Linux Change Disk Label Name on EXT2 / EXT3 / EXT4 File Systems

How can I modify partition labels on a Linux operating systems? How to change disk name on the ext4 file system on a Ubuntu Linux using command line?

You need to use the e2label command to set a text label to your disk drive partitions and then refer to them in the /etc/fstab file. The e2label command must be run as root user. Normal users can not modify partition label for security reasons.

Syntax

Use the following syntax to display or change the filesystem label on the ext2, ext3, or ext4 filesystem located on device.

e2label /dev/device
e2label /dev/device new-label-name-here

Label limitations Ext2 filesystem labels can be at most 16 characters long; if new-label-name-here is longer than 16 characters, e2label will truncate it and print a warning message on screen.

View the label of partition To see the label of partition called /dev/sda5, type:

e2label /dev/sda5

Sample outputs:

Modify partition labels / Change disk name To add or change the label of partition /dev/sda1 to "Webserver", enter:

$ sudo e2label /dev/sda1 Webserver

OR

# e2label /dev/sda1 Webserver

To verify new changes, type:

# e2label /dev/sda1 
Webserver

Mount file system by label at Linux server boot time

The /dev/sda1 partition can be mounted by label at server boot time at /wwwdata location. Edit the /etc/fstab file, enter:

$ sudo vi /etc/fstab

Set or update it as follows:

LABEL=Webserver /wwwdata              ext4    defaults        1 2

Save and close the file. You can also use the mount command as follows:

mount -L label_name_here /path/to/mount/point