Difference between /etc/fstab and /etc/sbtab

[Michael Busby]

If you were asked the question "What file is used by the system to automatically CHECK & MOUNT file systems on HP-UX 10.X and above? Would the answer be /etc/fstab or /etc/sbtab. I would say that because the work "CHECK" is in the question that the answer would be /etc/sbtab. I am confused about the difference between between fstab and sbtab

[Matti_Kurkela · Accepted solution]

This sounds very much like an exam question. Getting answers to exam questions from the Internet can be considered cheating. Besides, many of the people in this discussion group have got through the same exams with honest work, so there is no sympathy for freeloaders.

One common trick in multiple-choice exams is to offer two blatantly wrong choices and two that seem plausible. Of the two plausible-looking candidates, one is correct and the other is wrong, based on some minor detail.

If you're confused, pull up the man pages documenting those files. If you don't have a HP-UX machine available, use:
http://docs.hp.com/en/hpuxman_pages.html

You can even search for the word "check" in those man pages, using the "find on page" capabilities of your browser. You might also use the search engine on the top of the page if you can't find the correct man page.

If you're still confused after this, please prove us you're a honest student and not a lazy freeloader: for example, describe in your own words what you've understood about the purpose of both those files.

In this particular case, I'd say there are two valid reasons why the correct answer is what it is: one of them is a detail issue based on how the question is worded, the other is a clear-cut technical reason.

MK

[Michael Busby]

One source for the answer to the difference in /etc/fstab and /etc/sbtab can be found in "HP-UX CSA: Official Study Guide and Desk Reference" by Rafeeq Ur Rehman. Pages 513 - 520.