Mirror
/
mergerfs
mirror of https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs.git
1
0
Fork 0
Code Issues Projects Releases Wiki Activity
You can not select more than 25 topics Topics must start with a letter or number, can include dashes ('-') and can be up to 35 characters long.
1 Commit
32 Branches
95 Tags
40 MiB
 
 
 
 
Tree: 8579ac5a69
Branches Tags
${ item.name }
Create tag ${ searchTerm }
Create branch ${ searchTerm }
from '8579ac5a69'
${ noResults }
mergerfs/faq/usage_and_functionality/index.html

1444 lines
34 KiB
Raw Blame History

<!doctype html>
<html lang="en" class="no-js">
<head>
<meta charset="utf-8">
<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width,initial-scale=1">
<meta name="description" content="mergerfs - a featureful union filesystem">
<link rel="canonical" href="https://trapexit.github.io/mergerfs/faq/usage_and_functionality/">
<link rel="prev" href="../technical_behavior_and_limitations/">
<link rel="next" href="../limit_drive_spinup/">
<link rel="icon" href="../../assets/images/favicon.png">
<meta name="generator" content="mkdocs-1.6.1, mkdocs-material-9.5.49">
<title>Usage and Functionality - mergerfs</title>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="../../assets/stylesheets/main.6f8fc17f.min.css">
<link rel="stylesheet" href="../../assets/stylesheets/palette.06af60db.min.css">
<link rel="preconnect" href="https://fonts.gstatic.com" crossorigin>
<link rel="stylesheet" href="https://fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Roboto:300,300i,400,400i,700,700i%7CRoboto+Mono:400,400i,700,700i&display=fallback">
<style>:root{--md-text-font:"Roboto";--md-code-font:"Roboto Mono"}</style>
<script>__md_scope=new URL("../..",location),__md_hash=e=>[...e].reduce(((e,_)=>(e<<5)-e+_.charCodeAt(0)),0),__md_get=(e,_=localStorage,t=__md_scope)=>JSON.parse(_.getItem(t.pathname+"."+e)),__md_set=(e,_,t=localStorage,a=__md_scope)=>{try{t.setItem(a.pathname+"."+e,JSON.stringify(_))}catch(e){}}</script>
</head>
<body dir="ltr" data-md-color-scheme="default" data-md-color-primary="indigo" data-md-color-accent="indigo">
<input class="md-toggle" data-md-toggle="drawer" type="checkbox" id="__drawer" autocomplete="off">
<input class="md-toggle" data-md-toggle="search" type="checkbox" id="__search" autocomplete="off">
<label class="md-overlay" for="__drawer"></label>
<div data-md-component="skip">
<a href="#usage-and-functionality" class="md-skip">
Skip to content
</a>
</div>
<div data-md-component="announce">
</div>
<header class="md-header md-header--shadow" data-md-component="header">
<nav class="md-header__inner md-grid" aria-label="Header">
<a href="../.." title="mergerfs" class="md-header__button md-logo" aria-label="mergerfs" data-md-component="logo">
<img src="../../logo.jpeg" alt="logo">
</a>
<label class="md-header__button md-icon" for="__drawer">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M3 6h18v2H3zm0 5h18v2H3zm0 5h18v2H3z"/></svg>
</label>
<div class="md-header__title" data-md-component="header-title">
<div class="md-header__ellipsis">
<div class="md-header__topic">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
mergerfs
</span>
</div>
<div class="md-header__topic" data-md-component="header-topic">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Usage and Functionality
</span>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<form class="md-header__option" data-md-component="palette">
<input class="md-option" data-md-color-media="(prefers-color-scheme)" data-md-color-scheme="default" data-md-color-primary="indigo" data-md-color-accent="indigo" aria-label="Switch to light mode" type="radio" name="__palette" id="__palette_0">
<label class="md-header__button md-icon" title="Switch to light mode" for="__palette_1" hidden>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="m14.3 16-.7-2h-3.2l-.7 2H7.8L11 7h2l3.2 9zM20 8.69V4h-4.69L12 .69 8.69 4H4v4.69L.69 12 4 15.31V20h4.69L12 23.31 15.31 20H20v-4.69L23.31 12zm-9.15 3.96h2.3L12 9z"/></svg>
</label>
<input class="md-option" data-md-color-media="(prefers-color-scheme: light)" data-md-color-scheme="default" data-md-color-primary="indigo" data-md-color-accent="indigo" aria-label="Switch to dark mode" type="radio" name="__palette" id="__palette_1">
<label class="md-header__button md-icon" title="Switch to dark mode" for="__palette_2" hidden>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M12 8a4 4 0 0 0-4 4 4 4 0 0 0 4 4 4 4 0 0 0 4-4 4 4 0 0 0-4-4m0 10a6 6 0 0 1-6-6 6 6 0 0 1 6-6 6 6 0 0 1 6 6 6 6 0 0 1-6 6m8-9.31V4h-4.69L12 .69 8.69 4H4v4.69L.69 12 4 15.31V20h4.69L12 23.31 15.31 20H20v-4.69L23.31 12z"/></svg>
</label>
<input class="md-option" data-md-color-media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" data-md-color-scheme="slate" data-md-color-primary="indigo" data-md-color-accent="indigo" aria-label="Switch to system preference" type="radio" name="__palette" id="__palette_2">
