---
name: "ceph-mds"
section: "8"
platform: "linux"
package: "ceph-mds"
version: "18.2.7+ds-1+deb13u1"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/ceph-mds"
---

# ceph-mds(8)

ceph metadata server daemon

## NAME

ceph-mds - ceph metadata server daemon

## SYNOPSIS

```
ceph-mds -i <ID> [flags]
```

## DESCRIPTION

**ceph-mds** is the metadata server daemon for the Ceph distributed file system. One or more instances of ceph-mds collectively manage the file system namespace, coordinating access to the shared OSD cluster.

Each ceph-mds daemon instance should have a unique name. The name is used to identify daemon instances in the ceph.conf.

Once the daemon has started, the monitor cluster will normally assign it a logical rank, or put it in a standby pool to take over for another daemon that crashes. Some of the specified options can cause other behaviors.

## OPTIONS

- **-f, --foreground**

  Foreground: do not daemonize after startup (run in foreground). Do not generate a pid file. Useful when run via [*ceph-run*(8)](/ceph-run/8.md).

- **-d**

  Debug mode: like **-f**, but also send all log output to stderr.

- **--setuser userorgid**

  Set uid after starting.  If a username is specified, the user record is looked up to get a uid and a gid, and the gid is also set as well, unless --setgroup is also specified.

- **--setgroup grouporgid**

  Set gid after starting.  If a group name is specified the group record is looked up to get a gid.

- **-c ceph.conf, --conf=ceph.conf**

  Use *ceph.conf* configuration file instead of the default **/etc/ceph/ceph.conf** to determine monitor addresses during startup.

- **-m monaddress\[:port\]**

  Connect to specified monitor (instead of looking through **ceph.conf**).

- **--id/-i ID**

  Set ID portion of the MDS name. The ID should not start with a numeric digit.

- **--name/-n TYPE.ID**

  Set the MDS name of the format TYPE.ID. The TYPE is obviously 'mds'. The ID should not start with a numeric digit.

## AVAILABILITY

**ceph-mds** is part of Ceph, a massively scalable, open-source, distributed storage system. Please refer to the Ceph documentation at *https://docs.ceph.com* for more information.

## SEE ALSO

[*ceph*(8)](/ceph/8.md), [*ceph-mon*(8)](/ceph-mon/8.md), [*ceph-osd*(8)](/ceph-osd/8.md)

## COPYRIGHT

2010-2014, Inktank Storage, Inc. and contributors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution Share Alike 3.0 (CC-BY-SA-3.0)