Linux Disks, Partitions, and Filesystems - Complete Storage Guide

Published on December 7, 2025 by Team SKY | Tags: Storage, System Administration, DevOps

Storage management is a fundamental skill for Linux system administrators and DevOps engineers. This comprehensive guide covers disk partitioning, filesystem management, and storage administration techniques. From basic disk operations to advanced LVM configurations, master the art of storage management in Linux environments.

Linux Storage Tools Comparison

Tool Category Primary Tools Purpose Skill Level
Disk Information lsblk, fdisk, parted Disk and partition discovery Beginner
Partitioning fdisk, parted, gdisk Partition creation and management Intermediate
Filesystem Operations mkfs, mount, fsck Filesystem creation and maintenance Intermediate
LVM Management pvcreate, vgcreate, lvcreate Logical Volume Management Advanced
RAID Management mdadm Software RAID configuration Advanced
Monitoring & Analysis df, du, iostat, smartctl Storage monitoring and health Intermediate
Quick Reference:
• List disks: lsblk or fdisk -l
• Check disk space: df -h
• Check directory size: du -sh /path
• Create partition: fdisk /dev/sdX
• Format partition: mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1
• Mount filesystem: mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt
• Check filesystem: fsck /dev/sdX1
• Always backup data before partitioning operations
• Document disk layouts for future reference

Storage Management Workflow

Storage Setup Process

Disk Discovery
→
Partitioning
→
Filesystem Creation
→
Mounting
→
fstab Configuration
→
Monitoring

Essential Storage Tools

Tool Command Examples Purpose Key Output
lsblk lsblk
lsblk -f		 List block devices Disk hierarchy, filesystems
fdisk fdisk -l
fdisk /dev/sda		 Partition management Partition table, create partitions
parted parted -l
parted /dev/sda		 Advanced partitioning GPT partitions, resize operations
df df -h
df -i		 Disk space usage Used/available space, inodes
du du -sh /home
du -h --max-depth=1		 Directory space usage Directory sizes, file sizes
mount mount
mount /dev/sda1 /mnt		 Filesystem mounting Mounted filesystems, mount options

Disk Discovery & Information

💽
lsblk - List Block Devices

Display information about block devices and their hierarchy.

lsblk [options]

Common Operations:

# List all block devices
lsblk

# Show filesystem information
lsblk -f

# Show detailed information
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,TYPE,MOUNTPOINT,FSTYPE,UUID

# Show SCSI devices
lsscsi

# Show disk information with model
lsblk -d -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL

# Tree view with all details
lsblk -a

# Show only disks (exclude partitions)
lsblk -d

# JSON output for scripting
lsblk -J
🔍
fdisk - Partition Information

Display and manage disk partition tables.

fdisk [options] device

Partition Analysis:

# List partition tables for all disks
sudo fdisk -l

# List specific disk partitions
sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda

# Interactive partition editing
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb

# Show partition types
sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda | grep -E "^/dev/"

# Check if disk uses MBR or GPT
sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda | grep -i "disklabel"

# Show partition sizes in human readable
sudo fdisk -l /dev/sda | grep -E "^/dev/" | awk '{print $1,$5}'

# Backup partition table
sudo sfdisk -d /dev/sda > sda_partition_backup.txt
📊
Disk Space Monitoring

Monitor disk usage and available space.

df, du, ncdu

Space Analysis:

# Show disk space usage
df -h

# Show inode usage
df -i

# Show specific filesystem
df -h /home

# Show directory sizes
du -sh /var/log/
du -h --max-depth=1 /home

# Interactive disk usage analysis
ncdu /

# Show largest files
find /var/log -type f -exec du -h {} + | sort -rh | head -20

# Monitor disk space in real-time
watch -n 5 'df -h'

# Show filesystem type
df -T

Partition Management

🔧
fdisk - MBR Partitioning

Create and manage MBR partition tables.

fdisk device

Partition Operations:

