To manage user quota it is necessary to install the 'quota' package. It is not installed by default.
root@sh-srv:~# apt-get install quota
Create quota files using the 'quotacheck' command followed by the options and the
device or path where it is mounted. In the example the device name is used.
root@sh-srv:~# quotacheck -cug /dev/sda1
-c Create file
-u User file
-g Group file
The new files 'aquota.group' amdaquota.user' are binary files and therefore can not be
edited with a text editor. To edit these files it is necessary to use the
'edquota' tool follow by the user/group.
root@sh-srv:~# edquota -u julian
The 'edquota' tool will parse a piece of the 'aquota.user' file so it will be
editable. It is possible to limit the amount of blocks and inodes the user can
use in the partition.
Soft Limit - Number of blocks/inodes that can be used by the user
Hard Limit - When the soft limit is passed the user can still save data until it reaches the hard limit
within the grace period.
Grace period - Default is 7 days in which the user after passing the soft limit can
still store files.
Once the soft limit is passed the user has a period of time to
get under the soft limit wich is called the grace period. During
the grace time the user can still save data until the hard limit is reached.
Either reaching the hard limit or expiring the grace time will cause the user
not to be able to save more files.
To activate quotas:
root@sh-srv:~# quotaon
To deactivate quotas:
root@sh-srv:~# quotaoff
To change the grace period:
root@sh-srv:~# edquota -t
The 'repquota' tool will provide an overview of the disk quota usage.
root@sh-srv:~# repquota /dev/sda1
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