<label class="md-header__button md-icon" title="Switch to system preference" for="__palette_0" hidden>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M12 18c-.89 0-1.74-.2-2.5-.55C11.56 16.5 13 14.42 13 12s-1.44-4.5-3.5-5.45C10.26 6.2 11.11 6 12 6a6 6 0 0 1 6 6 6 6 0 0 1-6 6m8-9.31V4h-4.69L12 .69 8.69 4H4v4.69L.69 12 4 15.31V20h4.69L12 23.31 15.31 20H20v-4.69L23.31 12z"/></svg>
</label>
</form>
<script>var palette=__md_get("__palette");if(palette&&palette.color){if("(prefers-color-scheme)"===palette.color.media){var media=matchMedia("(prefers-color-scheme: light)"),input=document.querySelector(media.matches?"[data-md-color-media='(prefers-color-scheme: light)']":"[data-md-color-media='(prefers-color-scheme: dark)']");palette.color.media=input.getAttribute("data-md-color-media"),palette.color.scheme=input.getAttribute("data-md-color-scheme"),palette.color.primary=input.getAttribute("data-md-color-primary"),palette.color.accent=input.getAttribute("data-md-color-accent")}for(var[key,value]of Object.entries(palette.color))document.body.setAttribute("data-md-color-"+key,value)}</script>
<label class="md-header__button md-icon" for="__search">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M9.5 3A6.5 6.5 0 0 1 16 9.5c0 1.61-.59 3.09-1.56 4.23l.27.27h.79l5 5-1.5 1.5-5-5v-.79l-.27-.27A6.52 6.52 0 0 1 9.5 16 6.5 6.5 0 0 1 3 9.5 6.5 6.5 0 0 1 9.5 3m0 2C7 5 5 7 5 9.5S7 14 9.5 14 14 12 14 9.5 12 5 9.5 5"/></svg>
</label>
<div class="md-search" data-md-component="search" role="dialog">
<label class="md-search__overlay" for="__search"></label>
<div class="md-search__inner" role="search">
<form class="md-search__form" name="search">
<input type="text" class="md-search__input" name="query" aria-label="Search" placeholder="Search" autocapitalize="off" autocorrect="off" autocomplete="off" spellcheck="false" data-md-component="search-query" required>
<label class="md-search__icon md-icon" for="__search">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M9.5 3A6.5 6.5 0 0 1 16 9.5c0 1.61-.59 3.09-1.56 4.23l.27.27h.79l5 5-1.5 1.5-5-5v-.79l-.27-.27A6.52 6.52 0 0 1 9.5 16 6.5 6.5 0 0 1 3 9.5 6.5 6.5 0 0 1 9.5 3m0 2C7 5 5 7 5 9.5S7 14 9.5 14 14 12 14 9.5 12 5 9.5 5"/></svg>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M20 11v2H8l5.5 5.5-1.42 1.42L4.16 12l7.92-7.92L13.5 5.5 8 11z"/></svg>
</label>
<nav class="md-search__options" aria-label="Search">
<a href="javascript:void(0)" class="md-search__icon md-icon" title="Share" aria-label="Share" data-clipboard data-clipboard-text="" data-md-component="search-share" tabindex="-1">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M18 16.08c-.76 0-1.44.3-1.96.77L8.91 12.7c.05-.23.09-.46.09-.7s-.04-.47-.09-.7l7.05-4.11c.54.5 1.25.81 2.04.81a3 3 0 0 0 3-3 3 3 0 0 0-3-3 3 3 0 0 0-3 3c0 .24.04.47.09.7L8.04 9.81C7.5 9.31 6.79 9 6 9a3 3 0 0 0-3 3 3 3 0 0 0 3 3c.79 0 1.5-.31 2.04-.81l7.12 4.15c-.05.21-.08.43-.08.66 0 1.61 1.31 2.91 2.92 2.91s2.92-1.3 2.92-2.91A2.92 2.92 0 0 0 18 16.08"/></svg>
</a>
<button type="reset" class="md-search__icon md-icon" title="Clear" aria-label="Clear" tabindex="-1">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M19 6.41 17.59 5 12 10.59 6.41 5 5 6.41 10.59 12 5 17.59 6.41 19 12 13.41 17.59 19 19 17.59 13.41 12z"/></svg>
</button>
</nav>
</form>
<div class="md-search__output">
<div class="md-search__scrollwrap" tabindex="0" data-md-scrollfix>
<div class="md-search-result" data-md-component="search-result">
<div class="md-search-result__meta">
Initializing search
</div>
<ol class="md-search-result__list" role="presentation"></ol>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="md-header__source">
<a href="https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs" title="Go to repository" class="md-source" data-md-component="source">
<div class="md-source__icon md-icon">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><!--! Font Awesome Free 6.7.1 by @fontawesome - https://fontawesome.com License - https://fontawesome.com/license/free (Icons: CC BY 4.0, Fonts: SIL OFL 1.1, Code: MIT License) Copyright 2024 Fonticons, Inc.--><path d="M439.55 236.05 244 40.45a28.87 28.87 0 0 0-40.81 0l-40.66 40.63 51.52 51.52c27.06-9.14 52.68 16.77 43.39 43.68l49.66 49.66c34.23-11.8 61.18 31 35.47 56.69-26.49 26.49-70.21-2.87-56-37.34L240.22 199v121.85c25.3 12.54 22.26 41.85 9.08 55a34.34 34.34 0 0 1-48.55 0c-17.57-17.6-11.07-46.91 11.25-56v-123c-20.8-8.51-24.6-30.74-18.64-45L142.57 101 8.45 235.14a28.86 28.86 0 0 0 0 40.81l195.61 195.6a28.86 28.86 0 0 0 40.8 0l194.69-194.69a28.86 28.86 0 0 0 0-40.81"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="md-source__repository">
mergerfs
</div>
</a>
</div>
</nav>
</header>
<div class="md-container" data-md-component="container">
<main class="md-main" data-md-component="main">
<div class="md-main__inner md-grid">
<div class="md-sidebar md-sidebar--primary" data-md-component="sidebar" data-md-type="navigation" >
<div class="md-sidebar__scrollwrap">
<div class="md-sidebar__inner">
