In most major Linux distributions, UUIDs (Universally Unique Identifiers) are created and assigned to disk partitions during the system installation process. These UUIDs are then utilized as identifiers to mount partitions within the /etc/fstab file. This system provides a static reference to partitions, addressing the issue of potential device name changes that could invalidate the fstab entry and prevent the filesystem from mounting.
You can generate and assign UUIDs for newly created partitions or modify the UUIDs of existing partitions in Linux using the terminal.
Related: How to find disk partition UUIDs in Linux
Related: How to mount disk partition using UUID in Linux
Steps to generate and assign a disk partition UUID in Linux:
- Open the terminal application.
- Generate a new UUID by running the uuidgen command.
$ uuidgen 39ea80c4-e748-47eb-835c-64025de53e26
uuidgen is normally installed by default in most Linux systems.
You can also get UUID from /proc/sys/kernel/random/uuid.
$ cat /proc/sys/kernel/random/uuid 5c27b2b3-58f4-4469-a717-45865f517400
- Ensure that the partition you want to assign the UUID to is unmounted.
$ sudo umount /dev/sdb1
- Perform a filesystem check on the target partition.
$ sudo e2fsck -f /dev/sdb1 e2fsck 1.44.6 (5-Mar-2019) Pass 1: Checking inodes, blocks, and sizes Pass 2: Checking directory structure Pass 3: Checking directory connectivity Pass 4: Checking reference counts Pass 5: Checking group summary information /dev/sdb1: 11/1310720 files (0.0% non-contiguous), 126322/5242624 blocks
- Use the tune2fs command to assign the new UUID to the partition.
$ sudo tune2fs /dev/sdb1 -U 39ea80c4-e748-47eb-835c-64025de53e26 tune2fs 1.44.6 (5-Mar-2019) Setting the UUID on this filesystem could take some time. Proceed anyway (or wait 5 seconds to proceed) ? (y,N) y
- Verify that the UUID has been successfully assigned to the partition.
$ sudo blkid /dev/sdb1 /dev/sdb1: UUID="39ea80c4-e748-47eb-835c-64025de53e26" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="2c6a7a3a-01"

Mohd Shakir Zakaria is a skilled cloud architect with a background in development, entrepreneurship, and open-source advocacy. As the founder of Simplified Guide, he helps others understand the complexities of computing, making tech concepts accessible to all.
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