@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import (

 	"encoding/json"

 	"fmt"

 	"io"

+	"os"

 	"strings"

 	"syscall"

 	"time"

@@ -258,7 +259,28 @@ func (c *containerAdapter) create(ctx context.Context) error {

 	return nil

 }

+// checkMounts ensures that the provided mounts won't have any host-specific

+// problems at start up. For example, we disallow bind mounts without an

+// existing path, which slightly different from the container API.

+func (c *containerAdapter) checkMounts() error {

+	spec := c.container.spec()

+	for _, mount := range spec.Mounts {

+		switch mount.Type {

+		case api.MountTypeBind:

+			if _, err := os.Stat(mount.Source); os.IsNotExist(err) {

+				return fmt.Errorf("invalid bind mount source, source path not found: %s", mount.Source)

+			}

+		}

+	}

+

+	return nil

+}

+

 func (c *containerAdapter) start(ctx context.Context) error {

+	if err := c.checkMounts(); err != nil {

+		return err

+	}

+

 	return c.backend.ContainerStart(c.container.name(), nil, "", "")

 }

@@ -2,7 +2,6 @@ package container

 import (

 	"fmt"

-	"os"

 	"path/filepath"

 	"github.com/docker/swarmkit/api"

@@ -24,9 +23,6 @@ func validateMounts(mounts []api.Mount) error {

 			if !filepath.IsAbs(mount.Source) {

 				return fmt.Errorf("invalid bind mount source, must be an absolute path: %s", mount.Source)

 			}

-			if _, err := os.Stat(mount.Source); os.IsNotExist(err) {

-				return fmt.Errorf("invalid bind mount source, source path not found: %s", mount.Source)

-			}

 		case api.MountTypeVolume:

 			if filepath.IsAbs(mount.Source) {

 				return fmt.Errorf("invalid volume mount source, must not be an absolute path: %s", mount.Source)

@@ -42,10 +42,10 @@ func TestControllerValidateMountBind(t *testing.T) {

 	// with non-existing source

 	if _, err := newTestControllerWithMount(api.Mount{

 		Type:   api.MountTypeBind,

-		Source: "/some-non-existing-host-path/",

+		Source: testAbsNonExistent,

 		Target: testAbsPath,

-	}); err == nil || !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "invalid bind mount source") {

-		t.Fatalf("expected  error, got: %v", err)

+	}); err != nil {

+		t.Fatalf("controller should not error at creation: %v", err)

 	}

 	// with proper source

@@ -3,5 +3,6 @@

 package container

 const (

-	testAbsPath = "/foo"

+	testAbsPath        = "/foo"

+	testAbsNonExistent = "/some-non-existing-host-path/"

 )

@@ -1,5 +1,8 @@

+// +build windows

+

 package container

 const (

-	testAbsPath = `c:\foo`

+	testAbsPath        = `c:\foo`

+	testAbsNonExistent = `c:\some-non-existing-host-path\`

 )