(A) Check for /etc/mtab. The file /etc/mtab must exist for the
mount command to work.
1) Log onto the system as "root".
2) Enter the line, "ls -l /etc/mtab".
The output displayed should look like this:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root sys 147 Apr 25 14:07 /etc/mtab
The size and modification date of this file will differ on your system.
If the output is "/etc/mtab not found", then, the file /etc/mtab is missing
and must be created. This series of command lines will create the file
/etc/mtab with the correct permissions and ownerships:
1) Enter the line: touch /etc/mtab
2) Enter the line: chgrp sys /etc/mtab
3) Enter the line: chmod 755 /etc/mtab
(B) Check Permissions on the file /etc/mtab.
Incorrect permissions on the file /etc/mtab could cause this error.
1) Log onto the system as "root".
2) Enter the line: ls -l /etc/mtab
The output displayed should look like this:
-rwxr-xr-x 1 root sys 147 Apr 25 14:07 /etc/mtab
The size and modification date of this file will differ on your system.
3) If the first column of the output displayed does not equal:
-rwzr-xr-x
enter the line: chmod 755 /etc/mtab
This will correct the file permissions.