How does one clean a messy fstab ?

Tue Apr 15 07:25:09 UTC 2008

On Mon, Apr 14, 2008 at 11:13 PM, SYNass IT Ubuntu / Linux
<i-ubux at synass.net> wrote:
> Hi Neil,
>  Thanks a lot for your effort and your extensive and interesting
>  feedback !
>  I need to learn, read, reread and unbderstand better !! ;-)
>  Some quick answers go into the text below:
>

You're welcom, glad to help, I had a time where I had to learn these things

>
>
>

<snip>

>  >
>  > Hi Svobi
>  >
>  > Are all of those lines in fstab commented out???? (# at the beginning
>  > of the line. It means it will not be used) Or is this a poblem caused
>  > in the copy?
>
>  Yes, all comment lines start with # !
>
>
>
>  > ALWAYS BACK THE FSTAB UP BEFORE EDITING. Your PC works, so back the
>  > shit up before you start editing it. A "cp /etc/fstab
>  > /etc/fstab.backup" would do just fine.
>
>  You are correct !
>  I should do it more better !!
>
>
>
>
>  > Before you reboot the PC you should make the directories you will be
>  > using. If you take all my advices you should do this:
>  > mkdir /media/WinC && mkdir /media/WinD && mkdir /media/test
>  >
>  > I'd advise to set
>  > "# UUID=D2C47460C47448AD /media/sda1     ntfs
>  > defaults,umask=007,gid=46  0       1" (most probably your windows C
>  > disk)
>  > to
>  > "UUID=D2C47460C47448AD /media/WinC   ntfs    defaults,umask=007,gid=46
>  >  0       1"
>  > because sda1 is in windows recognised as C:/. This is not essential,
>  > but may help to find your files. You should NOT do this if you use
>  > virtualisation. I do not know if it causes problems, but it may.
>  >
>  > and
>  > >> /dev/sdb6 / NTFS D: Data Windows Partition
>  > # UUID=E1C68841C686923  ?       ntfs    ?       ?       ?
>  > to
>  > # /dev/sdb6 / NTFS D: Data Windows Partition
>  > "UUID=E1C68841C686923  /media/WinD     ntfs    defaults       0       0"
>  > The data partition in windows wasn't mounted. This results in the data
>  > not being available
>  >
>  > and
>  > # /dev/sda7 / FAT16 E: Data Exchange Partition (for tests only and 1GB)
>  > # UUID=47F7-9B3D                        ?       vfat    ?       ?       ?
>  > to
>  > # /dev/sda7 / FAT16 E: Data Exchange Partition (for tests only and 1GB)
>  > UUID=47F7-9B3D                        /media/test       vfat    noauto
>  >       0       0
>  > or
>  > # /dev/sda7 / FAT16 E: Data Exchange Partition (for tests only and 1GB)
>  > UUID=47F7-9B3D                        /media/test       vfat
>  > defaults       0       0
>
>  Well, I need more time to understand this better !
>  Will get back to this later !!
>
>
>
>  > Again, the disk wasn't mounted. If you do not want it to be mounted at
>  > boot you should use the first (noauto) if you do want it to be mounted
>  > you should use the second (default)
>
>  I am not clear what you mean with "disk wasn't mounted" !?
>  On my desktop is an icon of the WIN C: partition and I have access to
>  it ! ;-)

yes, and that was pobably the only one you could acces. Not your
Windows - D partition and not your test partition.
The moving of the windows C partition isn't needed, but reccomended.
The icon on your desktop is a link to /media/sda1 . You can leave
widows- C there if you like, but mounting it at /media/WinC is easier
to remember.
I'd say your windows - D parttition is the most important to have on
your desktop, since it is your data partition

The disk wasn't mounted means you couldn't acces it (exept with some
low level commands like dd) There was no way you could use your data.
setting a mount point and "default" solves that. Now the noauto option
is meant for things like cdroms, but I know it can be used to leave
partitions unavailable until you need them by typing (in the terminal
/ a text based TTY) sudo mount /media/test. I am unsure why but it
seems some people prefer test disks that way, so I added it. If you
like you can try it, if you hate what happened you can always change
your fstab to "default".

>
>
>  > The numbers in the last part of each entry are meant for the error
>  > checks. I am not sure wether Linux can check your NTFS disks for
>  > errors, so I'd advise you to use 0 (do not check).
>
>  Understood !
>
>
>
>  > The #'s are there to prevent the fstab read program from erroring
>  > because it can't read the line.
>
>  OK, knew !
>
>
>
>  > I do not work with UUID's myself, always found the /dev/sd[a-z] quite
>  > sufficient, but it seems the a-z can change at when a new drive is
>  > added at a Sata or Pata port with a lower identifier (if a mater IDE
>  > channel 1 drive is added this will always happen) so it may be better
>  > to work with UUID's.
>
>  I see and the /dev/sd(a-z) are easier to keep than these endless UUID
>  ID's !
>  Generally I try to work not touching these sys data ...
>  ... indeed need to learn and understand their functions and
>  maintaining !!

The /dev/sda(a-z) names tend to change if you do not have the
harddisks connected neatly at the place they should be. Start with
PATA 1 master for the pata drives and SATA 1 for the sata drives.
CDroms do not count.

On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 9:14 AM, PEDRO MACANAS VALVERDE
<macanas_ped at gva.es> wrote:
>
>
>
> De: ubuntu-users-bounces at lists.ubuntu.com en nombre de thomas fisher
> Enviado el: lun 14/04/2008 18:03
> Para: ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> Asunto: Re: How does one clean a messy fstab ?
>
> I would use pmount that allow users to mount devices without touch fstab. A
> good tool !.
>
>
> Regards.
> --
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>

I do not know the tool, but since you can set "user" at the options
(in fstab) you must be able to choose wether the users can mount it. I
actually am the only one using my PC and I do have the root pasword,
so I never bothered.

Neil

>
> > >
>  > >
>  > >  > --
>  > >  > There are two kinds of people:
>  > >  > 1. People who start their arrays with 1.
>  > >  > 1. People who start their arrays with 0.
>  > >
>  > >  HaHaHa ...
>  > >  ... I am using both arrays !
>  > >  My emotional brain / as human starts the array with 1 !
>  > >  My rational brain / as organizer starts the array with 0 !
>  > >  ;-))
>  >
>  > Then you must be schiofrenic.......:P:P:P (no insult intended)
>
>  Hehehe, perhaps may be ... not confirmed yet !!! ;-D
>
>
>  --
>
>
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