An Overview of Filesystem Disk Space Usage with dfc (with examples)
Introduction
When managing a computer system, it is crucial to monitor and understand the disk space usage. The dfc command provides a convenient way to visualize and analyze filesystem disk space usage with colorful graphs. In this article, we will explore different use cases of the dfc command and provide code examples to illustrate each scenario.
Use Case 1: Display filesystems and their disk usage in human-readable form with colors and graphs
dfc
Motivation
The motivation for using this use case is to quickly get an overview of the disk space usage on the system. By displaying filesystems with colorful graphs and human-readable sizes, it becomes easier to identify which filesystems are consuming the most space.
Explanation
Running dfc without any arguments displays an overview of the filesystems and their disk usage in a user-friendly way. The output includes the mount point, filesystem type, total size, used and available space, and a visual representation of disk usage.
Example Output
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 ext4 15G 9.6G 3.9G 71% /
tmpfs tmpfs 4.0G 0B 4.0G 0% /dev/shm
/dev/sdb1 ext4 50G 35G 13G 73% /home
/dev/sdc1 ext4 100G 80G 20G 80% /data
Use Case 2: Display all filesystems including pseudo, duplicate and inaccessible filesystems
dfc -a
Motivation
Sometimes it is useful to see all filesystems on the system, including those that are pseudo, duplicate, or inaccessible. This can help in diagnosing any issues related to these filesystems.
Explanation
The -a option allows dfc to display all filesystems, including pseudo, duplicate, and inaccessible filesystems. Without this option, dfc only displays mounted and accessible filesystems.
Example Output
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 ext4 15G 9.6G 3.9G 71% /
tmpfs tmpfs 4.0G 0B 4.0G 0% /dev/shm
/dev/sdb1 ext4 50G 35G 13G 73% /home
/dev/sdc1 ext4 100G 80G 20G 80% /data
tmpfs tmpfs 4.0G 0B 4.0G 0% /tmp
Use Case 3: Display filesystems without color
dfc -c never
Motivation
While the default colorful output of dfc is aesthetically pleasing, there may be situations where color is not desired, such as when working with a terminal that does not support colors or when colorblindness is a factor.
Explanation
By specifying the -c never option, dfc will display filesystems without any color. This can be useful in environments where color support is limited or disabled.
Example Output
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 ext4 15G 9.6G 3.9G 71% /
tmpfs tmpfs 4.0G 0B 4.0G 0% /dev/shm
/dev/sdb1 ext4 50G 35G 13G 73% /home
/dev/sdc1 ext4 100G 80G 20G 80% /data
Use Case 4: Display filesystems containing “ext” in the filesystem type
dfc -t ext
Motivation
If you specifically want to focus on filesystems of a particular type, knowing how to filter the output can be useful. In this use case, we filter and display only filesystems with a filesystem type containing “ext”.
Explanation
The -t option allows us to filter the output of dfc based on the filesystem type. By specifying ext as the argument, dfc will only display filesystems with a filesystem type containing “ext”.
Example Output
Filesystem Type Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on
/dev/sda1 ext4 15G 9.6G 3.9G 71% /
/dev/sdb1 ext4 50G 35G 13G 73% /home
/dev/sdc1 ext4 100G 80G 20G 80% /data
Conclusion
The dfc command provides a convenient way to visualize and analyze filesystem disk space usage. By leveraging the various options available, such as displaying all filesystems, excluding color, or filtering by filesystem type, it becomes easier to monitor and understand the disk space utilization on a system. Whether you need a quick overview or detailed insights, dfc is a valuable tool for managing and maintaining disk space.
