term% cat index.txt RAMFS(4) Kernel Interfaces Manual RAMFS(4)
NAME
ramfs - memory file system
SYNOPSIS
ramfs [ -Dipsu ] [ -m mountpoint ] [ -S srvname ]
DESCRIPTION
Ramfs starts a process that mounts itself (see bind(2)) on mountpoint
(default /tmp). The ramfs process implements a file tree rooted at
dir, keeping all files in memory. Initially the file tree is empty.
The -D option enables a trace of general debugging messages.
The -i flag tells ramfs to use file descriptors 0 and 1 for its commu‐
nication channel rather than create a pipe. This makes it possible to
use ramfs as a file server on a remote machine: the file descriptors 0
and 1 will be the network channel from ramfs to the client machine.
The -p flag causes ramfs to make its memory `private' (see proc(3)) so
that its files are not accessible through the debugging interface.
The -s (-S) flag causes ramfs to post its channel on /srv/ramfs
(/srv/srvname) rather than mounting it on mountpoint, enabling multiple
clients to access its files. However, it does not authenticate its
clients and its implementation of groups is simplistic, so it should
not be used for precious data.
The -u option permits ramfs to consume as much memory as needed; with‐
out it, ramfs will limit its consumption to some arbitrary amount, cur‐
rently 768MB (enough to hold a CD image).
This program is useful mainly as an example of how to write a user-
level file server. It can also be used to provide high-performance
temporary files.
SOURCE
/sys/src/cmd/ramfs.c
SEE ALSO
bind(2)
RAMFS(4)