# Start fdisk for a disk
sudo fdisk /dev/sdb

# Common fdisk commands:
# n - Create new partition
# d - Delete partition
# p - Print partition table
# t - Change partition type
# w - Write changes and exit
# q - Quit without saving

# Create partition sequence:
# 1. sudo fdisk /dev/sdb
# 2. n (new partition)
# 3. p (primary partition)
# 4. 1 (partition number)
# 5. [Enter] (first sector)
# 6. +10G (size: 10GB)
# 7. w (write changes)

# Change partition type to Linux LVM
# t → 8e (for LVM)
# t → 83 (for Linux)
# t → 82 (for Linux swap)

# Delete all partitions
sudo sgdisk -Z /dev/sdb
⚡
parted - GPT Partitioning

Advanced partitioning with GPT support.

parted [options] device

GPT Operations:

# List partitions
sudo parted -l

# Start parted for a disk
sudo parted /dev/sdb

# Common parted commands:
# print - Show partition table
# mklabel gpt - Create GPT partition table
# mkpart primary ext4 1MiB 10GiB - Create partition
# rm 1 - Delete partition 1
# resizepart 1 15GiB - Resize partition
# quit - Exit

# Create GPT partition table
sudo parted /dev/sdb mklabel gpt

# Create partition with parted
sudo parted /dev/sdb mkpart primary ext4 1MiB 10GiB

# Create partition with specific alignment
sudo parted -a optimal /dev/sdb mkpart primary ext4 1MiB 10GiB

# Resize partition
sudo parted /dev/sdb resizepart 1 15GiB

# Set partition flags
sudo parted /dev/sdb set 1 boot on

# Show all partition information
sudo parted /dev/sdb unit MB print free
🔄
gdisk - GPT fdisk

GPT-specific partitioning tool.

gdisk device

GPT Operations:

# Start gdisk for GPT disk
sudo gdisk /dev/sdb

# Common gdisk commands:
# p - Print partition table
# n - Create new partition
# d - Delete partition
# t - Change partition type
# w - Write table to disk
# q - Quit without saving

# Create GPT partition
sudo gdisk /dev/sdb
# n → [Enter] → [Enter] → +10G → 8300 (Linux filesystem)

# Change partition type to LVM
# t → 1 → 8e00

# Show detailed partition information
sudo gdisk -l /dev/sdb

# Backup GPT partition table
sudo sgdisk -b /dev/sdb sdb_gpt_backup.bin

# Restore GPT partition table
sudo sgdisk -l sdb_gpt_backup.bin /dev/sdb

# Verify partition table
sudo gdisk -v /dev/sdb

Filesystem Operations

📁
Filesystem Creation

Create various filesystem types.

mkfs, mkswap

Filesystem Creation:

# Create ext4 filesystem
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1

# Create XFS filesystem
sudo mkfs.xfs /dev/sdb1

# Create Btrfs filesystem
sudo mkfs.btrfs /dev/sdb1

# Create filesystem with label
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L "data_disk" /dev/sdb1

# Create swap partition
sudo mkswap /dev/sdb2
sudo swapon /dev/sdb2

# Check filesystem
sudo fsck /dev/sdb1
sudo fsck.ext4 /dev/sdb1

# Show filesystem information
sudo blkid /dev/sdb1
sudo file -s /dev/sdb1

# Tune ext4 filesystem
sudo tune2fs -l /dev/sdb1
sudo tune2fs -L "new_label" /dev/sdb1
📂
Mounting Filesystems

Mount and unmount filesystems.

mount, umount, findmnt

Mount Operations:

# Mount filesystem
sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/data

# Mount with specific options
sudo mount -o rw,noatime /dev/sdb1 /mnt/data

# Mount all filesystems in fstab
sudo mount -a

# Unmount filesystem
sudo umount /mnt/data

# Force unmount (use with caution)
sudo umount -f /mnt/data

# Lazy unmount
sudo umount -l /mnt/data

# Show mounted filesystems
mount
findmnt

# Show specific mount information
findmnt /mnt/data

# Remount with different options
sudo mount -o remount,rw /mnt/data

# Mount by UUID
sudo mount UUID=1234-5678 /mnt/data
⚙️
fstab Configuration

Configure persistent filesystem mounting.