<nav class="md-nav md-nav--primary" aria-label="Navigation" data-md-level="0">
<label class="md-nav__title" for="__drawer">
<a href="../.." title="mergerfs" class="md-nav__button md-logo" aria-label="mergerfs" data-md-component="logo">
<img src="../../logo.jpeg" alt="logo">
</a>
mergerfs
</label>
<div class="md-nav__source">
<a href="https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs" title="Go to repository" class="md-source" data-md-component="source">
<div class="md-source__icon md-icon">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 448 512"><!--! Font Awesome Free 6.7.1 by @fontawesome - https://fontawesome.com License - https://fontawesome.com/license/free (Icons: CC BY 4.0, Fonts: SIL OFL 1.1, Code: MIT License) Copyright 2024 Fonticons, Inc.--><path d="M439.55 236.05 244 40.45a28.87 28.87 0 0 0-40.81 0l-40.66 40.63 51.52 51.52c27.06-9.14 52.68 16.77 43.39 43.68l49.66 49.66c34.23-11.8 61.18 31 35.47 56.69-26.49 26.49-70.21-2.87-56-37.34L240.22 199v121.85c25.3 12.54 22.26 41.85 9.08 55a34.34 34.34 0 0 1-48.55 0c-17.57-17.6-11.07-46.91 11.25-56v-123c-20.8-8.51-24.6-30.74-18.64-45L142.57 101 8.45 235.14a28.86 28.86 0 0 0 0 40.81l195.61 195.6a28.86 28.86 0 0 0 40.8 0l194.69-194.69a28.86 28.86 0 0 0 0-40.81"/></svg>
</div>
<div class="md-source__repository">
mergerfs
</div>
</a>
</div>
<ul class="md-nav__list" data-md-scrollfix>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../.." class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Home
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../quickstart/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
QuickStart
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested">
<input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type="checkbox" id="__nav_3" >
<label class="md-nav__link" for="__nav_3" id="__nav_3_label" tabindex="0">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Installation
</span>
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
</label>
<nav class="md-nav" data-md-level="1" aria-labelledby="__nav_3_label" aria-expanded="false">
<label class="md-nav__title" for="__nav_3">
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
Installation
</label>
<ul class="md-nav__list" data-md-scrollfix>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../setup/installation/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Installation
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../setup/upgrade/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Upgrade
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../setup/build/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Build
</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--nested">
<input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type="checkbox" id="__nav_4" >
<label class="md-nav__link" for="__nav_4" id="__nav_4_label" tabindex="0">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Config
</span>
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
</label>
<nav class="md-nav" data-md-level="1" aria-labelledby="__nav_4_label" aria-expanded="false">
<label class="md-nav__title" for="__nav_4">
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
Config
</label>
<ul class="md-nav__list" data-md-scrollfix>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/terminology/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Terminology
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/options/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Options
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/deprecated_options/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Deprecated Options
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/branches/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
branches
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/functions_categories_and_policies/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
functions, categories and policies
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/func_readdir/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
func.readdir
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/cache/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
caching
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/ioctl/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
ioctl
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/rename_and_link/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
rename and link
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/statfs/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
statfs / statvfs
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../config/flush-on-close/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
flush-on-close
</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../error_handling/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Error Handling
