On Sunday 27 Jun 2004 20:21 pm, wrsnell@wrsnell.net wrote:
In <20040625051328.4EF9B6E30F@smtp3.pacifier.net>, on 06/24/2004 <SNIP> In response to my own message I must relay what I have learned to other newbies. Few manual, help files, define the term "mount point". Mounting a file system means to go(or be able to go) to that directory or folder. So to mount a non-linux file system such as Windows (fat, etc.) one must create a directory to which the files will be copied.
It is more accurate to say that the filesystem on the mounted partition is connected to the mountpoint. Actually, Windows also mounts file systems, it just hides the fuctionality from the user.
For temporary use the directory '/mnt' is often used. If you change to '/mnt' before using it to mount another files system you will find it to be empty. However 'mount /dev/hdc1 /mnt -t vfat' fills the directory '/mnt' with files from my windows 'C' directory.
Well, 'fills' is not a good way to put it - the root directory of the filesystem on the hdc1 partition is mapped/connected to the directory. There are times when this distinction can be important: when nothing is mounted on /mnt it has permissions root:root:rwxr-xr-x but when a fs is mounted there you will find that /mnt has the permissions associated with the root directory on the mounted fs.
Therefore, after I have created the directory '/win98/D' and type "mount /dev/hdc5 /win98/D -t vfat <enter>" I find all of the files of disk1, logical partition 1 (win98 'D'), copied to the mount point /win98/D. Now I have mount points for my fat storage partition win98/D and my two hpfs storage partitions, /ecs/F and /ecs/F.
Now, if someone would explain why I must open the usb controller whose id end in zero (0)
Do you mean the line in /etc/fstab which starts /dev/sda4?
to read files on my usb zip drive, and how to write a 'fstab' file so that the above mount points are automatically mounted on bootup, I will be happy.
Well, if it's the entry for sda4 then you can mount it with mount /media/zip and access it through that mount point. To make it automatically mount at boot you need to change the entry by deleting the 'noauto' option. This is not really a good idea for a zip drive because it is removable media. The line in question means: device /dev/sda4 mounts on mountpoint /media/zip, automatically determine the fs type, don't mount it at boot, allow non-root users to mount it, don't fsck it. man mount and man fstab will give you more details Dylan -- "I see your Schwartz is as big as mine" -Dark Helmet