[KLUG Members] fstab Label option

[Bob Kanaley]

> > This was the first fstab that I had seen that used the 
> LABEL=/XXX instead of
> > the /dev/hdX# that I am used to using. Apparently fstab 
> lets you can mix and
> > match, so I am OK with that.
> 
> the -L option of mkfs.ext2/ext3/xfs lets you specify a labelm so
> somthing like "mkfs -L mail /dev/hda9" is legit.
> 
> > I just don't understand how you can use a label without 
> somehow passing the
> > device file. I.E., how does LABEL=/ specify that the device 
> file to be
> > mounted as root is /dev/hda1 and not /dev/sda1?
> 
> Very early in the boot process the paritions of type known too the
> Kernel will be enumerated and their labels read if possible.  
> Then Label
> = partition is just a map.
> 
> This is *wonderful* for larger systems where drives may be
> removed/added, since that would muck up things like /dev/sdc4 when it
> became /dev/sdd4 when a disk is added.
> 
> You can use findfs to poke around
> 
> [root@estate2 root]# findfs LABEL=/boot
> /dev/hda1
> 
> Just don't create two partitions with the same label.
> 

kewl. 

You are the Guru.

Bob

Robert V. Kanaley
Manager Information Systems
Agdia, Inc.
rvk@agdia.com
http://www.agdia.com