# Mounting Block Volume

#### I. Mounting a Brand New Block Volume

When mounting a brand-new block device (without any data), follow these steps:

**1. Check the Current Block Devices**

Before mounting, confirm the block devices already present on the system.

```
lsblk
```

Use `lsblk` to view all block devices and their mount statuses, for example `/dev/vdb`.

***

**2. Format the Block Device**

Use the code below to format your block device:

```
mkfs.ext4 /dev/<TARGET>
```

* `<TARGET>`: name of the block device, e.g., `vdb`
* Example file system: `ext4`
* ❗️ If the device already contains data, **do not** format it or data would be lost.

***

#### II. Mounting an Existing Block Volume with Data

Whether the device is newly formatted or contains existing data, **the following steps for mounting are the same.**

**1. Verify the Block Device Name**

After successfully mounting, the block device typically appears as something like:

```
/dev/vdb
```

**2. Create a Mount Directory**

Create a directory to mount the disk:

```
mkdir /mnt/<DIR_NAME>
```

* `<DIR_NAME>`: The name of the directory you wish to use, e.g., `data`.

**3. Mount the Block Device**

Mount the block device to the specified directory:

```
mount /dev/<TARGET> /mnt/<DIR_NAME>
```

e.g.

```
mount /dev/vdb /mnt/data
```

***

#### III. (Recommended) Configure Auto-Mount on Boot

To ensure the Block Volume is automatically mounted after system reboots, add it to the `/etc/fstab` file.

**Add fstab Configuration**

```
echo "/dev/<TARGET> /mnt/<DIR_NAME> ext4 defaults,nofail 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
```

e.g.

```
echo "/dev/vdb /mnt/data ext4 defaults,nofail 0 0" >> /etc/fstab
```

| **PARAMETER** | **DESCRIPTION**                                                    |
| ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------ |
| **defaults**  | Use default mount parameters                                       |
| **nofail**    | Even if the disk does not exist, it does not affect system startup |
| **0 0**       | Do not perform **dump** and **fsck** checks                        |


---

# Agent Instructions: Querying This Documentation

If you need additional information that is not directly available in this page, you can query the documentation dynamically by asking a question.

Perform an HTTP GET request on the current page URL with the `ask` query parameter:

```
GET https://docs.yottalabs.ai/products/virtual-machines/mounting-block-volume.md?ask=<question>
```

The question should be specific, self-contained, and written in natural language.
The response will contain a direct answer to the question and relevant excerpts and sources from the documentation.

Use this mechanism when the answer is not explicitly present in the current page, you need clarification or additional context, or you want to retrieve related documentation sections.