/etc/fstab

fstab Examples:

# /etc/fstab examples:

# Mount by device
/dev/sdb1   /mnt/data   ext4    defaults    0   2

# Mount by UUID
UUID=1234-5678   /mnt/data   ext4    defaults,noatime    0   2

# Mount by label
LABEL=data_disk   /mnt/data   ext4    defaults    0   2

# NFS mount
nfs-server:/export/data   /mnt/nfs   nfs    rw,hard,intr    0   0

# CIFS/SMB mount
//server/share   /mnt/smb   cifs    credentials=/root/smb.cred,uid=1000    0   0

# tmpfs mount
tmpfs   /mnt/tmpfs   tmpfs   size=1G,mode=1777    0   0

# Swap partition
/dev/sdb2   none   swap    sw    0   0

# Test fstab without mounting
sudo mount -a --fake

# Check fstab for errors
sudo findmnt --verify

Filesystem Comparison

Filesystem Max File Size Max Volume Size Journaling Use Case
ext4 16 TiB 1 EiB Yes General purpose, stable
XFS 8 EiB 8 EiB Yes High performance, large files
Btrfs 16 EiB 16 EiB Yes Advanced features, snapshots
ZFS 16 EiB 256 ZiB Copy-on-write Enterprise storage, data integrity
NTFS 16 EiB 8 PiB Yes Windows compatibility
FAT32 4 GiB 2 TiB No USB drives, compatibility

Advanced Storage Management

Tool Category Tools Primary Use Installation
LVM Management pvcreate, vgcreate, lvcreate Logical Volume Management sudo apt install lvm2
RAID Management mdadm Software RAID configuration sudo apt install mdadm
Disk Health smartctl, badblocks Disk monitoring and testing sudo apt install smartmontools
Performance Testing hdparm, fio, iostat Disk performance benchmarking sudo apt install hdparm fio
Encryption cryptsetup, LUKS Disk encryption sudo apt install cryptsetup

LVM (Logical Volume Management)

🔗
LVM Basics

Physical Volumes, Volume Groups, and Logical Volumes.

pvcreate, vgcreate, lvcreate

LVM Setup:

# Create Physical Volume
sudo pvcreate /dev/sdb1
sudo pvcreate /dev/sdc1

# Create Volume Group
sudo vgcreate myvg /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1

# Create Logical Volume
sudo lvcreate -L 20G -n mylv myvg

# Create filesystem on LV
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/myvg/mylv

# Mount the logical volume
sudo mount /dev/myvg/mylv /mnt/lvm

# Show LVM information
sudo pvs        # Physical volumes
sudo vgs        # Volume groups
sudo lvs        # Logical volumes

# Show detailed information
sudo pvdisplay
sudo vgdisplay
sudo lvdisplay
📈
LVM Operations

Extend, reduce, and manage LVM volumes.

lvextend, lvreduce, vgextend

LVM Operations:

# Extend Volume Group
sudo vgextend myvg /dev/sdd1

# Extend Logical Volume
sudo lvextend -L +10G /dev/myvg/mylv

# Resize filesystem (ext4)
sudo resize2fs /dev/myvg/mylv

# Reduce Logical Volume (dangerous!)
# First reduce filesystem, then LV
sudo lvreduce -L -5G /dev/myvg/mylv

# Create snapshot
sudo lvcreate -L 5G -s -n mysnap /dev/myvg/mylv

# Remove snapshot
sudo lvremove /dev/myvg/mysnap

# Move Physical Volume
sudo pvmove /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1

# Remove Physical Volume
sudo vgreduce myvg /dev/sdb1
sudo pvremove /dev/sdb1
🔄
LVM Advanced

Advanced LVM features and monitoring.

