gvfs - Man Page

GIO provides a VFS API to GLib applications​. It includes a 'local' implementation using POSIX​. gvfs provides implementations that go beyond that and allow to access files and storage using many protocols, such as ftp, http, sftp, dav, nfs, etc​. It also provides support for trash folders, for cd burning and for monitoring interesting devices and volumes on the computer​.

Applications use gvfs indirectly, by means of GIO loading the gvfs module that implements the GIO extension points​. The gvfs support for volume monitoring is included in a separate loadable module​.

The actual gvfs implementation is distributed over a number of processes​. None of these are expected to be started from the commandline, except for debugging purposes​.

Main processes:

• gvfsd - the main gvfs daemon
• gvfsd-fuse - mounts gvfs as a fuse filesystem
• gvfsd-metadata - writes gvfs metadata

Volume monitors:

• gvfs-afc-volume-monitor - a volume monitor for Apple iPhone/iPod Touch devices
• gvfs-goa-volume-monitor - a volume monitor for GNOME Online Accounts
• gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor - a volume monitor for PTP devices
• gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor - a volume monitor for MTP devices
• gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor - a udisks2-based volume monitor

Mount backends:

• gvfsd-admin - mounts local filesystem with admin privileges
• gvfsd-afc - mounts iPhone/iPod touch volumes
• gvfsd-afp - mounts Apple Filing Protocol volumes
• gvfsd-afp-browse - browses Apple Filing Protocol volumes
• gvfsd-archive - mounts archive files in various formats
• gvfsd-burn - provides a location for burning CDs
• gvfsd-cdda - mounts audio CDs
• gvfsd-computer - provides computer://
• gvfsd-dav - mounts DAV filesystems
• gvfsd-dnssd - browses dnssd
• gvfsd-ftp - mounts over FTP
• gvfsd-google - mounts Google Drive shares
• gvfsd-gphoto2 - mounts over PTP
• gvfsd-http - mounts over HTTP
• gvfsd-localtest - a test backend
• gvfsd-mtp - mounts over MTP
• gvfsd-network - provides network://
• gvfsd-nfs - mounts over NFS
• gvfsd-recent - provides recent://
• gvfsd-sftp - mounts over sftp
• gvfsd-smb - mounts Windows Shares Filesystem volumes
• gvfsd-smb-browse - browses Windows Shares Filesystem volumes
• gvfsd-trash - provides trash://

GIO_USE_VFS

If set, specifies the GIO vfs implementation to use​. Possible values include 'local' and 'gvfs'​.

GIO_USE_VOLUME_MONITOR

If set, specifies the GIO volume monitor implementation to use​. Possible values include 'unix', 'GProxyVolumeMonitorUDisks2', as well as other native volume monitors that are described in the key files in $XDG_DATA_DIRS/gvfs/remote-volume-monitors​.

$XDG_DATA_DIRS/gvfs/mounts

This directory contains key files describing mount daemons​.

$XDG_DATA_DIRS/gvfs/remote-volume-monitors

This directory contains key files describing remote volume monitors​.

GIO documentation​^[1], gvfsd(1), gvfsd-fuse(1), gvfsd-metadata(1)

1.

GIO documentation
http://developer.gnome.org/gio

gvfsd(1), gvfsd-fuse(1), gvfsd-metadata(1).