Managing Linux Storage Devices

Device Files in /dev

In Linux, storage drives are represented as files within the /dev directory. For example, the first drive is typically /dev/sda, and its first partition is /dev/sda1.

Persistent Naming in /dev/disk

The /dev/disk directory provides more persistent ways to identify disks and partitions, using symbolic links that point to the correct device files. These include:

• by-label : Uses user-specified names for identification.
• by-uuid : Utilizes universally unique identifiers.
• by-partlabel and by-partuuid : For GPT-specific labels and UUIDs.
• by-id : Based on hardware serial numbers.
• by-path : Depends on the device's connection to the system.

For persistent identification, by-label or by-uuid are often the best choices.

Mounting Block Devices

To use a filesystem, it must be mounted, or attached, to the existing directory tree of the Linux system. This is done by linking a formatted partition or drive to a directory, after which the drive's contents become accessible from that location.

Recommended Mount Points

• Temporary filesystems: Use /mnt or its subdirectories.
• Permanent storage: No standard recommendation, but /mnt or its subdirectories are commonly used.

Making Mounts Permanent with /etc/fstab

The /etc/fstab file is used to define filesystems that should be automatically mounted at boot. Each line in this file specifies a different filesystem, its mount point, format, and mount options.