Unix operating system, only a single directory tree structure, the top level of the directory tree is / , all accessible documents must be associated with the directory tree structure. This and Windows operating systems, Windows, each hard drive has its own directory tree structure, for example D:\workspace\algorithm , C:\Users the case.
Mount (mount) a device of this action is to associate it with the tree a specific location, so the operating system can start to find this just added to the device from the root directory to access files within the device's data . (It should be noted that the device refers to here is, can mean both usb, so the actual device CD-ROM, the operating system may be a directory). For example, when the system starts, a particular storage device (commonly referred to as the partition root) will be associated with the root of the tree, in other words, the root area to mount / the.
Another example, now you want to access data stored on the U disk, operating system, what exactly happened? According to said earlier, in order to make the operating system to find it, we must mount a usb to the next location in the directory tree structure (for example, /media/usb/), usb device is a hypothesis /dev/usb , then the usb into the computer when the corresponding execution of command is:
mount /dev/usb /media/usb
After this command line, usb files visible to the operating system, and such a file in usb is located /dir/hello.txt, then the corresponding path that is accessible to the operating system / media / usb / dir / hello . TXT. When removing the usb, executed umount /dev/usb , or umount /media/usb (both are possible)
Mounting applies to anything that is made accessible as files, not just actual storage devices such as Linux systems have a special file system (referred to as proc filesystem) is mounted in. /proc Directory, the file system is no real storage devices: /proc file directory holds some of the information stored in the running process. (Proc can see on before writing the article)