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Asked: 2024-09-24T12:09:15+05:30 In:

How can I automatically identify and mount devices in Ubuntu?

I’ve been diving into Ubuntu lately, and I’ve hit a bit of a snag that I’m hoping someone can help me with. So, here’s the deal: I frequently switch between different USB drives and external hard disks, often for work projects and some personal stuff too. The manual way of mounting these devices is getting really tedious, and I can’t help but wonder if there’s a smarter, more efficient way to do this.

I’ve seen a bunch of posts and tutorials, but most of them just scratch the surface without going into the details of how to automate the process. I want a solution that identifies and mounts devices automatically, so I don’t have to keep messing around in the terminal every time I plug something in. I mean, why isn’t there a built-in feature that does this, right? It seems like it would be a game changer for anyone who uses external storage frequently.

What I’m looking for is some sort of script or tool that can help with this. I’ve dabbled in Bash scripting, but I’m not completely comfortable with it. I’ve tried a few things, but I keep running into permission issues or the devices aren’t getting recognized automatically when I plug them in. It’s such a hassle to open the file manager, find the device, and click to mount it every time.

I’ve also read about udev rules and some packages that might help, but they look pretty complicated. I just want something that works seamlessly without needing me to spend hours figuring it out or breaking something in the process.

Has anyone else faced this challenge? How did you tackle it? Are there any specific tools or scripts that have worked well for you? Would love to hear your suggestions or any resources you might recommend. Thanks!

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    2 Answers



    1. Automatic Mounting of USB Drives in Ubuntu

      Automate Mounting USB Drives

      Sounds like you’ve hit a common snag that a lot of folks run into when they’re getting into Ubuntu. Lucky for you, there’s definitely a way to make things way easier with your USB drives and external hard disks!

      Using udev Rules

      Now, you mentioned udev rules, and I know it can seem a bit intimidating at first. But hang in there – it’s not as complicated as it looks! What these rules do is let your system know how to handle devices when they’re plugged in. In this case, we want it to automatically mount your drives.

      Creating a udev Rule

      1. First, open your terminal.
      2. Create a new udev rule file with this command:

        3. sudo nano /etc/udev/rules.d/99-usb-mount.rules

      3. Now, let’s add a rule! You’ll need to know the UUID of your drives. To find them, run:

        4. lsblk -o NAME,UUID

      4. Then, add the following line in the file:
        5. KERNEL=="sd*", SUBSYSTEM=="block", ENV{ID_FS_UUID}=="your-uuid-here", ACTION=="add", RUN+="/bin/mount /dev/%k /mnt/your-mount-point"
      5. Make sure to replace your-uuid-here with the actual UUID and /mnt/your-mount-point with your desired mount point.

      After setting that up, just reload the udev rules with:

      sudo udevadm control --reload-rules

      And unplug/replug your USB device to see if it works!

      Using Automount with systemd

      If you want something a bit more out-of-the-box, check out systemd automount. It’s a really nice way to handle mounts without much hassle:

      1. First, create a mount point:

        2. sudo mkdir /media/my_usb

      2. Then create a systemd service file:

        3. sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/media-my_usb.mount

      3. Here’s a simple template to get you started:
        4. [Unit]
Description=Mount USB Drive

[Mount]
What=/dev/disk/by-uuid/your-uuid-here
Where=/media/my_usb
Type=auto

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
      4. Enable and start the service:

        5. sudo systemctl enable media-my_usb.mount
        sudo systemctl start media-my_usb.mount

      Tools to Make It Easier

      If you don’t want to mess around with config files, you might want to consider tools like usbmount or even udisks. They can help automate some of that mounting stuff without custom scripts.

      Remember, a bit of trial and error is part of the learning process. Once you get your system set up for auto-mounting, you’ll wonder how you ever managed without it!

      Feel free to ask more questions if you’re still unsure, and good luck with your Ubuntu journey!



    2. If you’re looking for an automated solution for mounting external USB drives and hard disks on Ubuntu, udev rules combined with a small script might be the answer you need. Udev is a device manager for the Linux kernel that can monitor and respond to hardware events. By creating a custom udev rule, you can trigger a script every time you plug in a USB storage device. Here’s a simple way to get started: First, create a script in your home directory, let’s say `auto-mount.sh`, with the necessary commands to mount your devices. Make sure to give it executable permissions using `chmod +x ~/auto-mount.sh`. Then, create a udev rule in `/etc/udev/rules.d/` by creating a file named `99-usb-mount.rules` and adding a line that specifies which devices to listen for and the action to take (e.g., running your script). You can use the `ENV{ID_FS_TYPE}` variable to identify file types and effectively mount them automatically.

      In case you want a more user-friendly approach, there are tools available such as `udisks2` or `gtk-mount`, which are designed to simplify disk management. Udisks2 is already included in many distributions and provides a D-Bus interface for handling disks and file systems. You could leverage it in your Bash script to make the mounting process more straightforward. Also, consider using graphical utilities like `GNOME Disks` or `KDE Partition Manager`, which can automatically mount drives and create notifications when new devices are connected. These tools often come with user-friendly interfaces that minimize the need for terminal commands, making it easier for users who prefer graphical management. By exploring these methods, you should be able to achieve a more seamless experience when working with external storage in Ubuntu.


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