How does one clean a messy fstab ?
Neil
hok.krat at gmail.com
Wed Apr 16 10:44:40 UTC 2008
On Tue, Apr 15, 2008 at 2:48 PM, SYNass IT Ubuntu / Linux
<i-ubux at synass.net> wrote:
> 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 !! ;-)
I'l step it down. It's always hard to know what people know form just
a mail. I do not want to insult one who knows the mysts of Linux, and
I do not want to baffle a newb.
> 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 ?
Let me explain some things about mountig and what it is not:
Mounting is creating a connection between a folder and something else.
That something can be a lot, but we should only consider a harddisk
partition.
A mounted partition is a partition that is connected to a folder. Case:
you have sda1 mounted at / and sda2 at /test
You enter cd / .
You are now busy at partition sda1
You enter cd test .
You are now actually busy on partition sda2
Once you changed your directory to /test you changed your active partition.
What you have on your desktop is something else: it's a link to
/media/sda1 (a folder). The folder /media/sda1 is a "mount point":
there is a partition mounted there. The result: if you click the link
on your desktop your PC will follow the link to /media/sda1 and see
it's a mount point. It'l follow the mount-thingy and end up at the
partition sda1.
You windows C partition is mounted at /media/sda1. It's cool, you can
leave it there if you don't mind. It's just good practice when setting
mount points to use the partition name other OS-es see (if applicable)
>
> 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 ! ;-)
>
look's good. I am a student; I only own one important PC so i do not
need a complicated naming scheme, but this looks usable.
>
>
> > 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 !! ;-(
>
yeah you don't wanna let windoze dammage your data now, would ya :)
> 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.
There are simply a couple of ways to back up. There are a few sync
programs (rsync, Kitchensync) but I do not know wether they actually
work.
"cp -r -P /oldhome /newhome" would copy all the files while not
following any links (-r to copy the files in subfolders, -P to prevent
the PC from following links. Links can result in an infinite amount of
data)
> > 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 !?
Windoze should be at the beginning of the disk. Linux doesn't really
care. I do not know about OS/2.
>
> 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 !?
>
That should probably be more of a question of space. Does the system
have enough hard drive space to spare another 10 ? G. If it does there
probably is no reason why you shouldn't. External harddrives are slow.
so booting from them is slow.
>
> 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 !!
nah, that's alright. I'm a teacher, I like explaining.
> 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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