What is wrong with my fstab

[Bernouilli]

Hello,

I really can't mount my partitions as an normal user.
I added umask and users option.

When I mount a partition i get no errors, but the directory is empty.
I umounted first.

Could somebody tell me a solution?

Here is my fstab:

#
# /etc/fstab
# Created by anaconda on Sat Jan 30 18:30:30 2010
#
# Accessible filesystems, by reference, are maintained under '/dev/disk'
# See man pages fstab(5), findfs(8), mount(8) and/or blkid(8) for more info
#
UUID=90eaae24-52cc-4475-98d1-415ee915f9c2 /                       ext3    defaults        1 1
UUID=29b98ad2-2357-4cce-822c-668de4a449bd swap                    swap    defaults        0 0
tmpfs                   /dev/shm                tmpfs   defaults        0 0
devpts                  /dev/pts                devpts  gid=5,mode=620  0 0
sysfs                   /sys                    sysfs   defaults        0 0
proc                    /proc                   proc    defaults        0 0
/dev/sda1               /mnt/vista              ntfs    ro,noauto,users,exec,umask=0222         0 0
/dev/sda5               /mnt/vistadata          ntfs    ro,noauto,users,exec,umask=0222         0 0
/dev/sda2               /mnt/hptools            fat32   ro,noauto                               0 0
/dev/sda6               /mnt/fatRW              fat32   rw,noauto,users,exec,umask=0000         0 0
/dev/sdb1               /mnt/externeRO          ntfs    ro,noauto,users,exec,umask=0222         0 0

[jenaniston]

I really can't mount my partitions as an normal user.
I added umask and users option.

When I mount a partition i get no errors, but the directory is empty. . . .

I'll be making my fstab config change (just to stop automatic filesystem check)
for a "jerry-rig" USB Ubuntu9.04 full install OS again in a bit . . .
it is all to run on a broken laptop to rescue files . . .
I need to mount the primary partition with XP OS that crashed . . .
the extended logical partition without OS can mount - primary partition can NOT.

Anyhoo . . . I'll definitely be interested in this thread . . .
and from my perspective at least, wonder and first ask . . .

what fstype are you trying to mount (the one with "no directory") ?

How are you mounting (trying to mount I mean) with that fstype type -t option . . . ?
(I am reading about some ways to maybe try for that -t option with "sick" partitions like my laptop).

And, I'd compare how parted and, say, sfdisk -l see that fstype -
as in my particular case - running a laptop off a USB OS looking at a broken hard drive -
parted and sfdisk see the filesystem type different -
and I'll be experimenting with the mount -t <filetype> a bit.

I do know parted utility may be able to "fix" a partition filesystem . . . well at least it can resize.

So maybe fstab is the wrong tree to be barking up ? . . . I dunno.
I do hope this stirs some useful ideas to start troubleshooting anyhow.

[MikeTbob]

Can ypu post the commands that you used please? And the output of these commands.

fdisk -l

mount

ls /mnt

[jenaniston]

. . . I mount a partition . . . the directory is empty.

#
# /etc/fstab

# Accessible filesystems . . .
/dev/sda1               /mnt/vista              ntfs    ro,noauto,users,exec,umask=0222         0 0
/dev/sda5               /mnt/vistadata          ntfs    ro,noauto,users,exec,umask=0222         0 0
/dev/sda2               /mnt/hptools            fat32   ro,noauto                               0 0
/dev/sda6               /mnt/fatRW              fat32   rw,noauto,users,exec,umask=0000         0 0
/dev/sdb1               /mnt/externeRO          ntfs    ro,noauto,users,exec,umask=0222         0 0

Just as further food for thought - and most all of us and you may recognize already -
we really mount filesystems.

This is most obvious when a filesystem of a live version of an operating systems gets mounted . . .
it is apart from the actual partition (CD or USB typically) the files may actual be on.

Since the filesystems are listed in your fstab . . . I am pretty sure you'll be in good enough shape.

Good luck.

[Bernouilli]

Below you see the order of commands I use.
At the end there is the output of the fdisk -l command.

As you see, I first mount as user, nothing happens.
Then I mount as root, and it's ok.

[Matthias@laptopmatthias mnt]$ ls
boot  externeRO  externeRW  fatRW  hptools  vista  vistadata
[Matthias@laptopmatthias mnt]$ mount /mnt/vistadata/
[Matthias@laptopmatthias mnt]$ ls vistadata/
[Matthias@laptopmatthias mnt]$ su
Password: 
[root@laptopmatthias mnt]# mount vistadata/
[root@laptopmatthias mnt]# ls vista
vista/     vistadata/ 
[root@laptopmatthias mnt]# ls vistadata/
Boeken             My Sharing Folders.lnk  System Volume Information
desktop.ini        NetBeansProjects        The KMPlayer
Downloads          Remote Assistance Logs  Visual Studio 2008
LAN                School
My Received Files  stuff
[root@laptopmatthias mnt]# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/sda: 320.1 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xca0aca0a

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sda1               1       14023   112639716    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda2           38783       38913     1052257+   c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
/dev/sda3           14024       25120    89136652+   5  Extended
/dev/sda4   *       25121       38782   109740015   83  Linux
/dev/sda5           14024       23202    73730286    7  HPFS/NTFS
/dev/sda6           23203       24604    11261533+   b  W95 FAT32
/dev/sda7           24605       25120     4144738+  82  Linux swap / Solaris

Partition table entries are not in disk order
[root@laptopmatthias mnt]#

[MikeTbob]

In /etc/fstab, try changing users to user, see if that helps.

[Bernouilli]

nope doesn't work

[MikeTbob]

What happens if you try to mount it this way?

mount -t ntfs-3g /dev/sda5 /mnt/vistadata -o defaults,umask=0

[Bernouilli]

When I do that, I get error: only root can use mount.

It would be really nice if a normal user could do this, because
this laptop is used for more then 1 person.

I think we need to search for another solution:

When I do mount /mnt/vistadata as root: than it's works fine.
So I think we can conclude that de fstab is mostly correct.

But as normal user, nothing happens, it must be one of the options?
I tried, users, user, umask,dmaks,fmask.

Do I have to set perimissions on the /mnt/vistadata too?

Edit: the ntfs partitions only have to be read only, so it's type ntfs right?

[MikeTbob]

Yes, only root can issue that command, but the permissions will be for everyone to read and write, which you can change to read only if you want.