Add and use filesystem tools

Overview

You need to add the tools that will let you format/create one or more additional volumes/filesystems of your choice.

F2FS

A new flash file system for Linux; recommended for any flash (SD card, USB, etc)

• Install filesystem tools

  apk add f2fs-tools
  

• Create filesystem (sample session)

  mkfs.f2fs /dev/sda3
  

Ext2/Ext4

A venerable Linux filesystem. Well supported (on non-UEFI x86/x86-64 systems one can boot from ext4 if one uses extlinux or grub2 instead of syslinux)

• Install package

  apk add e2fsprogs
  

• Create filesystem (sample session)

  mkfs.ext4 -E lazy_itable_init=0,lazy_journal_init=0 /dev/sda3
  

VFAT/FAT32/FAT16

The old standby from MS-DOS days and still used (as FAT32/ESP) for UEFI that is also used by many ARM bootloaders, including the one on the Raspberry Pi.

• Install package

  apk add dosfstools
  

• Create filesystem (sample session)

  mkfs.vfat -F 32 /dev/sda1
  

LVM

For resizeable volumes, RAID, and more; is not a filesystem itself

apk add lvm2

Btrfs

Can be used in place of LVM+ext4 or even RAID+LVM+ext4.

apk add btrfs-progs

ZFS

Can be used in place of LVM+ext4 or even RAID+LVM+ext4.

apk add zfs

mdadm

Traditional Linux software RAID.

apk add mdadm

Useful links

https://wiki.alpinelinux.org/wiki/Setting_up_a_software_RAID_array