vfstype

Vfstype is a term used in Solaris and its derivatives to refer to the filesystem type field in the system’s vfstab file. The vfstab file (similar in purpose to Linux’s fstab) lists filesystems that should be mounted automatically at boot or when requested. The vfstype entry specifies which filesystem driver and set of tools should be used to mount a given device onto its mount point.

In practice, a vfstab entry ties together several pieces of information: the device or resource to be mounted, the directory where it should appear in the filesystem hierarchy, the vfstype that identifies the filesystem type (for example, ufs, zfs, or nfs), and options related to mounting and filesystem checks. The vfstype influences which kernel modules are loaded and which mount-time checks are performed, as well as how the filesystem is accessed and maintained.

Common vfstype values reflect the filesystem technologies available on the system. UFS represents the traditional Unix File System, ZFS refers to the Solaris zfs filesystem, and NFS indicates network-file-system mounts. The exact set of supported values depends on the installed software and kernel support. Incorrect or unavailable vfstype values can prevent a filesystem from being mounted, typically resulting in boot-time or runtime errors.

Administrators edit vfstab entries to configure persistent mounts, adjust mount options, and control boot behavior. While the concept of vfstype exists in Solaris-derived systems, other Unix-like systems use equivalent fields with different names (for example, fstype in Linux fstab). Understanding vfstype helps diagnose mounting issues and plan filesystem layouts. See also vfstab, mount, and filesystem types.