dosfstools

dosfstools is a collection of user-space utilities designed to manage FAT filesystem variants on Linux and other Unix-like systems. It supports FAT12, FAT16, and FAT32, with VFAT extensions that enable long filenames compatible with Windows environments. The tools operate on block devices and disk images and are commonly used for removable media such as USB drives and SD cards.

The core utilities are mkdosfs (often invoked as mkfs.vfat) for creating a new FAT filesystem on a device or image; dosfsck for checking and repairing a FAT filesystem (typically invoking the kernel checker fsck.fat); and dosfslabel (also called fatlabel) to read or set the volume label of a FAT volume.

dosfstools provides options to select the FAT type (FAT12/16/32), set cluster size, and customize filesystem parameters during creation. It also supports creating and handling large disks and disk images, and it recognizes the VFAT extension that enables long filenames.

Usage is common in system administration and embedded Linux environments, particularly for preparing removable media and boot partitions. The suite is widely packaged in Linux distributions and is available under a GNU General Public License.

Development and maintenance are ongoing in the open-source community, with updates to support newer kernels and FAT variants and to improve compatibility with various hardware and filesystems.