fstab with Puppy Linux?

[trawglodyte]

I have ext4 partitions on my hard drive labeled "Documents" "Downloads" "Music" "Pictures" "Videos". In other Linux distros, I edit /etc/fstab to mount them at folders named the same in my home directory.

I really don't have to do this with Puppy because I can access those partitions right on the Desktop. But just out of curiosity, I took a look at /etc/fstab and see that it's blank. I'm used to seeing mount entries for root, home, efi, sometimes swap.

Is this something that's fundamentally different with Puppy Linux? Is it wise to leave fstab alone?

[d-pupp]

Is this something that's fundamentally different with Puppy Linux? Is it wise to leave fstab alone?

Puppy is different. However if you want the drive to mount when you start up use the fstab as usual.

[mikewalsh]

@trawglodyte :-

This is all part and parcel of what I was saying the other day. That when you get right down into the 'nitty-gritty' of what makes Puppy work.....down into the weeds, natch! - you start to realise the differences are a bit more than 'skin-deep'. The most fundamental differences are mainly AT the file-system level.

TBH, there's no hard & fast way of doing this. Puppy's got its own GUI-based drive mount tool. You can use fstab if you like, or you can cobble your own script together that'll do the same thing. I've used all 3 methods before now. Very little real difference; it all boils down to personal choice at the end of the day. The sky's the limit; you do what works for YOU.

Why most use fstab is because it's been around forever; it dates back to before Linux was even a thing, because it dates right back to the early days of the spiritual "parent" itself; UNIX! You're used to it, and you know what you're doing with it. Naturally, you view all such types of operations in terms of fstab because you understand it by now; in that respect, you're no different to millions of other Linux users, so you're in very good company.

We humans are creatures of habit; we get very attached to, and LIKE our "comfort zones". That's human nature. Unless you really want to learn completely new & different ways of doing exactly what you're already used to, stick with what you know. If it works for ya, great. There's no shame in that!

To answer your question in a nutshell, no; there is absolutely NO 'technical' reason why you can't use fstab. It's entirely up to you.

Mike.

[trawglodyte]

@mikewalsh
I haven't been doing any of this long enough to be stuck in any particular way. fstab was actually something I put off learning a long time. When I finally did it wasn't that hard, and I immediately realized I could keep the files I care about reasonably safe on these partitions and share them between OS's this way. Which I like.

My theory is if I completely blow up an operating system it will probably unmount and my files will (fingers crossed) remain safe.

[gychang]

to mount a partition on boot, is even easier in puppy. Launch pmount and and click where the red pencil arrow is pointing to and u should get a drop-down menu click on the mount on boot. From now on will automount on boot, no need to fool with fstab.

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