The fstab file contains the drives that will be mounted at boot time. It contains 6 columns of information that can be divided with tabs or spaces.

  • Column 1: Device: You can use the UUID (Recommended) or device path (UUID=*UUID* or `/dev/*device name*`)
  • Column 2: Mount Point: Directory you want the drive to be mounted in. This can be a path to anywhere on the system.
  • Column 3: File System: Put the partitions file system, auto is valid if unknown
  • Column 4: Options: Allows to change the behavior of the mounted drive. defaults is a valid option
  • Column 5: Backup Operation (Dump): An outdated backup mechanism and should not be used. Use 0 in this column.
  • Column 6: File System Check Order: The root file system should be set to 1, enter 0 for it not to be checked, enter 2 for all other file systems. Generally use 0.

Steps for adding a device:

  1. Run lsblk to figure out the name assigned to the partition you want to mount
  2. Run sudo blkid to get UUID and filesystem
  3. Use sudo vi /etc/fstab and enter the new line for your device. (Use sudo nano /etc/fstab if you are not familiar with vi keybinds)
  4. Run sudo findmnt –verify to ensure your fstab entry is correct.
  5. Run sudo systemctl daemon-reload to update systemd.
  6. Run sudo mount -a to mount all newly added entries.