FSCK_FFS(8)             OpenBSD System Manager's Manual            FSCK_FFS(8)

NAME
     fsck_ffs - Fast File System consistency check and interactive repair

SYNOPSIS
     fsck_ffs -p [-f] [-m mode]
     fsck_ffs [-f] [-b block#] [-c level] [-y] [-n] [-m mode] [filesystem] ...

DESCRIPTION
     The first form of fsck_ffs preens a standard set of filesystems or the
     specified filesystems.  It is normally used in the script /etc/rc during
     automatic reboot.  Here fsck_ffs reads the table /etc/fstab to determine
     which filesystems to check.  Only partitions in fstab that are mounted
     ``rw'', ``rq'', or ``ro'' and have non-zero pass numbers are checked.
     Filesystems with pass number 1 (normally just the root filesystem) are
     checked one at a time.  When pass 1 completes, all remaining filesystems
     are checked, running one process per disk drive.  The disk drive contain-
     ing each filesystem is inferred from the longest prefix of the device
     name that ends in a digit; the remaining characters are assumed to be the
     partition designator.

     The kernel takes care that only a restricted class of innocuous filesys-
     tem inconsistencies can happen unless hardware or software failures in-
     tervene.  These are limited to the following:

     Unreferenced inodes
     Link counts in inodes too large
     Missing blocks in the free map
     Blocks in the free map also in files
     Counts in the super-block wrong

     These are the only inconsistencies that fsck_ffs with the -p option will
     correct; if it encounters other inconsistencies, it exits with an abnor-
     mal return status and an automatic reboot will then fail.  For each cor-
     rected inconsistency one or more lines will be printed identifying the
     filesystem on which the correction will take place, and the nature of the
     correction.  After successfully correcting a filesystem, fsck_ffs will
     print the number of files on that filesystem, the number of used and free
     blocks, and the percentage of fragmentation.

     If sent a QUIT signal, fsck_ffs will finish the filesystem checks, then
     exit with an abnormal return status that causes an automatic reboot to
     fail.  This is useful when you want to finish the filesystem checks dur-
     ing an automatic reboot, but do not want the machine to come up multiuser
     after the checks complete.

     Without the -p option, fsck_ffs audits and interactively repairs incon-
     sistent conditions for filesystems.  If the filesystem is inconsistent
     the operator is prompted for concurrence before each correction is at-
     tempted.  It should be noted that some of the corrective actions which
     are not correctable under the -p option will result in some loss of data.
     The amount and severity of data lost may be determined from the diagnos-
     tic output.  The default action for each consistency correction is to
     wait for the operator to respond ``yes'' or ``no''. If the operator does
     not have write permission on the filesystem, fsck_ffs will default to a
     -n action.

     fsck has more consistency checks than its predecessors check, dcheck,
     fcheck, and icheck combined.

     The following flags are interpreted by fsck_ffs:

     -f      Force checking of file systems.  Normally, if a file system is
             cleanly unmounted, the kernel will set a ``clean flag'' in the
             file system superblock and fsck_ffs will not check the file sys-
             tem.  This option forces fsck_ffs to check the file system, re-
             gardless of the state of the clean flag.

     -b block#
             Use the block specified as the super block for the filesystem.
             Block 32 is usually an alternate super block.

     -m mode
             Use the mode specified in octal as the permission bits to use
             when creating the lost+found directory rather than the default
             1700.  In particular, systems that wish to have lost files acces-
             sible by all users on the system should use a less restrictive
             set of permissions such as 755.

     -y      Assume a ``yes'' response to all questions asked by fsck_ffs;
             this should be used with great caution as this is a free license
             to continue after essentially unlimited trouble has been encoun-
             tered.

     -n      Assume a ``no'' response to all questions asked by fsck_ffs ex-
             cept for ``CONTINUE?'', which is assumed to be affirmative; do
             not open the filesystem for writing.

     -c level
             Convert the filesystem to the specified level. Note that the lev-
             el of a filesystem can only be raised.  There are currently four
             levels defined:

             0       The filesystem is in the old (static table) format.

             1       The filesystem is in the new (dynamic table) format.

             2       The filesystem supports 32-bit UIDs and GIDs, short sym-
                     bolic links are stored in the inode, and directories have
                     an added field showing the file type.

             3       If maxcontig is greater than one, build the free segment
                     maps to aid in finding contiguous sets of blocks.  If
                     maxcontig is equal to one, delete any existing segment
                     maps.

             In interactive mode, fsck_ffs will list the conversion to be made
             and ask whether the conversion should be done.  If a negative an-
             swer is given, no further operations are done on the filesystem.
             In preen mode, the conversion is listed and done if possible
             without user interaction.  Conversion in preen mode is best used
             when all the filesystems are being converted at once.  The format
             of a filesystem can be determined from the first line of output
             from dumpfs(8).

     If no filesystems are given to fsck_ffs then a default list of filesys-
     tems is read from the file /etc/fstab.

     Inconsistencies checked are as follows:

     1.   Blocks claimed by more than one inode or the free map.
     2.   Blocks claimed by an inode outside the range of the filesystem.
     3.   Incorrect link counts.
     4.   Size checks:
          Directory size not a multiple of DIRBLKSIZ.
          Partially truncated file.
     5.   Bad inode format.
     6.   Blocks not accounted for anywhere.


     7.   Directory checks:
          File pointing to unallocated inode.
          Inode number out of range.
          Dot or dot-dot not the first two entries of a directory or having
          the wrong inode number.
     8.   Super Block checks:
          More blocks for inodes than there are in the filesystem.
          Bad free block map format.
          Total free block and/or free inode count incorrect.

     Orphaned files and directories (allocated but unreferenced) are, with the
     operator's concurrence, reconnected by placing them in the lost+found di-
     rectory.  The name assigned is the inode number.  If the lost+found di-
     rectory does not exist, it is created.  If there is insufficient space
     its size is increased.

     Because of inconsistencies between the block device and the buffer cache,
     the raw device should always be used.

FILES
     /etc/fstab  contains default list of filesystems to check

DIAGNOSTICS
     The diagnostics produced by fsck_ffs are fully enumerated and explained
     in Appendix A of Fsck - The UNIX File System Check Program.

SEE ALSO
     fs(5), fstab(5), fsdb(8), fsck(8), newfs(8), reboot(8)

OpenBSD 2.9                    November 29, 1994                             3