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../runtime_interfaces/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Runtime Interfaces
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../remote_filesystems/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Remote Filesystems
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../tips_notes/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Tips and Notes
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../known_issues_bugs/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Known Issues and Bugs
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../project_comparisons/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Project Comparisons
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../performance/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Tweaking Performance
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../benchmarking/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Benchmarking
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../tooling/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Tooling
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--active md-nav__item--nested">
<input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle " type="checkbox" id="__nav_14" checked>
<label class="md-nav__link" for="__nav_14" id="__nav_14_label" tabindex="0">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
FAQ
</span>
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
</label>
<nav class="md-nav" data-md-level="1" aria-labelledby="__nav_14_label" aria-expanded="true">
<label class="md-nav__title" for="__nav_14">
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
FAQ
</label>
<ul class="md-nav__list" data-md-scrollfix>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../compatibility_and_integration/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Compatibility and Integration
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../configuration_and_policies/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Configuration and Policies
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../general_information_and_overview/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
General Information and Overview
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../recommendations_and_warnings/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Recommendations and Warnings
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../technical_behavior_and_limitations/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Technical Behavior and Limitations
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item md-nav__item--active">
<input class="md-nav__toggle md-toggle" type="checkbox" id="__toc">
<label class="md-nav__link md-nav__link--active" for="__toc">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Usage and Functionality
</span>
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
</label>
<a href="./" class="md-nav__link md-nav__link--active">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Usage and Functionality
</span>
</a>
<nav class="md-nav md-nav--secondary" aria-label="Table of contents">
<label class="md-nav__title" for="__toc">
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
Table of contents
</label>
<ul class="md-nav__list" data-md-component="toc" data-md-scrollfix>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-mergerfs-be-used-with-filesystems-which-already-have-data-are-in-use" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can mergerfs be used with filesystems which already have data / are in use?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-drivesfilesystems-be-removed-from-the-pool-at-will" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can drives/filesystems be removed from the pool at will?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-mergerfs-be-removed-without-affecting-the-data" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can mergerfs be removed without affecting the data?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-drivesfilesystems-be-moved-to-another-pool" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can drives/filesystems be moved to another pool?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#how-do-i-migrate-data-into-or-out-of-the-pool-when-addingremoving-drivesfilesystems" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
How do I migrate data into or out of the pool when adding/removing drives/filesystems?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#how-do-i-remove-a-drivefilesystem-but-keep-the-data-in-the-pool" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
How do I remove a drive/filesystem but keep the data in the pool?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-filesystems-be-written-to-directly-outside-of-mergerfs-while-pooled" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can filesystems be written to directly? Outside of mergerfs while pooled?
