edquota Command Linux: Complete Guide to Manage User Disk Quotas

The edquota command is a powerful Linux system administration tool that allows you to edit user and group disk quotas interactively. This essential command helps system administrators control disk space usage and prevent users from consuming excessive storage resources on shared systems.

What is the edquota Command?

The edquota command stands for “edit quota” and provides an interactive interface for modifying disk quotas for users and groups. It launches a text editor (typically vi or nano) that displays the current quota settings, allowing administrators to make changes directly within the editor interface.

Prerequisites

Before using the edquota command, ensure that:

• Quota support is enabled on your filesystem
• You have root or sudo privileges
• The quota package is installed
• Quotas are mounted and initialized on the target filesystem

Basic Syntax

edquota [options] username
edquota [options] -g groupname

Common Options

Understanding Quota Fields

When you run edquota, you’ll see several fields:

• Filesystem: The mounted filesystem where quotas are applied
• blocks: Current disk usage in 1KB blocks
• soft: Soft limit for disk space (warning threshold)
• hard: Hard limit for disk space (absolute maximum)
• inodes: Current number of files/directories used
• soft (inodes): Soft limit for number of files
• hard (inodes): Hard limit for number of files

Practical Examples

Example 1: Editing User Quota

sudo edquota john

This command opens an editor showing John’s current quota settings:

Disk quotas for user john (uid 1001):
  Filesystem    blocks   soft   hard  inodes   soft   hard
  /dev/sda1      1024   5000  10000      25    100    200

In this example:

• John is currently using 1024 KB of disk space
• Soft limit is set to 5000 KB (5 MB)
• Hard limit is set to 10000 KB (10 MB)
• He has 25 files with limits of 100 (soft) and 200 (hard)

Example 2: Setting Group Quotas

sudo edquota -g developers

Output:

Disk quotas for group developers (gid 1010):
  Filesystem    blocks   soft   hard  inodes   soft   hard
  /dev/sda1      5120  50000 100000     150   1000   2000

Example 3: Copying Quota Settings

sudo edquota -p john mary

This command copies John’s quota settings to Mary’s account, maintaining the same limits without opening an editor.

Example 4: Editing Grace Periods

sudo edquota -t

Output:

Grace period before enforcing soft limits for users:
Time units may be: days, hours, minutes, or seconds
  Filesystem    Block grace period   Inode grace period
  /dev/sda1            7days              7days

Step-by-Step Quota Setup Process

Step 1: Enable Quota Support

First, ensure your filesystem supports quotas by adding quota options to /etc/fstab:

/dev/sda1 /home ext4 defaults,usrquota,grpquota 0 2

Step 2: Remount Filesystem

sudo mount -o remount /home

Step 3: Initialize Quota Database

sudo quotacheck -cug /home
sudo quotaon /home

Step 4: Set User Quotas

sudo edquota username

Advanced Usage Scenarios

Setting Quotas for Multiple Users

To set the same quota for multiple users efficiently:

# Set quota for template user
sudo edquota templateuser

# Copy to multiple users
sudo edquota -p templateuser user1 user2 user3

Filesystem-Specific Quotas

When working with multiple filesystems:

sudo edquota -f /var john

This edits quotas for user ‘john’ specifically on the /var filesystem.

Best Practices

1. Set Realistic Limits

Configure quotas based on actual usage patterns and business requirements:

• Monitor current usage before setting limits
• Set soft limits at 80-90% of hard limits
• Consider growth requirements

2. Use Grace Periods Effectively

Configure appropriate grace periods to give users time to clean up:

sudo edquota -t
# Set grace period to 3 days for blocks and 1 day for inodes

3. Regular Monitoring

Implement regular quota monitoring:

# Check quota usage
sudo repquota -a

# Generate quota reports
sudo quota -u username

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Issue 1: “Quotas not enabled”

Solution: Ensure quota options are added to /etc/fstab and filesystem is remounted.

Issue 2: “Permission denied”

Solution: Run edquota with sudo privileges as it requires root access.

Issue 3: Editor not opening

Solution: Set your preferred editor:

export EDITOR=nano
sudo edquota username

Security Considerations

When using edquota, keep these security aspects in mind:

• Only grant quota management privileges to trusted administrators
• Regularly audit quota settings and usage
• Monitor for quota bypass attempts
• Log quota modifications for security compliance

Integration with System Monitoring

Integrate quota management with system monitoring tools:

# Create monitoring script
#!/bin/bash
repquota -a | awk '$4 > $5 * 0.9 { print $1 " approaching quota limit" }'

Conclusion

The edquota command is an indispensable tool for Linux system administrators managing multi-user environments. By understanding its syntax, options, and best practices, you can effectively control disk usage, prevent system abuse, and maintain optimal server performance. Regular monitoring and proper configuration ensure your quota system remains effective and user-friendly.

Remember to always test quota changes in a non-production environment first and maintain regular backups of your quota configuration files for disaster recovery purposes.