Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE)

Introduction

Filesystem in Userspace (FUSE) is a loadable kernel module for Unix-like computer operating systems that lets non-privileged users create their own file systems without editing kernel code. This is achieved by running file system code in user space while the FUSE module provides only a "bridge" to the actual kernel interfaces.

Usage

Compute Systems Invocation Version(s)
Red Hat Linux (64-bit) % /util/bin/fusermount
% /util/bin/ulockmgr_server
2.8.5 (default)

Example

  1. Copy the fuse example script called 'hello' to your home directory:
    
    % cp /util/fuse/example/hello .
    
    
  2. In your home directory, create a directory called fuse.
    
    % mkdir fuse
    
    
  3. Mount a fuse file called 'hello' in your 'fuse' directory:
    
    % ./hello ./fuse
    
    
  4. Examine the fuse file called 'hello' that you just created:
    
    % ls -al ./fuse/
    % cat ./fuse/hello
    
    
  5. Unmount the fuse file called 'hello':
    
    % fusermount -u ./fuse/
    
    

Notes

  1. The fuse installation is located in:
    
    /util/fuse/
    
    
  2. FUSE is only supported on systems that have a fuse kernel module (currently dragonforce, metallica, and timberlake; but not nickelback). The module is located in this directory on RHEL systems:
    
    /lib/modules/[running OS version]/kernel/fs/fuse/
    
    

People

  1. Tevfik Kosar, instructor.

References

  1. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Filesystem_in_Userspace
  2. http://fuse.sourceforge.net/