lvconvert, lvchange

Advanced LVM:

# Create striped logical volume
sudo lvcreate -L 20G -i 2 -I 64 -n striped_lv myvg

# Create mirrored logical volume
sudo lvcreate -L 10G -m 1 -n mirrored_lv myvg

# Convert to thin pool
sudo lvconvert --type thin-pool myvg/mylv

# Create thin volume
sudo lvcreate -V 10G -T myvg/mythinpool -n thin_vol

# Monitor LVM
sudo lvchange -an /dev/myvg/mylv  # Deactivate
sudo lvchange -ay /dev/myvg/mylv  # Activate

# Backup LVM metadata
sudo vgcfgbackup myvg

# Restore LVM metadata
sudo vgcfgrestore myvg

# Show LVM history
sudo lvdisplay -h /dev/myvg/mylv

RAID Management

🛡️
Software RAID

Create and manage software RAID arrays.

mdadm

RAID Setup:

# Create RAID 1 (mirror)
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1

# Create RAID 5
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=5 --raid-devices=3 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1 /dev/sdd1

# Create RAID 10
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=10 --raid-devices=4 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1 /dev/sdd1 /dev/sde1

# Stop RAID array
sudo mdadm --stop /dev/md0

# Assemble existing RAID
sudo mdadm --assemble /dev/md0

# Show RAID status
cat /proc/mdstat
sudo mdadm --detail /dev/md0

# Save RAID configuration
sudo mdadm --detail --scan >> /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf

# Add spare disk to RAID
sudo mdadm --add /dev/md0 /dev/sdf1

# Remove failed disk
sudo mdadm --remove /dev/md0 /dev/sdb1

# Mark disk as failed
sudo mdadm --fail /dev/md0 /dev/sdb1
📊
RAID Monitoring

Monitor RAID health and performance.

mdadm, smartctl

RAID Monitoring:

# Monitor RAID status
watch cat /proc/mdstat

# Detailed RAID information
sudo mdadm --detail /dev/md0

# Examine component disks
sudo mdadm --examine /dev/sdb1

# Check RAID recovery progress
cat /proc/mdstat | grep recovery

# Monitor disk health in RAID
sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdb1 | grep -E "Reallocated|Pending|Uncorrectable"

# Check RAID events
dmesg | grep md

# Test RAID array
sudo badblocks -sv /dev/md0

# Performance testing
sudo hdparm -Tt /dev/md0

# Check filesystem on RAID
sudo fsck /dev/md0
⚡
RAID Recovery

Recover and rebuild RAID arrays.

mdadm recovery commands

Recovery Operations:

# Rebuild RAID array
sudo mdadm --manage /dev/md0 --re-add /dev/sdb1

# Check rebuild progress
watch -n 1 'cat /proc/mdstat'

# Stop and reassemble array
sudo mdadm --stop /dev/md0
sudo mdadm --assemble /dev/md0 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1

# Recreate array with missing disk
sudo mdadm --create /dev/md0 --level=1 --raid-devices=2 /dev/sdb1 missing

# Add missing disk later
sudo mdadm --add /dev/md0 /dev/sdc1

# Recover from failed RAID
sudo mdadm --assemble --force /dev/md0 /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdc1

# Backup RAID metadata
sudo mdadm --detail --scan > /etc/mdadm/mdadm.conf

# Restore RAID configuration
sudo mdadm --assemble --scan

Practical Storage Scenarios

Real-World Storage Management Examples

# 1. Complete Storage Diagnostics Script
#!/bin/bash
echo "=== Storage Diagnostics ==="
echo "1. Block Devices:"
lsblk
echo -e "\n2. Disk Space:"
df -h
echo -e "\n3. Mount Points:"
findmnt
echo -e "\n4. LVM Status:"
sudo pvs 2>/dev/null && sudo vgs 2>/dev/null && sudo lvs 2>/dev/null
echo -e "\n5. RAID Status:"
cat /proc/mdstat 2>/dev/null
echo -e "\n6. Disk Health:"
for disk in /dev/sd?; do
    echo "Checking $disk:"
    sudo smartctl -H $disk 2>/dev/null | grep "SMART overall-health" || echo "SMART not available"
done

