Mount - is that like "Open?"

[teenytinylinuxgrl]

Okay, I know this is really a n00bie question and I know I'll sound silly, but hey... I'm silly anyway so what the heck:

What does "mount" mean? Is that like "to open" or "to engage?" Or to mount like a horse or something?

When my Ubuntu was installed (for me by someone else) all the partitions were set up for me (10 GB "/", 1 GB "swap" and the rest "/home"). But I see that term "mount" used to describe more than just partitions. Sometimes I only get confused the more I read, lol. The language is so different!

Thanks,
Amy

[lomcevak]

The word 'mount' as it is used by computer operating systems like Linux means 'to make available for use'. In your post you mention the partitions on your system. Those partitions aren't available until you mount them.

When you boot your computer the operating system knows which partitions to mount by looking at file /etc/fstab.

Hope that helps.

[bigtomrodney]

In Unix and Linux, everything is a file, including directories. Each device/filesystem has to be available through a file (or more specifically in this case, a directory). You need to make the filesystem available to you by mounting or "joining" it to a directory.

Think of Linux as being an airport and each directory is a gangway. Your partition is like an airplane and giving the mount command is like telling the plane it can connect to the airport, via the gangway. You can now move your passengers - data - freely between the airport and the airplanes.

Eh, I think I made it more complicated haha.

[teenytinylinuxgrl]

Okaaaay, I think. Since nothing's going wrong I guess everything that needs to mount or be mounted is doing so already anyway. I was just curious about that. Y'know what might be a good idea is a glossary of Linux terms on the site that we can refer to. But you guys probably already thought of that... I'm going to go look for it.

Thank you again,
Amy

[DeadH34d]

In Unix and Linux, everything is a file, including directories. Each device/filesystem has to be available through a file (or more specifically in this case, a directory). You need to make the filesystem available to you by mounting or "joining" it to a directory.

Think of Linux as being an airport and each directory is a gangway. Your partition is like an airplane and giving the mount command is like telling the plane it can connect to the airport, via the gangway. You can now move your passengers - data - freely between the airport and the airplanes.

Eh, I think I made it more complicated haha.

Haha, makes perfect sense.

[teenytinylinuxgrl]

I found a glossary here! I knew it... Please forgive me for not looking for that first. Mods, feel free to delete my little waste of everyone's time <hides reddening face behind hands>.

Embarrassed,
Amy

[hazel]

I found a glossary here! I knew it... Please forgive me for not looking for that first. Mods, feel free to delete my little waste of everyone's time <hides reddening face behind hands>.

Embarrassed,
Amy

Don't be daft! You're never going to learn anything if you don't ask questions. That's what Linux is about. I'm over sixty and still asking.