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Asked: 2024-09-25T14:42:17+05:30 In:

How can I create a mount point in Ubuntu if it isn’t already present?

I’m trying to set up a new drive on my Ubuntu system, and I’ve hit a bit of a snag. I want to create a mount point for it, but I’m unsure how to go about it, especially since it seems that the mount point I need isn’t already there. I’ve dealt with some basic commands before, but this has me scratching my head.

So, here’s what I’ve got: I added a new hard drive, and when I checked the storage with `lsblk`, the drive shows up. The problem is that I need a specific directory to mount this drive, and as far as I can tell, it’s not created yet, or maybe I just can’t find it. I read somewhere that I should create a directory in `/mnt` (like `/mnt/mydrive`) or maybe even under `/media`, but I don’t want to mess things up.

Now, my question is: how exactly do I create this mount point? I mean, I know I should probably use the `mkdir` command, but I’m not entirely sure about the syntax or if I should set any specific permissions afterward. Do I need to do anything special to ensure that it the new mount point works properly? And once I do have the mount point set up, what’s the next step? How do I get the drive to mount there? I’ve heard about editing the fstab file for automatic mounting, which sounds a bit intimidating.

Could anyone walk me through the steps in a way that doesn’t require me to have a PhD in computer science? I’d really appreciate any tips or advice from those who’ve been there before. If you could include some examples or even explain any potential pitfalls I should watch out for, that would be amazing too. I just want to make sure I’m not doing anything that would screw up my system, given that I’m still getting the hang of Ubuntu. Thanks for any help you can offer!

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    2 Answers

    1. To create a mount point for your new hard drive on Ubuntu, you can follow these steps. First, you’ll want to decide where to create the mount point. While both `/mnt` and `/media` are valid locations, it is common to create user-custom directories under `/mnt` for this purpose. You can create the directory using the `mkdir` command. For example, to create a directory named `mydrive` in `/mnt`, open your terminal and run:

      sudo mkdir /mnt/mydrive

      Make sure to use `sudo` as this command requires root privileges. After creating the directory, it’s a good idea to set the appropriate permissions so that your user can access the mounted drive. You can change the ownership of the new mount point by running:

      sudo chown : /mnt/mydrive

      Replace `` with your actual username. Once that’s done, you can mount the drive temporarily by using the `mount` command:

      sudo mount /dev/sdXn /mnt/mydrive

      Replace `/dev/sdXn` with the actual device identifier for your new drive, which you can find using `lsblk`. To ensure that the drive mounts automatically at boot, you will need to edit the `/etc/fstab` file. First, make a backup of the file with:

      sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak

      Then you can edit it using a text editor like nano:

      sudo nano /etc/fstab

      Add the following line at the end of the file:

      /dev/sdXn /mnt/mydrive ext4 defaults 0 2

      Make sure the filesystem type (ext4 in this example) matches your drive’s filesystem. After editing, save and exit the editor. To test your configuration, run:

      sudo mount -a

      If no errors appear, your drive is set up correctly. Upon rebooting, your drive should mount automatically under `/mnt/mydrive`. Always double-check for typos in the `fstab` file, as incorrect entries can prevent the system from booting properly.



    2. How to Create a Mount Point for Your New Drive in Ubuntu

      Creating a Mount Point for Your New Drive on Ubuntu

      So you’ve got a new hard drive installed and it shows up with lsblk, but you need to create a mount point for it. No worries! Here’s a simple way to go about it.

      Step 1: Choose a Directory for Your Mount Point

      You can create a mount point either in /mnt or /media. Let’s go with /mnt/mydrive as an example.

      Step 2: Create the Mount Point

      Open your terminal and run the following command to create the directory:

      sudo mkdir /mnt/mydrive

      Here’s what’s happening:

      • sudo gives you superuser permissions because you’re making a change to the system directories.
      • mkdir is the command to make a new directory.

      Step 3: Set Permissions (Optional)

      If you want to ensure that your user account has permissions to access this mount point, you can set the ownership:

      sudo chown $USER:$USER /mnt/mydrive

      This way, you can easily access the drive without any permission issues.

      Step 4: Mounting the Drive

      Now that you’ve created the mount point, you need to mount the drive. First, check which device your new drive is using with lsblk. It will look something like /dev/sdb1. Once you have that, you can mount it:

      sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydrive

      Just replace /dev/sdb1 with your actual device name.

      Step 5: Automatic Mounting (Optional)

      If you want your drive to mount automatically every time you boot up, you’ll need to edit the /etc/fstab file. But be careful here; it can make your system unbootable if not done right!

      To edit fstab, first back it up:

      sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.bak

      Then open it with a text editor:

      sudo nano /etc/fstab

      Add the following line at the end:

      /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydrive ext4 defaults 0 2

      Make sure to change ext4 to whatever file system your drive is using (like ntfs or vfat if it's a Windows-formatted drive).

      Step 6: Test the fstab Entry

      After saving the file, it’s good to test if everything works without rebooting. Run this command:

      sudo mount -a

      If you see no errors, you’re good to go!

      Potential Pitfalls

      • Double-check your drive's file system type before adding it to fstab.
      • Always backup fstab before making changes to it.
      • If your system doesn’t boot, just boot into recovery mode and restore the backup of fstab.

      And that’s it! You’ve created a mount point and are ready to use your new drive. Good luck!


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