# 2. Disk Partitioning Script
#!/bin/bash
DISK="/dev/sdb"
echo "Partitioning $DISK..."
echo -e "o\nn\np\n1\n\n+10G\nn\np\n2\n\n+5G\nt\n2\n82\nw" | sudo fdisk $DISK
sudo partprobe $DISK
echo "Partitioning complete:"
sudo fdisk -l $DISK

# 3. LVM Setup Script
#!/bin/bash
VG_NAME="datavg"
LV_NAME="datalv"
MOUNT_POINT="/mnt/data"
echo "Setting up LVM..."
sudo pvcreate /dev/sdb1
sudo vgcreate $VG_NAME /dev/sdb1
sudo lvcreate -L 8G -n $LV_NAME $VG_NAME
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/$VG_NAME/$LV_NAME
sudo mkdir -p $MOUNT_POINT
sudo mount /dev/$VG_NAME/$LV_NAME $MOUNT_POINT
echo "LVM setup complete:"
sudo lvs

# 4. Filesystem Health Check
#!/bin/bash
echo "Filesystem Health Check:"
for fs in $(findmnt -r -n -o TARGET | grep -v "^/$"); do
    echo "Checking $fs:"
    sudo touch $fs/.fs_test 2>/dev/null && echo "  Writable" || echo "  Read-only"
    sudo rm -f $fs/.fs_test 2>/dev/null
    df -h $fs | tail -1
done

# 5. Disk Performance Test
#!/bin/bash
echo "Disk Performance Test:"
for disk in /dev/sd?; do
    echo "Testing $disk:"
    sudo hdparm -Tt $disk 2>/dev/null | grep -E "Timing|MB"
done

# 6. Storage Monitoring Script
#!/bin/bash
THRESHOLD=90
echo "Storage Monitoring:"
df -h | awk -v threshold=$THRESHOLD '
NR>1 {
    usage = $5
    sub(/%/, "", usage)
    if (usage > threshold) {
        print "ALERT: " $1 " (" $6 ") is " usage "% full!"
    }
}'

# 7. LVM Snapshot Management
#!/bin/bash
VG_NAME="datavg"
LV_NAME="datalv"
SNAP_NAME="backup_snap"
SNAP_SIZE="2G"
echo "Creating LVM snapshot..."
sudo lvcreate -L $SNAP_SIZE -s -n $SNAP_NAME /dev/$VG_NAME/$LV_NAME
echo "Snapshot created:"
sudo lvs /dev/$VG_NAME/$SNAP_NAME
# Later: sudo lvremove /dev/$VG_NAME/$SNAP_NAME

# 8. RAID Health Check
#!/bin/bash
echo "RAID Health Check:"
if [ -f /proc/mdstat ]; then
    cat /proc/mdstat
    for array in /dev/md*; do
        if [ -b $array ]; then
            echo "Details for $array:"
            sudo mdadm --detail $array | grep -E "State|Status|Failed"
        fi
    done
else
    echo "No software RAID arrays found"
fi

# 9. Disk Encryption Setup
#!/bin/bash
CRYPT_NAME="secure_disk"
MOUNT_POINT="/mnt/secure"
echo "Setting up encrypted disk..."
sudo cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb1
sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb1 $CRYPT_NAME
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/$CRYPT_NAME
sudo mkdir -p $MOUNT_POINT
sudo mount /dev/mapper/$CRYPT_NAME $MOUNT_POINT
echo "Encrypted disk ready at $MOUNT_POINT"

