Fsck

The system utility fsck (for "file system check" or "file system consistency check") is a tool for checking the consistency of a file system in Unix and Unix-like operating systems such as AIX and Linux.

Generally, fsck is run automatically at boot time when the system detects that a file system is in an inconsistent state, indicating a non-graceful shutdown, such as a crash or power loss. Typically, fsck utilities provide options for either interactively repairing damaged file systems (the user must decide how to fix specific problems), automatically deciding how to fix specific problems (so the user doesn't have to answer any questions), or reviewing the problems that need to be resolved on a file system without actually fixing them.

Fsck can also be run manually by the system administrator if there is believed to be a problem with the file system. However, running fsck on a mounted file system can potentially cause "severe" data corruption/loss.

A journaling file system is designed such that tools such as fsck do not need to be run as often. The UFS2 Filesystem in FreeBSD has background fsck, so it is usually not necessary to wait for fsck to finish before accessing the disk.

The Microsoft equivalent programs are scandisk and chkdsk.

Use as profanity

Before the rise of journaling file systems, it was common for an improperly shut-down Unix system's file system to develop a corrupted superblock. This possibly-serious problem could only be resolved by running fsck, which could take anywhere from a few seconds to hours, depending on the volume's size. Because of the severity of fsck not being able to resolve this error, the terms "fsck" and "fscked" have come into use among Unix system administrators as a minced oath. When one is told "Go fsck yourself!" the meaning implied is to "go away, analyze yourself, and fix your problems", mirroring fsck's primary function.

It is unclear whether this usage was cause or effect, as it has been anecdotally reported that Dennis Ritchie has claimed "The second letter was originally different." [ [http://groups.google.com/group/alt.sysadmin.recovery/msg/ac0377d78f8f3fe9?hl=en Google USENET archive of a 1998 post to alt.sysadmin.recovery] ]

Pronunciation

Like many computer jargon terms without vowels, fsck is essentially unpronounceable in most languages and so people are forced to improvise when speaking it aloud. It can be pronounced "F-S-C-K", "F-S-check", "fisk", "fizik", "fuss-uck", "fizz-uck", "fozz-uck", "F-sick", "F-suck" (associated with how long it takes to run [ [http://groups.google.com/group/mailing.freebsd.questions/msg/dc47d2fb0626e3f5?dmode=source Example USENET post] ] ), "F-sek" or "fusk". However, the most common pronunciation is F-sack.

Example

fsck -pcfv /dev/sdb1

ee also

*List of Unix programs
*List of file systems
*e2fsprogs, which includes the e2fsck utility standard on many Linux distributions

References

External links

* [http://www.hmug.org/man/8/fsck.php man fsck]
* [http://adminschoice.com/docs/fsck.htm Checking and Repairing File system with fsck]
* [http://www.catb.org/jargon/html/F/fscking.html Jargon File entry: fscking]
* [http://lwn.net/Articles/248180 The many faces of fsck]