findfs

Additional Notes

findfs searches the system's block devices for a filesystem matching a given label or UUID and prints the device path. It is a simple wrapper that uses the blkid library to locate the device. It is commonly used in initramfs scripts and /etc/fstab entries to resolve LABEL= or UUID= references to device nodes.

The search examines all available block devices, including disks, partitions, and logical volumes. It prints the first match and returns an exit code of 0 on success or 1 if no match is found.

Syntax

findfs search-parameter

Parameters

• search-parameter: Either LABEL=labelname or UUID=uuid-string to search for.

Examples

findfs LABEL=root

Find the device with the filesystem label root.

findfs UUID=123e4567-e89b-12d3-a456-426614174000

Find the device with the specified UUID.

Practical Notes

• The output is a device path such as /dev/sda1 or /dev/mapper/vg-root.
• findfs searches all visible block devices, not just those listed in /etc/fstab.
• If multiple devices have the same label, findfs returns the first match found.
• Use blkid for more detailed information about filesystem attributes.
• In scripts, use findfs to dynamically resolve filesystem references at runtime.
• For persistent device naming, prefer UUIDs over labels since labels are not guaranteed unique.