In Unix-like systems, a mount point serves as the access gateway for filesystems. Think of it like a USB port on your computer - you need the physical connector (directory) before plugging in the device (mounting the share). The directory acts as:

• A namespace entry in the filesystem hierarchy
• A container for filesystem metadata
• An anchor point for the mounted filesystem's root

When you execute:

mkdir /mnt/share
mount -t nfs server:/path /mnt/share

The kernel performs these operations:

1. Checks directory existence via VFS (Virtual File System)
2. Validates mount permissions (requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN)
3. Registers the new filesystem in the kernel's mount table
4. Attaches the remote filesystem to the directory's inode

Different protocol examples:

# NFSv4 Example
mkdir /data/nfs
mount -t nfs4 nfs-server:/exports /data/nfs

# SMB/CIFS Example
mkdir /mnt/win_share
mount -t cifs //server/share /mnt/win_share -o username=user,password=pass

# AFP (Apple Filing Protocol)
mkdir /Volumes/TimeMachine
mount_afp afp://user:pass@timecapsule.local/Backups /Volumes/TimeMachine

The Unix philosophy explains this design:

• Explicit over implicit behavior
• Failure visibility (mkdir might fail separately)
• Permission separation (mkdir vs mount privileges)
• Prevents accidental mounts to wrong locations

For automation scenarios, consider these approaches:

# Conditional directory creation
[ ! -d "/mnt/auto" ] && mkdir -p /mnt/auto

# Systemd automount example (in .mount unit file)
[Unit]
Description=Automount NFS Share
[Mount]
What=nfs-server:/export
Where=/mnt/auto
Type=nfs
Options=auto,soft

When mounts fail after directory creation:

1. Verify directory permissions (usually 755)
2. Check for existing files (mounts fail on non-empty dirs)
3. Confirm parent directory existence
4. Test with absolute paths

In Unix-like systems, mounting requires an existing directory as an access point because:

The mount operation replaces the directory's existing contents with the new filesystem's root
The directory serves as a placeholder that will be "covered" by the mounted filesystem
This design maintains namespace consistency across the filesystem hierarchy



Different mounting scenarios all follow this pattern:


# NFS Mount Example
mkdir /mnt/nfs_share
mount -t nfs 192.168.1.100:/export/data /mnt/nfs_share

# SMB/CIFS Example
mkdir /media/windows_share
mount -t cifs //server/share /media/windows_share -o username=user,password=pass

# SSHFS Example
mkdir ~/remote_files
sshfs user@remotehost:/path ~/remote_files

The Linux VFS (Virtual Filesystem Switch) layer treats mount points as special directory inodes that:

Must exist before mounting
Become "hidden" when the new filesystem is mounted over them
Reappear when the filesystem is unmounted

When dealing with automounting or scripts:

#!/bin/bash
# Safe mounting pattern
MOUNT_POINT="/Volumes/network_drive"
[ -d "$MOUNT_POINT" ] || mkdir -p "$MOUNT_POINT"
mount -t afp afp://user:pass@server/share "$MOUNT_POINT"

For ephemeral mounts, consider:

# Using mktemp for disposable mount points
TMP_MOUNT=$(mktemp -d)
mount -t tmpfs none "$TMP_MOINT"
# ... use the mount ...
umount "$TMP_MOUNT" && rmdir "$TMP_MOUNT"

This approach ensures proper cleanup of temporary mount points while maintaining filesystem integrity.