Package: exfat-fuse
Version: 1.3.0-2
Since Debian Bullseye (also tested on Bookworm), the exfat-fuse package
does not provide the (FUSE-based) "exfat" filesystem driver, i.e. the
following commands fail if the exfat kernel module is not present, e.g.
when a different kernel is used, often the case with ARM SBCs:
-------
mount <exfat_filesystem_device> <mountpoint>
mount <mountpoint> # with related "exfat" entry in /etc/fstab
mount -t exfat <exfat_filesystem_device> <mountpoint>
-------
Until Buster, when the exfat filesystem type is detected or passed via
mount option, the FUSE driver is automatically invoked, since Bullseye
one needs to pass "exfat-fuse" as filesystem type explicitly, since
autodetection, as well as blkid and lsblk, still detect "exfat".
While it makes sense, respectively the FUSE driver for exFAT is obsolete
with a recent Linux version, including the Debian kernel on Bullseye, it
is not too uncommon that other older kernel versions are used,
especially on embedded devices, ARM SBCs etc where manufacturers enable
additional features, not present in upstream Linux yet, respectively not
present in the Linux version shipped with Debian Bullseye yet. So
generally it would be nice if "exfat-fuse" did enable mounting exFAT
drives as "exfat", like it did before. But of course when the native
exfat kernel module is present, it should be preferred.
The other option would be to have lsblk/blkid/mount detecting the
filesystem type as "exfat-fuse" instead of as "exfat", when the kernel
module is not present but "exfat-fuse" installed. But this wouldn't
cover cases where e.g. a Buster system with older non-Debian kernel and
explicit "exfat" fstab entry is upgraded to Bullseye.
I hope there is a way to keep exfat-fuse fully backwards compatible.
Related is that the package does not provide mount.exfat anymore, but
mount.exfat-fuse only. Probably a dpkg-alternative or postinst script
provided symlink could re-enable backwards compatibility. But an open
issue remains that "exfatprogs" does not provide mount.exfat either, so
I guess mounts would then keep invoking FUSE (using mount.exfat =>
mount.exfat-fuse) even if the kernel module + exfatprogs are installed
as well. A conflict between exfatprogs and exfat-fuse could then help
solving it, like it exists for exfat-utils.
Best regards,
Micha