</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../limit_drive_spinup/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Limit drive spinup
</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../related_projects/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Related Projects
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../media_and_publicity/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Media and Publicity
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../support/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Support
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="../../donations/" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Donations
</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="md-sidebar md-sidebar--secondary" data-md-component="sidebar" data-md-type="toc" >
<div class="md-sidebar__scrollwrap">
<div class="md-sidebar__inner">
<nav class="md-nav md-nav--secondary" aria-label="Table of contents">
<label class="md-nav__title" for="__toc">
<span class="md-nav__icon md-icon"></span>
Table of contents
</label>
<ul class="md-nav__list" data-md-component="toc" data-md-scrollfix>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-mergerfs-be-used-with-filesystems-which-already-have-data-are-in-use" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can mergerfs be used with filesystems which already have data / are in use?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-drivesfilesystems-be-removed-from-the-pool-at-will" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can drives/filesystems be removed from the pool at will?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-mergerfs-be-removed-without-affecting-the-data" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can mergerfs be removed without affecting the data?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-drivesfilesystems-be-moved-to-another-pool" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can drives/filesystems be moved to another pool?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#how-do-i-migrate-data-into-or-out-of-the-pool-when-addingremoving-drivesfilesystems" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
How do I migrate data into or out of the pool when adding/removing drives/filesystems?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#how-do-i-remove-a-drivefilesystem-but-keep-the-data-in-the-pool" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
How do I remove a drive/filesystem but keep the data in the pool?
</span>
</a>
</li>
<li class="md-nav__item">
<a href="#can-filesystems-be-written-to-directly-outside-of-mergerfs-while-pooled" class="md-nav__link">
<span class="md-ellipsis">
Can filesystems be written to directly? Outside of mergerfs while pooled?
</span>
</a>
</li>
</ul>
</nav>
</div>
</div>
</div>
<div class="md-content" data-md-component="content">
<article class="md-content__inner md-typeset">
<a href="https://github.com/trapexit/mergerfs/tree/master/mkdocs/docs/faq/usage_and_functionality.md" title="Edit this page" class="md-content__button md-icon">
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M10 20H6V4h7v5h5v3.1l2-2V8l-6-6H6c-1.1 0-2 .9-2 2v16c0 1.1.9 2 2 2h4zm10.2-7c.1 0 .3.1.4.2l1.3 1.3c.2.2.2.6 0 .8l-1 1-2.1-2.1 1-1c.1-.1.2-.2.4-.2m0 3.9L14.1 23H12v-2.1l6.1-6.1z"/></svg>
</a>
<h1 id="usage-and-functionality">Usage and Functionality</h1>
<h2 id="can-mergerfs-be-used-with-filesystems-which-already-have-data-are-in-use">Can mergerfs be used with filesystems which already have data / are in use?</h2>
<p>Yes. mergerfs is really just a proxy and does <strong>NOT</strong> interfere with
the normal form or function of the filesystems / mounts / paths it
manages. It is just another userland application that is acting as a
man-in-the-middle. It can't do anything that any other random piece of
software can't do.</p>
<p>mergerfs is <strong>not</strong> a traditional filesystem that takes control over
