Re: How to set /etc/fstab again after system has started

Handover Phist <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 2006-11-23, Floyd L. Davidson <floyd@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Handover Phist <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 2006-11-22, Michael Black <et472@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Floyd L. Davidson (floyd@xxxxxxxxxx) writes:
Handover Phist <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
On 2006-11-22, Floyd L. Davidson <floyd@xxxxxxxxxx> wrote:
Handover Phist <jason@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote:

This is distro specific. My Slack boxen require fstab entries, but my
Debian Etch box doesn't, except in the case of a fat32 drive, that I
added.

That is the incorrect statement.

How?

It is dead *wrong*.

Your Slack box doesn't require an /etc/fstab entry to mount a
filesystem.

Obviously I have already answered that question, so I see no
point in you asking it again.

The trick is not if it can be mounted, but what you
have to supply to the mount command to get it to complete the
job. With an appropriate entry in fstab, it takes very little,
but without it the mount command needs more information.

There is *my* response to it.

I concede that I can at any time type:

`mount -t auto $FILESYSTEM $MOUNTPOINT`

So you concede that your original statement was in error. Good.

...

Can you answer the question though?

Well he's correcting the previous poster's comment about needing things
in fstab to mount.

The previous poster went off on a tangent, and incorrectly stated
that on specific distributions you need an entry in fstab in order
to mount something.

Which misses the point that the "previous poster" is not another
person.

Are you the original poster?

You were the previous poster referenced, not some other party.
He was confused because (apparently you) snipped the attributes.

That error wsa worth correcting.

We should note that *you* are the one who posted that error.

Which is why I posted a response to correct it.

Thank you.

For what? More confusion?

For defending my stance. The man did me a service, for that he deserved
thanks.

He did nothing but add confusion, and didn't even realize you
were the same poster as the one who made the mistake in the
first place. And you have not defended your incorrect
statement. (It *can't* be defended).

>df | grep /u4
>df | grep hdd9
>grep hdd9 /etc/fstab
>mount -t ext3 /dev/hdd9 /u4
>df | grep /u4
/dev/hdd9 19236308 17031952 1227204 94% /u4

Obviously /dev/hdd9 was not originally mounted and is not to be
found in /etc/fstab, yet it mounts with no problem. End of dispute.

None of it has relevance to the original poster's question about
how to have an edited fstab effective without rebooting, but I can't help but
wonder if the original poster made the incorrect (but maybe common)
assumption that things have to be in fstab before you can mount
them.

Offhand, no I can't answer the bit about having fstab effective
without rebooting after the edit, but then I mount lots of things
without them being mentioned in fstab.

Michael

mount -a

will mount all fstab entries.

It will *not* necessarily mount all fstab entries.

Are you familiar with man pages?

Yes, you should try reading them and then actually using the
mount command once in awhile to find out what it can and cannot
do.

from `man mount`:

-a Mount all filesystems (of the given types) mentioned in fstab.

Obviously "(of the given types)" says that not *all* of them
will be mounted. Moreover, if you had understood the entire man
page, this bit of information would not have escaped your
attention in relation to this discussion:

(i) The command
mount -a [-t type] [-O optlist]
(usually given in a bootscript) causes all file systems
mentioned in fstab (of the proper type and/or having or
not having the proper options) to be mounted as indi-
cated, except for those whose line contains the noauto
keyword. Adding the -F option will make mount fork, so
that the filesystems are mounted simultaneously.

(ii) When mounting a file system mentioned in fstab, it
suffices to give only the device, or only the mount
point.

I typically have *far* more filesystems listed in /etc/fstab
that do *not* mount with the -a option than those that do.

Your incorrect claim that Slack requires an fstab entry is based
on a lack of understanding how the mount command works.

I have no more time for this thread.

Stop arguing and start learning, otherwise your time is wasted.

--
Floyd L. Davidson <http://www.apaflo.com/floyd_davidson>
Ukpeagvik (Barrow, Alaska) floyd@xxxxxxxxxx
.

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