Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!rpi!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!uakari.primate.wisc.edu!uflorida!mlb.semi.harris.com!thrush.mlb.semi.harris.com!del From: del@thrush.mlb.semi.harris.com (Don Lewis) Newsgroups: comp.unix.questions Subject: Re: Why /etc/mtab? (was: Example modification of /etc/mtab wanted) Message-ID: <1990Jun6.024114.3891@mlb.semi.harris.com> Date: 6 Jun 90 02:41:14 GMT References: <1918@aurora.cs.athabascau.ca> <1929@aurora.cs.athabascau.ca> Sender: news@mlb.semi.harris.com Organization: Harris Semiconductor, Melbourne FL Lines: 17 In article <1929@aurora.cs.athabascau.ca> lyndon@cs.AthabascaU.CA (Lyndon Nerenberg) writes: >BTW - I like the idea of implementing /etc/mtab as /dev/mtab. The big >problem I have with /etc/mtab is that it is usually completely out of >sync with respect to the contents of the kernel's mount tables (primarily >due to NFS failures). In these days of almost-reliable network file >systems, I don't think we should be second guessing in user space something >as intimately related to the kernel as the mount table. It is also hard to keep /etc/mtab up to date, if you boot up single user and your root filesystem is mounted read-only. On the other hand, nfs mounts store hostname:remote path in /etc/mtab, but store a socket address and file handle in the kernel mount table. -- Don "Truck" Lewis Harris Semiconductor Internet: del@mlb.semi.harris.com PO Box 883 MS 62A-028 Phone: (407) 729-5205 Melbourne, FL 32901