repquota Command Linux: Complete Guide to Disk Quota Reporting and Management

The repquota command is an essential Linux system administration tool used to report disk quota usage for users and groups on filesystems with quota enforcement enabled. This comprehensive guide will help you understand and master the repquota command for effective storage management.

What is the repquota Command?

The repquota command displays quota usage and limits for all users and groups on specified filesystems. It provides detailed information about current disk usage, allocated quotas, and helps administrators monitor storage consumption patterns.

Key Features:

• Reports user and group quota usage
• Displays soft and hard limits
• Shows grace periods for exceeded quotas
• Supports multiple filesystem types
• Provides detailed usage statistics

Basic Syntax

repquota [options] filesystem

The basic syntax requires specifying the filesystem path where quota reporting is needed.

Common Options

Prerequisites

Before using repquota, ensure:

1. Quotas are enabled on the filesystem
2. You have root privileges or appropriate permissions
3. The filesystem supports quota functionality
4. Quota database files exist and are accessible

Enabling Quotas (Quick Setup)

# Edit /etc/fstab to add quota options
/dev/sda1 /home ext4 defaults,usrquota,grpquota 0 2

# Remount filesystem
mount -o remount /home

# Initialize quota database
quotacheck -cug /home
quotaon /home

Basic Examples

1. Report Quotas on Specific Filesystem

sudo repquota /home

Sample Output:

*** Report for user quotas on device /dev/sda1
Block grace time: 7days; Inode grace time: 7days
                        Block limits                File limits
User            used    soft    hard  grace    used  soft  hard  grace
----------------------------------------------------------------------
root      --       0       0       0              2     0     0       
john      --   51200  102400  153600          1024  2000  3000       
alice     +-  204800  102400  153600  6days   1500  2000  3000       
bob       --   76800  102400  153600           800  2000  3000       

2. Report All Filesystems with Quotas

sudo repquota -a

This command reports quota usage across all mounted filesystems that have quotas enabled.

3. Report Group Quotas

sudo repquota -g /home

Sample Output:

*** Report for group quotas on device /dev/sda1
Block grace time: 7days; Inode grace time: 7days
                        Block limits                File limits
Group           used    soft    hard  grace    used  soft  hard  grace
----------------------------------------------------------------------
root      --       0       0       0              2     0     0       
users     --  256000  512000  768000          3200  5000  7500       
developers+-  409600  512000  768000  5days   4800  5000  7500       

Advanced Usage Examples

4. Verbose Output with Human-Readable Format

sudo repquota -vs /home

Sample Output:

*** Report for user quotas on device /dev/sda1
Block grace time: 7days; Inode grace time: 7days
                        Block limits                File limits
User            used    soft    hard  grace    used  soft  hard  grace
----------------------------------------------------------------------
root      --       0K      0K      0K             2     0     0       
john      --      50M    100M    150M          1024  2000  3000       
alice     +-     200M    100M    150M  6days   1500  2000  3000       
bob       --      75M    100M    150M           800  2000  3000       

5. Skip Name Resolution for Performance

sudo repquota -n /home

This option displays user/group IDs instead of names, improving performance on systems with many users.

6. Combined User and Group Report

sudo repquota -ug /home

Reports both user and group quotas simultaneously.

Understanding Output Format

Column Explanations:

Status Indicators:

• --: Within all limits
• +-: Soft limit exceeded, within grace period
• -+: Hard limit exceeded (rare, usually prevents further writes)
• ++: Both soft and hard limits exceeded

Practical Use Cases

1. System Monitoring Script

#!/bin/bash
# Check quota usage and alert on high usage

THRESHOLD=80

repquota -a | awk '
/^[^-#*]/ {
    if ($3 > 0 && $4 > 0) {
        usage = ($3 / $4) * 100
        if (usage > '$THRESHOLD') {
            print "Warning: User " $1 " at " usage "% usage"
        }
    }
}'

2. Generate Quota Report for Management

#!/bin/bash
# Generate formatted quota report

echo "Disk Quota Report - $(date)"
echo "=================================="

repquota -vs /home | awk '
BEGIN { 
    printf "%-15s %10s %10s %10s %8s\n", "User", "Used", "Soft", "Hard", "Usage%"
    printf "%-15s %10s %10s %10s %8s\n", "----", "----", "----", "----", "------"
}
/^[^-#*]/ && $3 > 0 {
    if ($4 > 0) {
        usage = ($3 / $4) * 100
        printf "%-15s %10s %10s %10s %7.1f%%\n", $1, $3, $4, $5, usage
    }
}'

3. Find Users Exceeding Quotas

sudo repquota /home | grep '+' | awk '{
    print "User: " $1 " - Usage: " $3 "KB, Limit: " $4 "KB, Grace: " $6
}'

Troubleshooting Common Issues

1. “repquota: Cannot open quotas on device”

Solution:

• Verify quotas are enabled on the filesystem
• Check if quota database files exist
• Run quotacheck to rebuild quota database

sudo quotacheck -cug /home
sudo quotaon /home

2. “Permission denied” Error

Solution:

• Run command with sudo privileges
• Verify user has quota administration permissions
• Check file permissions on quota database files

3. Inconsistent Quota Information

Solution:

# Turn off quotas
sudo quotaoff /home

# Rebuild quota database
sudo quotacheck -cug /home

# Turn quotas back on
sudo quotaon /home

Best Practices

1. Regular Monitoring: Schedule periodic quota reports to prevent storage issues
2. Automated Alerts: Set up scripts to notify administrators when quotas approach limits
3. Grace Period Management: Monitor grace periods and take action before they expire
4. Documentation: Keep records of quota policies and user allocations
5. Performance: Use -n option for large user bases to improve performance

Integration with Other Commands

Combining with Other Quota Tools:

# Check specific user quota
quota -u john

# Set user quota
edquota -u alice

# View quota report and set new limits
repquota /home
edquota -u bob

Using with System Monitoring:

# Create daily quota report
repquota -vs /home > /var/log/daily-quota-$(date +%Y%m%d).log

# Email quota violations
repquota /home | grep '+' | mail -s "Quota Violations" [email protected]

Security Considerations

• Access Control: Restrict repquota access to authorized administrators only
• Log Monitoring: Monitor quota command usage in system logs
• Data Protection: Protect quota database files from unauthorized modification
• Regular Audits: Periodically review quota configurations and usage patterns

Conclusion

The repquota command is an indispensable tool for Linux system administrators managing disk quotas. By understanding its various options and output format, you can effectively monitor storage usage, identify potential issues, and maintain optimal system performance. Regular quota reporting helps prevent storage-related problems and ensures fair resource allocation across users and groups.

Whether you’re managing a small server or large enterprise environment, mastering repquota will significantly improve your storage management capabilities and help maintain system stability.