Fsck
From Free net encyclopedia
Template:Lowercase The system utility fsck (for "file system check" or "file system consistency check") is a tool for checking the consistency of a file system in the Unix system and clones thereof.
Generally, fsck is run automatically at boot time when the system detects that a file system is in an inconsistent state, indicating a non-graceful shutdown, such as a crash or power loss. Typically, fsck utilities provide options for interactively repairing damaged file systems (the user must decide how to fix specific problems), allowing fsck to decide how to fix specific problems (so the user doesn't have to answer any questions), or reviewing the problems that need to be resolved on a file system without actually fixing them.
Fsck can also be run manually by the system administrator if there is believed to be a problem with the file system.
A journaling file system is designed such that tools such as fsck do not need to be run as often. The UFS2 Filesystem in FreeBSD has background fsck, so it is usually not necessary to wait for fsck to finish before accessing the disk.
The Microsoft equivalent programs are scandisk and chkdsk. In DOS, chkdsk was used to check file system integrity, but later versions also featured a tool called scandisk for checking disk surface for bad sectors. Windows 95, Windows 98 and Windows Me featured a version of scandisk which ran natively in the Windows envionment. The Windows NT series, including NT 4, Windows 2000, and Windows XP all use a modern, updated version of chkdsk which performs both disk surface and file system scanning.
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Use as profanity
Before the rise of journaling file systems, it was not uncommon for an improperly-shut-down Unix system's file system to develop a corrupted superblock. This possibly-serious problem could only be resolved by running fsck, which could take anywhere from a few seconds to hours, depending on the volume's size. Because of the severity of fsck not being able to resolve this error, and because of the similarity in spelling, the terms 'fsck' and 'fscked' have come into use among Unix system administrators as a euphemism of the words fuck and fucked. When one is told "Go fsck yourself!" the meaning implied is to "go away, analyze yourself, and fix your problems", mirroring fsck's primary function.
The infamous shock site Last Measure uses an obscene vocal sample named "fsckyou.wav.mp3".
Pronunciation
Like many computer jargon terms, fsck is essentially unpronounceable and so people are forced to improvise when speaking it aloud. It can be pronounced "F-S-C-K", "F-S-check", "fisk", "fizik", "fuss-uck", "fozz-uck", "F-sick", "F-sock", "F-suck" (referencing how long it takes to run), "F-sek", or "fusk".