Ext4 Disk Layout https://ext4.wiki.kernel.org/index.php/Ext4_Disk_Layout
Layout
The layout of a standard block group is approximately as follows (each of these fields is discussed in a separate section below):
Group 0 Padding | ext4 Super Block | Group Descriptors | Reserved GDT Blocks | Data Block Bitmap | inode Bitmap | inode Table | Data Blocks |
1024 bytes | 1 block | many blocks | many blocks | 1 block | 1 block | many blocks | many more blocks |
Special inodes
ext4 reserves some inode for special features, as follows:
inode | Purpose |
---|---|
0 | Doesn't exist; there is no inode 0. |
1 | List of defective blocks. |
2 | Root directory. |
3 | User quota. |
4 | Group quota. |
5 | Boot loader. |
6 | Undelete directory. |
7 | Reserved group descriptors inode. ("resize inode") |
8 | Journal inode. |
9 | The "exclude" inode, for snapshots(?) |
10 | Replica inode, used for some non-upstream feature? |
11 | Traditional first non-reserved inode. Usually this is the lost+found directory. See s_first_ino in the superblock. |