# 10. Storage Benchmark Suite
#!/bin/bash
echo "Storage Benchmark Suite:"
TEST_FILE="/tmp/testfile"
echo "1. Write test:"
dd if=/dev/zero of=$TEST_FILE bs=1M count=1024 oflag=direct status=progress
echo -e "\n2. Read test:"
dd if=$TEST_FILE of=/dev/null bs=1M count=1024 status=progress
echo -e "\n3. Random I/O:"
fio --name=random_test --ioengine=libaio --rw=randrw --bs=4k --numjobs=4 --size=1G --runtime=60 --group_reporting
rm -f $TEST_FILE

# 11. Filesystem Type Check
#!/bin/bash
echo "Filesystem Types:"
for device in $(lsblk -r -n -o NAME,TYPE | grep disk | cut -d' ' -f1); do
    device_path="/dev/$device"
    if [ -b $device_path ]; then
        fstype=$(lsblk -r -n -o FSTYPE $device_path)
        echo "$device_path: $fstype"
    fi
done

# 12. Mount Point Verification
#!/bin/bash
echo "Verifying mount points..."
while read -r line; do
    device=$(echo $line | awk '{print $1}')
    mountpoint=$(echo $line | awk '{print $2}')
    if mountpoint -q "$mountpoint"; then
        echo "✓ $device mounted at $mountpoint"
    else
        echo "✗ $device NOT mounted at $mountpoint"
    fi
done < <(findmnt -r -n -o SOURCE,TARGET)

# 13. Disk Temperature Monitoring
#!/bin/bash
echo "Disk Temperatures:"
for disk in /dev/sd?; do
    temp=$(sudo smartctl -A $disk 2>/dev/null | grep -i temperature | head -1 | awk '{print $10}')
    if [ -n "$temp" ]; then
        echo "$disk: ${temp}°C"
    else
        echo "$disk: Temperature not available"
    fi
done

# 14. Storage Configuration Backup
#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/root/storage_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d)"
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR
sudo fdisk -l > $BACKUP_DIR/fdisk.txt
lsblk > $BACKUP_DIR/lsblk.txt
df -h > $BACKUP_DIR/df.txt
sudo pvs 2>/dev/null > $BACKUP_DIR/pvs.txt
sudo vgs 2>/dev/null > $BACKUP_DIR/vgs.txt
sudo lvs 2>/dev/null > $BACKUP_DIR/lvs.txt
cat /proc/mdstat 2>/dev/null > $BACKUP_DIR/mdstat.txt
cp /etc/fstab $BACKUP_DIR/fstab.backup
echo "Storage configuration backed up to $BACKUP_DIR"

# 15. Automated Cleanup Script
#!/bin/bash
echo "Cleaning up temporary files..."
# Clean log files older than 30 days
find /var/log -name "*.log" -type f -mtime +30 -delete
# Clean temporary files
find /tmp -type f -atime +7 -delete
find /var/tmp -type f -atime +7 -delete
# Clean package cache
sudo apt-get autoremove -y
sudo apt-get autoclean -y
echo "Cleanup complete"

Common Storage Issues & Solutions

Partitioning Problems

  • Disk Not Recognized: Check kernel messages, rescan SCSI bus, verify connections
  • Partition Table Corruption: Use testdisk, gdisk recovery, restore from backup
  • MBR/GPT Conversion Issues: Backup data first, use gdisk for conversion
  • Partition Alignment: Use parted with optimal alignment, check with fdisk

Filesystem Issues

  • Filesystem Corruption: Run fsck, check disk health, restore from backup
  • Mount Failures: Check fstab syntax, verify device existence, check filesystem type
  • Read-only Filesystem: Check disk errors, remount as read-write, run fsck
  • Inode Exhaustion: Check with df -i, clean up small files, recreate filesystem with more inodes

LVM Issues

  • Volume Group Not Found: Scan for physical volumes, activate volume group
  • Logical Volume Activation Failed: Check device mapper, verify LVM metadata
  • Snapshot Issues: Monitor snapshot space, remove old snapshots
  • LVM Metadata Corruption: Use vgcfgrestore, restore from backup

