Linux mkfs.minix Command with Practical Examples

Introduction

In this lab, we will explore the mkfs.minix command, which is used to create a Minix file system on a block device. Minix is a compact and lightweight file system, often used in embedded systems or resource-constrained environments. We will learn how to create a Minix file system, mount it, and interact with it by creating files and directories. The lab covers the introduction to the mkfs.minix command, creating a Minix file system, and mounting and interacting with the Minix file system.

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Introduction to the mkfs.minix Command

In this step, we will explore the mkfs.minix command, which is used to create a Minix file system on a block device. Minix is a compact and lightweight file system, often used in embedded systems or resource-constrained environments.

First, let's create a loopback device that will serve as our Minix file system:

sudo dd if=/dev/zero of=minix_fs.img bs=1M count=10
sudo losetup /dev/loop0 minix_fs.img

The above commands create a 10 MB file minix_fs.img and attach it to the /dev/loop0 loopback device.

Now, let's use the mkfs.minix command to create a Minix file system on the loopback device:

sudo mkfs.minix /dev/loop0

Example output:

mkfs.minix 2.86 (21-Mar-2022)
Minix version 1 filesystem
Inode table: 1024 slots
Free inodes: 1024
Zone map: 1024 slots
Free zones: 2560

The mkfs.minix command initializes the Minix file system on the specified block device. It sets up the necessary data structures, such as the inode table and zone map, and reports the number of free inodes and zones.

Now that we have created the Minix file system, we can proceed to mount it and interact with the file system in the next steps.

Creating a Minix File System

In this step, we will learn how to create files and directories within the Minix file system we created in the previous step.

First, let's mount the Minix file system:

sudo mount /dev/loop0 /mnt

This mounts the Minix file system on the /mnt directory.

Now, let's create a few files and directories inside the Minix file system:

sudo touch /mnt/file1.txt
sudo mkdir /mnt/directory1
sudo echo "Hello, Minix!" | sudo tee /mnt/file1.txt

The above commands create a file file1.txt, a directory directory1, and write the text "Hello, Minix!" to the file1.txt file.

Let's verify the contents of the Minix file system:

sudo ls -l /mnt

Example output:

total 12
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 13 May 23 12:34 file1.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 May 23 12:34 directory1

As you can see, the file and directory we created are now present in the Minix file system.

Finally, let's unmount the Minix file system:

sudo umount /mnt

This completes the process of creating and interacting with the Minix file system.

Mounting and Interacting with the Minix File System

In the previous steps, we created a Minix file system and added some files and directories to it. In this step, we will learn how to mount the Minix file system and interact with it.

First, let's mount the Minix file system:

sudo mount /dev/loop0 /mnt

This mounts the Minix file system on the /mnt directory.

Now, let's explore the contents of the mounted Minix file system:

sudo ls -l /mnt

Example output:

total 12
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 13 May 23 12:34 file1.txt
drwxr-xr-x 2 root root 1024 May 23 12:34 directory1

As you can see, the file and directory we created in the previous step are now visible in the mounted Minix file system.

Let's now create a new file and directory within the Minix file system:

sudo touch /mnt/file2.txt
sudo mkdir /mnt/directory2

The above commands create a new file file2.txt and a new directory directory2 within the mounted Minix file system.

Finally, let's unmount the Minix file system:

sudo umount /mnt

This completes the process of mounting and interacting with the Minix file system.

Summary

In this lab, we explored the mkfs.minix command, which is used to create a Minix file system on a block device. We first created a loopback device and then used the mkfs.minix command to initialize the Minix file system on it. After that, we mounted the Minix file system and created files and directories within it, verifying the contents using the ls command.

The key learning points from this lab include the usage of the mkfs.minix command to create a Minix file system, the process of mounting and interacting with the file system, and the commands to create and manage files and directories within the Minix file system.

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