How does one clean a messy fstab ?
SYNass IT Ubuntu / Linux
i-ubux at synass.net
Tue Apr 15 12:48:01 UTC 2008
Hi Neil
Thanks a lot for your efforts and patience to assist !
Very appreciated, however it is very hard for me to follow your high
level info !! ;-)
Again I reply direct into text below:
On Tue, 2008-04-15 at 09:25 +0200, Neil wrote:
> 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.
You mean the partition name / label ?
My convention is like following:
LDnnn = LANdrive # = 142 for mine / 144 for my wife's and similar
WUnnn = Workstation's USB Drive or Stick and its unique numbers
WSnnn = Workstation # = 222 for mine / 22n for others
WSnnnC1 = Workstation # and its 1st C: partition, ie WIN XPP
WSnnnC2 = Workstation # and its 2nd C: partition, ie OS/2
WSnnnD = Workstation # and its D: partition, here NTFS data partition
WSnnnE = Workstation # and its E: partition, here FAT32 test partition
WSnnnF = Workstation # and its F: partition, hereFAT16 test partition
WSnnn_UROOT804Beta = Workstation # and its root partition
SWAP has no label
WSnnn_UHOME = Workstation # and its home partititon
Hope it gotta not too longwinding ! ;-)
> I'd say your windows - D parttition is the most important to have on
> your desktop, since it is your data partition
Principally, YES !!! ;-)
Except under WINdoof !! ;-(
> 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".
At the moment I am having some problems to understand "mount" and
I got to experience it when I tried to copy my present Ubuntu
7.10's /home data from
my notebook to an external USB Drive and then back to into the new
created HOME
partition on the notebook !
Could copy and copy back and identify the differences and
later, having NO access anymore !' ;-(
This experiment also has to do how to transfer my old /home data into
an own HOME partition.
> > > 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.
Just experienced and learnt that I better place bootable partitions at
the
very beginning of the logical partiton against my earlier idea to group
it by OS !?
From;
sda1 prim ntfs bootable C: WIN XPP (original manufacturer installation)
sda2 logical
sda5 log ntfs D: WIN data
sda6 log fat32 E: FAT32 test
sda7 log SWAP
sda8 log ext3 bootable ROOT Ubuntu 7.10
sda9 log ext3 HOME
I changed to:
sda1 prim ntfs bootable C: WIN XPP (original manufacturer installation)
sda2 logical
sda5 log ext3 bootable ROOT Ubuntu 7.10
sda6 log SWAP
sda7 log ext3 HOME
sda8 log ntfs D: WIN data
sda9 log fat32 E: FAT32 test
It will get a bit more complicated with OS/2 added too !! ;-)
Perhaps I need to consider installing OS/2 off the notebook HDD on the
USB drive and connect it when needed only !?
> 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.
> > --
> > ubuntu-users mailing list
> > ubuntu-users at lists.ubuntu.com
> > Modify settings or unsubscribe at:
> > https://lists.ubuntu.com/mailman/listinfo/ubuntu-users
> >
> >
> I do not know the tool, but since you can set "user" at the options
> (in fstab) you must be able to choose whether 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.
As newbie: I have no experience to comment this. ;-D
So, finally I got down here and hope I haven't forgotten anything !
I also hope it will not be too boring and longwinding for you !!
Very glad and happy to have you and some more fellows helping me:
Once again thanks a lot and cheers
svobi
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