diff --git a/rc/bin/fstype b/rc/bin/fstype
new file mode 100755
index 000000000..c2fd65d9c
--- /dev/null
+++ b/rc/bin/fstype
@@ -0,0 +1,57 @@
+#!/bin/rc
+m=`{dd -if $1 -bs 2048 -skip 16 >[2]/dev/null | xd -c | sed 1q | \
+	sed 's/.........(....................).*/\1/; s/ //g'}
+if(~ $"m 01CD00101){
+	echo 9660
+	exit
+}
+dd -if $1 -count 1 >[2]/dev/null | \
+awk '
+/^kfs/{fs["kfs"]++}
+/^(blocksize|daddrbits|daddrbits|indirblks|dirblks|namelen)/{p[$1]=$2}
+END{
+	ca["fs", "blocksize"] = 4*1024
+	ca["fs", "namelen"] = 28
+	ca["fs", "dirblks"] = 6
+	ca["fs", "indirblks"] = 2
+	ca["fs", "daddrbits"] = 32
+
+	ca["fs64", "blocksize"] = 8*1024
+	ca["fs64", "namelen"] = 56
+	ca["fs64", "dirblks"] = 6
+	ca["fs64", "indirblks"] = 4
+	ca["fs64", "daddrbits"] = 64
+
+	ca["cwfs", "blocksize"] = 16*1024
+	ca["cwfs", "namelen"] = 28
+	ca["cwfs", "dirblks"] = 6
+	ca["cwfs", "indirblks"] = 2
+	ca["cwfs", "daddrbits"] = 32
+
+	ca["cwfs64", "blocksize"] = 16*1024
+	ca["cwfs64", "namelen"] = 56
+	ca["cwfs64", "dirblks"] = 6
+	ca["cwfs64", "indirblks"] = 4
+	ca["cwfs64", "daddrbits"] = 64
+
+	ca["cwfs64x", "blocksize"] = 16*1024
+	ca["cwfs64x", "namelen"] = 144
+	ca["cwfs64x", "dirblks"] = 6
+	ca["cwfs64x", "indirblks"] = 4
+	ca["cwfs64x", "daddrbits"] = 64
+
+	for(e in ca){
+		split(e, k, SUBSEP)
+		if(ca[k[1],k[2]] == p[k[2]])
+			fs[k[1]]++
+	}
+	for(i in fs)
+		if(fs[i] > fs[j])
+			j=i
+	if(fs[j]){
+		print j
+		exit
+	}
+	exit 1
+}
+'
diff --git a/sys/src/9/boot/local.rc b/sys/src/9/boot/local.rc
index de205b86d..9d7a51959 100644
--- a/sys/src/9/boot/local.rc
+++ b/sys/src/9/boot/local.rc
@@ -3,11 +3,13 @@
 fn showlocaldevs{
 	echo local devices found:
 	for(c in /dev/sd*/ctl){
-		d=`{echo $c | sed 's,/ctl,,g'}
-		echo $d':' `{sed 's/inquiry[ ]+//g; q' $c}
-		for(i in `{ls -p $d | grep -v -e 'ctl|raw'})
-			echo $d'/'$i
-		echo
+		if(test -r $c){
+			d=`{echo $c | sed 's,/ctl,,g'}
+			echo $d':' `{sed 's/inquiry[ ]+//g; q' $c}
+			for(i in `{ls -p $d | grep -v -e 'ctl|raw'})
+				echo $d'/'$i `{fstype $d'/'$i}
+			echo
+		}
 	}
 }
 
@@ -24,16 +26,15 @@ fn configlocal{
 }
 
 fn connectlocal{
-	part=`{echo $* | sed 's,.*/([^ ]+),\1,g'}
-	part=$part(1)
-	switch($part){
-	case kfs fs
-		must disk/kfs -n boot -f $*
-	case cwfs fscache fsworm w0 w1 w2 w3
-		must cwfs64x -n boot -f $*
-	case data
+	t=`{fstype $1}
+	if(~ $#t 0)
+		fatal unknown fstype $1
+	switch($t){
+	case 9660
 		must 9660srv -f $* boot
+	case kfs
+		must disk/kfs -n boot -f $*
 	case *
-		fatal unknown partition $part
+		must $t -n boot -f $*
 	}
 }
diff --git a/sys/src/9/port/bootfs.proto b/sys/src/9/port/bootfs.proto
index 9bbb98d1b..548493d3a 100644
--- a/sys/src/9/port/bootfs.proto
+++ b/sys/src/9/port/bootfs.proto
@@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ rc
 		local.rc 555 sys sys ../boot/local.rc
 		tcp.rc 555 sys sys ../boot/tcp.rc
 	bin
+		fstype
 		diskparts
 		bootrc 555 sys sys ../boot/bootrc
 tmp