In Unix, files on a file-system are accessible before mouting ?
-
Yes, they are visible
-
No, files are not visible before mouting
-
Sometimes they are visible
-
It depends on booting option
-
It depends on file system
In Unix/Linux, files on a filesystem are not accessible until the filesystem is mounted to a directory in the directory tree. Mounting attaches the filesystem to the directory structure, making its contents visible and accessible. Before mounting, the files exist on disk but cannot be accessed through normal file operations.
In Unix-like systems, a filesystem's files and directories only become part of the visible directory tree once that filesystem is mounted onto a mount point. Before mounting, the device or partition exists but its contents are not exposed anywhere in the accessible namespace, so users and programs simply cannot see or reach those files.