RAID Issues

  • RAID Degraded: Replace failed disks, monitor rebuild progress
  • RAID Not Assembling: Check component disks, force assembly if needed
  • Slow RAID Performance: Check disk health, verify RAID configuration
  • RAID Recovery: Use mdadm recovery options, restore from backup if needed

Advanced Storage Techniques

🔧

Disk Encryption

Full disk encryption with LUKS.

cryptsetup, LUKS

Encryption Operations:

# Create encrypted partition
sudo cryptsetup luksFormat /dev/sdb1

# Open encrypted partition
sudo cryptsetup luksOpen /dev/sdb1 secure_disk

# Create filesystem on encrypted device
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/mapper/secure_disk

# Mount encrypted filesystem
sudo mount /dev/mapper/secure_disk /mnt/secure

# Close encrypted partition
sudo umount /mnt/secure
sudo cryptsetup luksClose secure_disk

# Add additional passphrase
sudo cryptsetup luksAddKey /dev/sdb1

# Backup LUKS header
sudo cryptsetup luksHeaderBackup /dev/sdb1 --header-backup-file luks_header.backup
📊

Performance Tuning

Storage performance optimization.

tune2fs, mount options, hdparm

Performance Optimization:

# Tune ext4 filesystem
sudo tune2fs -o journal_data_writeback /dev/sdb1
sudo tune2fs -O ^has_journal /dev/sdb1  # Disable journal

# Mount with performance options
sudo mount -o noatime,nodiratime,data=writeback /dev/sdb1 /mnt/data

# Tune disk parameters
sudo hdparm -W 1 /dev/sdb    # Enable write cache
sudo hdparm -a 1024 /dev/sdb # Set readahead

# I/O scheduler tuning
echo noop > /sys/block/sdb/queue/scheduler
echo deadline > /sys/block/sdb/queue/scheduler

# SSD optimization
sudo fstrim /mnt/ssd
🛡️

Data Recovery

Data recovery techniques and tools.

testdisk, photorec, ddrescue

Recovery Tools:

# Recover partition table
sudo testdisk /dev/sdb

# Recover deleted files
sudo photorec /dev/sdb1

# Clone failing disk
sudo ddrescue /dev/sdb /dev/sdc rescue.log

# File carving
foremost -t jpg,pdf,doc -i /dev/sdb1 -o recovered_files/

# Check filesystem for recovery
sudo fsck -y /dev/sdb1

# Mount corrupted filesystem read-only
sudo mount -o ro,loop,recovery /dev/sdb1 /mnt/recover
Important Considerations:
• Always backup data before partitioning or filesystem operations
• Test new storage configurations in non-production environments
• Monitor disk health regularly with SMART tools
• Keep LVM metadata backups for disaster recovery
• Understand RAID levels and their trade-offs for your use case
• Document storage configurations and changes
• Have recovery procedures tested and ready
• Consider performance implications of different filesystems
• Plan for storage growth and scalability
Pro Tips:
• Use lsblk -f for quick filesystem overview
• Prefer GPT over MBR for modern systems
• Use LVM for flexible storage management
• Monitor disk SMART attributes for early failure detection
• Use ncdu for interactive disk usage analysis
• Create storage documentation with disk layouts
• Use RAID for redundancy, not as a backup solution
• Test backup and recovery procedures regularly
• Consider using ZFS or Btrfs for advanced features

Key Takeaways

Effective storage management requires understanding disk partitioning, filesystem characteristics, and advanced storage technologies like LVM and RAID. By following systematic approaches, using appropriate tools for each task, and maintaining good documentation, you can efficiently manage storage in Linux environments. Remember that storage operations can be destructive, so always have backups and test procedures in safe environments first.

Next Step: Explore advanced storage topics like distributed filesystems (Ceph, GlusterFS), storage performance tuning, cloud storage integration, and automated storage management with tools like Ansible.