After kernel 2.6.20 newer kernel now call Pata disk the same device name convention as a SCSI, Sata or USB hard disk.
Thus depending on the number of hard disks and the ways they are connected the device names sda, sdb, sdc, sdd, sde, sdf etc are no longer unique.
Therefore Ubuntu started using the "by-uuid" convention for partitions while Suse opted for the "by-id" method. Users should not be discouraged by the change as sda, sdb, sdc etc are still supported and can be used. The by-uuid and by-id names are listed in the /dev/disk directory giving the equivalent in the normal Linux device names (like /dev/sda3). I change them whenever I see fit.
Red Hat family distro has for years been using the "by-label" convention so why single out the by-uuid or the by-id method.
The by-id, by-uuid and by label device names are unique and generated when a filing system is created in the partition. Their usage is to get over the problem associated with the above unified hard disk name change. As an example I have one IDE controller, 6 Sata ports, 4 USB ports and one eSata. Any one of them can be arranged to take the sad position.
Time will tell if such change can be accepted by the majority of the Linux users.
Here is an example of my Ubuntu's /dev/disk/by-uuid & by-id
Code:
saikee@saikee-desktop:~$ ls /dev/disk
by-id by-label by-path by-uuid
saikee@saikee-desktop:~$ ls -l /dev/disk/by-uuid
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 069ce272-bd3d-4926-baf3-3a63793fad25 -> ../../sda7
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 0e0848ec-89a0-485b-9a3d-ddf9d6bfcf9a -> ../../sda9
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 16B834B1B83490EB -> ../../sda2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 19edef3e-93d7-4070-95f1-ad53aa496720 -> ../../sda4
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 1aabd35f-c600-4d4f-aaa0-f3c69c5f3fe3 -> ../../sda14
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 3b1c14a3-0196-4998-8d37-937a727dc74c -> ../../sda15
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 449f552a-b7c8-4a1b-906a-034e7915e5af -> ../../sda12
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 4707-9EB3 -> ../../sdb1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 6da97301-a9a4-401c-a653-4302660cf5bc -> ../../sda8
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 80db91a1-b3f2-42b2-b3a2-9cb6e5f71b8b -> ../../sda6
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 81a286b3-92cf-4fac-a8ed-041977509a7c -> ../../sda5
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 af68ab15-7c88-4a09-8e0e-3bbe9e056c45 -> ../../sda10
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 b060bb73-bf7d-40a9-ae81-883829e87e7c -> ../../sda13
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 ca1050f1-9511-4fd7-8ed8-ea312fb05f7b -> ../../sda11
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 D4E0E31EE0E30598 -> ../../sda1
saikee@saikee-desktop:~$ ls -l /dev/disk/by-id
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511 -> ../../sda
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part1 -> ../../sda1
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part10 -> ../../sda10
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part11 -> ../../sda11
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part12 -> ../../sda12
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part13 -> ../../sda13
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part14 -> ../../sda14
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 11 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part15 -> ../../sda15
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part2 -> ../../sda2
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part3 -> ../../sda3
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part4 -> ../../sda4
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part5 -> ../../sda5
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part6 -> ../../sda6
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part7 -> ../../sda7
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part8 -> ../../sda8
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 scsi-1ATA_WDC_WD5000AAKS-00TMA0_WD-WCAPW0401511-part9 -> ../../sda9
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 9 2007-10-10 01:08 usb-Lexar_JD_Lightning_33000001937000000108-0:0 -> ../../sdb
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 10 2007-10-10 01:08 usb-Lexar_JD_Lightning_33000001937000000108-0:0-part1 -> ../../sdb1
saikee@saikee-desktop:~$
On the Linux terminal editor vi I have this to say
vi is available in most Linux. It is a bit foreign to newcomers but hell in essence one only needs to know "x" to delete a character, "dd" to delete a line", "i" for insertion, "Esc" to stop insertion, ":w" to save and ":q" to quit.
Many distros supply nano which list the commands at the bottom screen.
In root console a user can also use the
graphic editor in Gnome with "
gedit <filename>" or in KDE with "
kwrite <filename>".
Thus if one starts to use the system then things get easier with time.