mount

file system To make a file system available for access.

Unix does this by associating the file system with a

directory (the "mount point") within a currently mounted

file system. The "root" file system is mounted on the rootdirectory, "/" early in the boot sequence. "mount" is also

the Unix command to do this, "unmount" breaks the

association.

E.g., "mount attaches a named file system to the file system

hierarchy at the pathname location directory [...]" -- Unixmanual page mount(8).

File systems are usually mounted either at boot time under

control of /etc/rc (or one of its subfiles) or on demand by

an automounter daemon.

Other operating systems such as VMS and DOS mount file

systems as separate directory hierarchies without any common

ancestor or root directory.

Apparently derived from the physical sense of "mount" meaning

"attach", as in "head-mounted display", or "set up", as in

"always mount a scratch monkey, etc."

Unix manual page: mount(8).

(1997-04-14)