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srdjanm

Member

Registered: 2024-08-03

Posts: 14

[Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

While I was working to recover due to latest kernel issue of some sort, I've changed options to "default" for EFI System partition, so my /etc/fstab line is now:

# /dev/nvme0n1p1
UUID=C8CE-AB54          /boot           vfat            defaults        0 2

Before that change, instead of "defaults" it was something like:
rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=iso8859-1,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro

Does that make any difference and if so, how can I set that back if possible?

Last edited by srdjanm (2024-08-20 05:41:33)

astralc

Member

Registered: 2022-09-17

Posts: 127

Re: [Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

do set it back just... set it to the previous value?
check what is the defaults  - you can check the "mount" command after mounting, and the "mount(8)" man page

stanczew

Member

Registered: 2021-03-02

Posts: 114

Re: [Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

My entry for the EFI partition:

UUID=[...]  /boot  vfat  defaults  0 2

It results in the following mount options:

$ mount | grep /boot
/dev/nvme0n1p1 on /boot type vfat (rw,relatime,fmask=0022,dmask=0022,codepage=437,iocharset=ascii,shortname=mixed,utf8,errors=remount-ro)

Does that make any difference (...)?

No – unless the defaults change. But I assume that you didn't set those options yourself, and that they were the defaults at the point of installation. In which case it makes more sense to just write "defaults" in fstab. (Unless you know you need some non-default options, then just set those and leave out the rest.)

srdjanm

Member

Registered: 2024-08-03

Posts: 14

Re: [Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

No, I didn't change anything, as you already assumed quite right. So, it's turned out that "default" statement make more sense as you said and I agree with it.

Now, if I understand you completely, in order to add additional options if needed, it should look like: "defaults, additional options...", which makes the syntax much cleaner and shorter at the end?

loqs

Member

Registered: 2014-03-06

Posts: 18,869

Re: [Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

From mount.8#FILESYSTEM-INDEPENDENT_MOUNT_OPTIONS

defaults
Use the default options: rw, suid, dev, exec, auto, nouser, and async.
Note that the real set of all default mount options depends on the kernel and filesystem type. See the beginning of this section for more details.

fstab fields are separated by tabs or spaces,  the fourth field (fs_mntops)  needs to be a comma-separated list of options with no whitespace so

defaults, additional options...

would treat addition options as the fifth field.

OpusOne

Member

Registered: 2023-05-31

Posts: 186

Re: [Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

I personally add the "noauto" option. I only ever mount the EFI partition manually if I need to update anything on it, otherwise I prefer leaving it unmounted.

srdjanm

Member

Registered: 2024-08-03

Posts: 14

Re: [Solved] /etc/fstab options for EFI System partition

Thank you all very much!