File System Size and Inode List Size Checks

The file system size must be larger than the number of blocks used by the superblock and the list of inodes. The number of inodes must be less than the maximum number allowed for the file system. An inode represents all the information about a file. The file system size and layout information are the most critical pieces of information for the fsck command. Although there is no way to actually check these sizes because they are statically determined when the file system is created. However, the fsck command can check that the sizes are within reasonable bounds. All other file system checks require that these sizes be correct. If the fsck command detects corruption in the static parameters of the primary superblock, it requests the operator to specify the location of an alternate superblock.

For more information about the structure of the UFS file system, see The Structure of Cylinder Groups for UFS File Systems.