The Filesystem Debugger
When things go wrong with filesystems, it is necessary to debug them in the same way that it is necessary to debug other applications. Most UNIX filesystems have shipped with the filesystem debugger, fsdb, which can be used for that purpose.
It is with good reason that fsdb is one of the least commonly used of the UNIX commands. In order to use fsdb effectively, knowledge of the filesystem structure on disk is vital, as well as knowledge of how to use the filesystem specific version of fsdb. Note that one version of fsdb does not necessarily bear any resemblance to another.
In general, fsdb should be left well alone. Because it is possible to damage the filesystem beyond repair, its use should be left for filesystem developers and support engineers only.
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