n
Set the number of hidden sectors to n. This is
the number of sectors on the physical disk
preceding the start of the volume (which is the
boot sector itself). This defaults to 0 for
diskettes or a computed valued (based on the
fdisk table) for disks. This option may be used
only in conjunction with the nofdisk option.
i=filename
Install filename as the initial file in the new
file system. The initial file's contents are
guaranteed to occupy consecutive clusters at the
start of the files area. When creating bootable
media, a boot program should be specified as the
initial file.
nofdisk
Do not attempt to find an fdisk table on the
medium. Instead rely on the size option for
determining the partition size. By default, the
created FAT is 16 bits and begins at the first
sector of the device. This origination sector
can be modified with the hidden option (-h).
nsect=n
The number of sectors per track on the disk. If
not specified, the value is determined by using
a dkio(7I) ioctl to get the disk geometry, or
(for diskette) from the results of an FDIOGCHAR
ioctl.
ntrack=n
The number of tracks per cylinder on the disk.
If not specified, the value is determined by
using a dkio(7I) ioctl to get the disk geometry,
or (for diskette) from the results of an
FDIOGCHAR ioctl.
N No execution mode. Print normal output, but do
not actually write the file system to the
medium. This is most useful when used in con-
junction with the verbose option.
r Mark the first file installed as read-only. The
-i option must also be specified.
reserve=n
Set the number of reserved sectors to n. This
is the number of sectors in the volume, preced-
ing the start of the first FAT, including the
boot sector. The value should always be at
least 1, and the default value is exactly 1.
s Mark the first file installed as a system file.
The -i option must also be specified.
size=n
The number of sectors in the file system. If
not specified, the value is determined from the
size of the partition given in the fdisk table
or (for diskette) by way of computation using
the FDIOGCHAR ioctl.
spc=n The size of the allocation unit for space within
the file system, expressed as a number of sec-
tors. The default value depends on the FAT entry
size and the size of the file system.
v Verbose output. Describe, in detail, operations
being performed.
FILES
raw_device_file
The device on which to build the FAT. The device name
for a diskette must be specified as /dev/rdiskette0
for the first diskette drive, or /dev/rdiskette1 for a
second diskette drive. For non-diskette media, a disk
device name must be qualified with a suffix to indi-
cate the proper partition. For example, in the name
/dev/rdsk/c0t0d0p0:c, the :c suffix indicates that the
first partition on the disk should receive the new
FAT.
For a file, raw_device_file is the block device name
returned by lofiadm(1M).
EXAMPLES
The media in these examples must be formatted before running
mkfs for pcfs. See DESCRIPTION for more details.
Example 1: Creating a FAT File System on a Diskette
The following command creates a FAT file system on a
diskette:
mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdiskette
Example 2: Creating a FAT File System on a Disk
The following command creates a FAT file system on the
second fdisk partition of a disk attached to an x86 based
system:
mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0d0p0:d
Example 3: Creating a FAT File System on a ZIP Disk
The following command creates a FAT file system on a ZIP
disk located on a SPARC based system:
mkfs -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2:c
Example 4: Creating a FAT File System on a JAZ Disk
The following command creates a FAT file system on a JAZ
disk located on a SPARC based system and overrides the
sectors/track and tracks/cylinder values obtained from the
device's controller:
mkfs -F pcfs -o nsect=32,ntrack=64 /dev/rdsk/c0t3d0s2:c
ATTRIBUTES
See attributes(5) for descriptions of the following attri-
butes:
____________________________________________________________
| ATTRIBUTE TYPE | ATTRIBUTE VALUE |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Availability | SUNWesu |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
| Interface Stability | Stable |
|_____________________________|_____________________________|
SEE ALSO
fdformat(1), fdisk(1M), format(1M), lofiadm(1M), mkfs(1M),
attributes(5), fd(7D), dkio(7I), fdio(7I)
NOTES
The default MS-DOS boot loader, which is installed by
default if -o B is not specified, requires specific MS-DOS
system files to make the diskette bootable. These MS-DOS
files are not installed when you format a diskette with mkfs
for pcfs, which makes a diskette formatted this way not
bootable. Trying to boot from it on an x86 based system will
result in the following message:
Non-System disk or disk error
Replace and strike any key when ready
You must format a diskette with the DOS format command to
install the specific MS-DOS system files required by the
default boot loader.
You can use lofiadm to create a file that appears to a mkfs
command (for example, mkfs_pcfs or mkfs_ufs) as a raw dev-
ice. You can then use a mkfs command to create a file system
on that device. See lofiadm(1M) for examples of creating a
UFS and a PC (FAT) file system on a device created by
lofiadm.
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