Re: Mounting a fs image from fstab?
>
> Subject: Re: Mounting a fs image from fstab?
> Date: Thu, 8 Aug 2002 16:48:29 -0400 (EDT)
> From: Patrick Wiseman <pwiseman@mindspring.com>
> To: debian-user@lists.debian.org
>
> On Thu, 8 Aug 2002, Marc Shapiro wrote:
>
> > I can create the image file and mount it as a loopback file using the
> > mount command with no trouble. I have not found any documentation on
> > mounting it from fstab, however. The man page for fstab makes no
> > mention of loopback files. Does this have to be mounted manually?
>
> Even if it can't be mounted in fstab (I'm not sure), couldn't you write a
> small script to mount the image and have it execute on boot?
Well, yes. In fact, that is what I am doing now in one of the rc files
at boot. My problem with that is just that it is not standard.
I am back in school, again, to get a CS degree. I will be taking an
"Operating Systems" class next semester. From what I have heard, they
teach this class without ever actually looking at an operating system.
(Yes, that is very odd, strange, bizarre, stupid, etc.) The catalog
says that they will use an actual operating system, UNIX, time and
software permitting. The instructor HATES M$, but uses nothing but M$
products. AAARGH! I thought that if I could provide him with a minimal
Linux system (a 1.44M floppy) that maybe it could somehow be
incorporated into the class.
Tom's root/boot disk is a 1.7M disk and I don't know how well that will
work. I found another 1 disk system (well, 2 disks with X, but I can
ignore the 2nd disk) and it says that it will run under umsdos, but the
install doesn't seem to work. I tried fiddling with it, but no go.
Without the umsdos, it runs in a ram disk. That's probably fine for the
class, but makes saving anything, even configurations, a real problem.
I thought, how hard can it be to tweak the rc.d files to mount a few of
the directories (home, root, and etc, for starters) as loopback fs
images. Well, other than the fact that shell scripting is not my forte,
it wasn't so difficult. Then I get to thinking ... "This is
non-standard. File systems should be loaded in fstab." If this is
going to the the first, and possibly only, time that these students get
to look at Linux, shouldn't it be set up correctly. I figure that I can
manually mount a diskette, or HD to then mount /etc from as a fs image.
Now I am working with a non-volatile fs for /etc that can be changed and
saved. If, after I mount this new /etc, I do a mount -a then each
person can maintain /etc/fstab in whatever manner suits them.
Unfortunately, I have not found a way to mount fs images from
/etc/fstab.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.
--
Marc Shapiro "If you drink melomel every day,
m_shapiro@bigfoot.com you will live to be 150 years old,
Please visit "The Meadery" at: unless your wife shoots you."
http://www.bigfoot.com/~m_shapiro/ -- Dr. Ferenc Androczi, winemaker,
Little Hungary Farm Winery
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