Archlinux VM -- Part the Fourth -- Mount Up

So, back in Part Three, we finished creating the several file-systems.

These will be the foundations on which we can build the final Arch system.

But right now, the partitioned, file-system'd drives are all still just that -- "devices". Arch just thinks about them as "things", not as "storage locations".

To have Arch make that conceptual leap, we need to mount them -- we'll have to tell Arch, "stick this drive into the directory-structure here".


So: to review our several partitions:

• /dev/sda1 -- /boot -- ext3
• /dev/sda5 -- (swap) -- swap
• /dev/sda6 -- /home -- ext4
• /dev/sda7 -- /     -- ext4
• /dev/sda8 -- /var  -- Reiser-FS

Well, if you remember from Part Three, we already activated the swap partition (with swapon) -- so let's cross that out.

• /dev/sda1 -- /boot -- ext3
• /dev/sda5 -- (swap) -- swap
• /dev/sda6 -- /home -- ext4
• /dev/sda7 -- /     -- ext4
• /dev/sda8 -- /var  -- Reiser-FS

Another thing to remember: /dev/sda7 is going to be root (/). This means that all other drives will be mounted 'inside' it -- well, inside its own directory structure. So: we need to mount this one first of all.

Now: we can't just mount /dev/sda7 into / right now -- after all, we're running Arch right now, off the CD! We'd just be replacing our filled-up directory-structure (from the CD) with an empty one (from the newly-formatted hard-disk).

The usual practice, when mounting "external" drives, is to put them under /mnt/ -- short for "mount" (get it?).

(Executing ls / lets you "list" all files and directories stored in root (/).)

As you can see, Arch comes with this location already made up, so we don't have to worry about that.

So: first things first: let's mount our soon-to-be root drive!

Execute: mount /dev/sda7 /mnt/

(I know what you're thinking, and this is exactly the opposite of a teenager: instant execution with no drama!)

Let's create mount-points and mount the remaining drives:

/dev/sda1 -- /boot

Execute:

• mkdir /mnt/boot/
• mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/boot/

/dev/sda6 -- /home

(Same as above, really.)

/dev/sda8 -- /var

(You's a smart guy, you's can figures it outs.)

So, cool! -- now our newly-partitioned and file-system'd drives are sitting pretty, virtually included in the temporary Arch system!

Now to actually install the operating-system files into that virtual location -- but that comes in Part Five ...