The /var/cpanel/noquotafs file lets you exclude specific file system types from the cPanel quota system. This is useful when certain file systems don't support quotas or when you want to disable quota tracking on particular storage types. Simply list each excluded file system type on a separate line in this configuration file.
What Is the noquotafs Configuration File?
The /var/cpanel/noquotafs file is a simple text configuration file that tells cPanel which file system types should not be monitored for disk quota usage. When you add a file system type to this file, cPanel will skip quota checks and calculations for all storage mounted with that file system type.
This configuration is particularly helpful in environments where:
- Network file systems like NFS don't support quotas
- Certain storage types cause quota checking errors
- You want to improve server performance by excluding specific file systems from quota scans
- Your hosting setup uses specialized storage that shouldn't be quota-managed
How to Edit the Quota File Systems Configuration
To configure which file systems are excluded from quota management, you'll need root access to your server. Follow these steps:
- Connect to your server via SSH as the root user
- Open the /var/cpanel/noquotafs file using a text editor like vi or nano
- Add each file system type you want to exclude on its own line
- Save the file and exit the editor
- Changes take effect immediately without requiring a service restart
Important note: The file is not case-sensitive, so you can use either uppercase or lowercase when specifying file system types.
Configuration Example
If you want to exclude both NFS and ext3 file systems from quota tracking, your /var/cpanel/noquotafs file would look like this:
nfs
ext3
Each file system type appears on its own line with no additional formatting or punctuation needed.
Common File System Types to Exclude
Depending on your server configuration, you might want to exclude these commonly used file system types:
- nfs - Network File System mounts typically don't support local quota management
- tmpfs - Temporary file systems in RAM don't need quota tracking
- fuse - Filesystem in Userspace implementations may have quota limitations
- cifs - Windows network shares accessed via CIFS/SMB protocol
- glusterfs - Distributed file systems with their own quota mechanisms
Only add file system types that you're actually using on your server and that genuinely need to be excluded from quota management.
Verifying Your Configuration
After editing the /var/cpanel/noquotafs file, you can verify that your changes are working correctly:
- Run the command cat /var/cpanel/noquotafs to display the current configuration
- Check your cPanel quota reports to ensure the excluded file systems are no longer being calculated
- Monitor your server logs for any quota-related errors that might indicate configuration issues
If you notice any problems after making changes, you can always edit the file again to remove or modify the exclusions. OBHost servers come preconfigured with sensible quota defaults that work for most hosting environments.
Frequently Asked Questions
Will excluding a file system from quotas affect my hosting accounts?
Excluding a file system from quota tracking means that disk space used on that file system won't count toward user quota limits. If your hosting accounts store data on excluded file systems, they won't see accurate disk usage reports for that storage. Only exclude file systems where quota tracking is truly unnecessary or problematic.
Do I need to restart any services after editing the noquotafs file?
No service restart is required. The /var/cpanel/noquotafs file is read by cPanel's quota system whenever it performs quota checks, so your changes take effect immediately for the next quota scan.
What happens if I misspell a file system type in the configuration?
If you misspell a file system type, it simply won't match any actual file systems on your server, so the exclusion won't have any effect. The configuration file won't cause errors from misspellings, but make sure you use the correct file system type names (like "nfs" not "nfs4" unless that's specifically what you're using) to ensure your exclusions work as intended.
Can I use wildcards or patterns in the noquotafs file?
No, the /var/cpanel/noquotafs file requires exact file system type names, one per line. Wildcards and pattern matching are not supported. Each file system type you want to exclude must be listed explicitly and match exactly how it appears in your system's mount table.
If you need assistance configuring quota file systems or have questions about your hosting setup, our support team is available 24/7 to help. Contact us at https://www.obhost.net/contact or email support@obhost.org for expert guidance.