the underlying block device. mergerfs is <strong>not</strong> RAID. It does <strong>not</strong>
manipulate the data that passes through it. It does <strong>not</strong> shard data
across filesystems. It merely shards some <strong>behavior</strong> and aggregates
others.</p>
<h2 id="can-drivesfilesystems-be-removed-from-the-pool-at-will">Can drives/filesystems be removed from the pool at will?</h2>
<p>Yes. See previous question's answer.</p>
<h2 id="can-mergerfs-be-removed-without-affecting-the-data">Can mergerfs be removed without affecting the data?</h2>
<p>Yes. See the previous question's answer.</p>
<h2 id="can-drivesfilesystems-be-moved-to-another-pool">Can drives/filesystems be moved to another pool?</h2>
<p>Yes. See the previous question's answer.</p>
<h2 id="how-do-i-migrate-data-into-or-out-of-the-pool-when-addingremoving-drivesfilesystems">How do I migrate data into or out of the pool when adding/removing drives/filesystems?</h2>
<p>You don't need to. See the previous question's answer.</p>
<h2 id="how-do-i-remove-a-drivefilesystem-but-keep-the-data-in-the-pool">How do I remove a drive/filesystem but keep the data in the pool?</h2>
<p>Nothing special needs to be done. Remove the branch from mergerfs'
config and copy (rsync) the data from the removed filesystem into the
pool. Effectively the same as if it were you transfering data from one
filesystem to another.</p>
<p>If you wish to continue using the pool while performing the transfer
simply create another, temporary pool without the filesystem in
question and then copy the data. It would probably be a good idea to
set the branch to <code>RO</code> prior to doing this to ensure no new content is
written to the filesystem while performing the copy.</p>
<h2 id="can-filesystems-be-written-to-directly-outside-of-mergerfs-while-pooled">Can filesystems be written to directly? Outside of mergerfs while pooled?</h2>
<p>Yes, however, it's not recommended to use the same file from within the
pool and from without at the same time (particularly
writing). Especially if using caching of any kind (cache.files,
cache.entry, cache.attr, cache.negative_entry, cache.symlinks,
cache.readdir, etc.) as there could be a conflict between cached data
and not.</p>
</article>
</div>
<script>var target=document.getElementById(location.hash.slice(1));target&&target.name&&(target.checked=target.name.startsWith("__tabbed_"))</script>
</div>
<button type="button" class="md-top md-icon" data-md-component="top" hidden>
<svg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 24 24"><path d="M13 20h-2V8l-5.5 5.5-1.42-1.42L12 4.16l7.92 7.92-1.42 1.42L13 8z"/></svg>
Back to top
</button>
</main>
<footer class="md-footer">
<div class="md-footer-meta md-typeset">
<div class="md-footer-meta__inner md-grid">
<div class="md-copyright">
Made with
<a href="https://squidfunk.github.io/mkdocs-material/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">
Material for MkDocs
</a>
</div>
</div>
</div>
</footer>
</div>
<div class="md-dialog" data-md-component="dialog">
<div class="md-dialog__inner md-typeset"></div>
</div>
<script id="__config" type="application/json">{"base": "../..", "features": ["content.action.edit", "content.code.copy", "content.code.select", "navigation.instant", "navigation.instant.prefetch", "navigation.path", "navigation.top", "navigation.tracking", "optimize", "search.share", "toc.follow"], "search": "../../assets/javascripts/workers/search.6ce7567c.min.js", "translations": {"clipboard.copied": "Copied to clipboard", "clipboard.copy": "Copy to clipboard", "search.result.more.one": "1 more on this page", "search.result.more.other": "# more on this page", "search.result.none": "No matching documents", "search.result.one": "1 matching document", "search.result.other": "# matching documents", "search.result.placeholder": "Type to start searching", "search.result.term.missing": "Missing", "select.version": "Select version"}}</script>
<script src="../../assets/javascripts/bundle.88dd0f4e.min.js"></script>
</body>
</html>