Linux mount options
The following table lists important Linux mount options.
Mount Option
Description
The Linux «auto» mount option allows the the device to be mounted automatically at bootup. The Linux «auto» mount option is the default option. You can use the «“noauto» mount option in /etc/fstab, if you don’t want the device to be mounted automatically. With the Linux noauto mount option, the device can be mounted only explicitly and later you can use «mount -a» command to mount the devices listed in Linux /etc/fstab file.
The Linux «user» mount option allows normal users to mount the device, whereas the Linux «nouser» mount option allows only the super user (root) to mount the device. «nouser» is the default mount option.
«exec» mount option allows you to execute binaries stored on that partition and «noexec» option will prevent it. «exec» is the default Linux mount option.
The Linux «ro» (Read Only) mount option is used to mount the filesystem read-only.
The Linux «rw» (Read Write) mount option is used to mount the filesystem read-write.
The «sync» mount option specifies the input and output to the filesystem is done synchronously. When you copy a file to a removable media (like floppy drive) with «sync» option set, the changes are physically written to the floppy at the same time you issue the copy command.
The «async» mount option specifies the input and output to the filesystem is done asynchronously. When you copy a file to a removable media (like floppy drive) with «async» option set, the changes are physically written to the floppy some time after issuing the copy command. If «async» option is set and if you remove the media without using the «unmount» command, some changes you made may be lost.
Uses the default options that are rw, suid, dev, exec, auto, nouser, and async. Usually the Linux operating systems use this option in /etc/fstab file.