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Asked: 2024-09-23T19:06:36+05:30 In: ,

What are the steps to mount an SMB share on Ubuntu 18.04?

I’ve been trying to mount an SMB share on my Ubuntu 18.04 machine, and I’m feeling a bit lost. I know it’s supposed to be straightforward, but I can’t seem to get the hang of it. I would really appreciate it if anyone could break it down for me in simple steps!

Here’s what I’m dealing with: I have this shared folder on my network that I need to access, and the server is running Windows. So, I’m expecting it to be a pretty common scenario, right? I’ve heard that using the `smbclient` command can be useful, but I’m not entirely sure how to get started with that. Are there any prerequisites I should be aware of? Do I need to install anything beforehand?

I’ve also heard something about the `cifs-utils` package—do I need that to get things rolling? If so, what’s the best way to install it? And once that’s done, what’s next? Do I need to create a directory first where the share will be mounted, or does Ubuntu handle that for me?

Another thing that’s got me confused is how exactly to specify the address of the SMB share. Is it just the IP address of the server, or does it require any additional parameters? And what about credentials—do I need to include my username and password right in the command, or is there a safer way to handle that?

Lastly, once I’m done mounting it, how do I ensure that it stays mounted even after a reboot? I’ve heard there are ways to edit the `fstab` file or something like that, but I’ve never done it before, and the last thing I want is to mess up my system.

If anyone has a step-by-step guide or even just some tips from their experience, I’d be so grateful. Thanks in advance for helping me out—I’m really looking to get this working smoothly!

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    1. Mounting an SMB Share on Ubuntu 18.04

      Steps to Mount an SMB Share on Ubuntu 18.04

      Don’t worry, mounting an SMB share can be a bit tricky, but I’ll break it down for you!

      1. Install Required Packages

      First things first, make sure you have the right tools. You’ll need the cifs-utils package. Open your terminal and run:

      sudo apt update
sudo apt install cifs-utils

      2. Create a Mount Point

      You need a directory where the SMB share will be mounted. Let’s create one. Replace myshare with whatever name you prefer:

      sudo mkdir /mnt/myshare

      3. Mount the Share

      Now, to mount the share, you need to know the address of the SMB share. It usually looks like this: \\server-ip\share-name.

      Use the following command, replacing server-ip and share-name with your values. You can also use username and password directly, but it’s better to use a credentials file for security:

      sudo mount -t cifs //server-ip/share-name /mnt/myshare -o username=your-username,password=your-password

      4. Using a Credentials File (Optional, But Safer!)

      For better security, create a credentials file:

      sudo nano /etc/smbcredentials

      Then, add your username and password like this:

      username=your-username
password=your-password

      Secure the file:

      sudo chmod 600 /etc/smbcredentials

      Now, you can mount your share like this:

      sudo mount -t cifs //server-ip/share-name /mnt/myshare -o credentials=/etc/smbcredentials

      5. Auto-Mount at Boot

      If you want the share to be mounted automatically after a reboot, you’ll need to edit the fstab file:

      sudo nano /etc/fstab

      Add the following line at the end of the file:

      //server-ip/share-name /mnt/myshare cifs credentials=/etc/smbcredentials,iocharset=utf8 0 0

      Save and close the file (Ctrl + X, then Y, then Enter).

      6. Test Your Setup

      You can test the setup by unmounting and remounting the share:

      sudo umount /mnt/myshare
sudo mount -a

      If everything is done right, you should see your mounted share in the /mnt/myshare directory!

      Extra Tip

      If you run into permissions issues, you might need to add some options like uid=1000,gid=1000 in your fstab line based on your user.

      Good luck! You’re almost there!



    2. To mount an SMB share on your Ubuntu 18.04 machine, you’ll first need to install the necessary packages. Start by opening a terminal and entering the following command to install the `cifs-utils` package, which is essential for mounting SMB/CIFS shares:

      sudo apt update && sudo apt install cifs-utils

      Before mounting the share, create a local directory where the share will be mounted using:

      sudo mkdir /mnt/myshare

      Replace “myshare” with whatever name you prefer. After creating the directory, you can mount the SMB share. The syntax is:

      sudo mount -t cifs //IP_ADDRESS/SHARE_NAME /mnt/myshare -o username=YOUR_USERNAME

      You will be prompted to enter your password after running this command. To keep your credentials secure, consider creating a credentials file. Create a file (e.g., `/etc/smbcredentials`) with the following content:

      username=YOUR_USERNAME
password=YOUR_PASSWORD

      Set the right permissions for this file with:

      sudo chmod 600 /etc/smbcredentials

      Then, you can mount the share using:

      sudo mount -t cifs //IP_ADDRESS/SHARE_NAME /mnt/myshare -o credentials=/etc/smbcredentials

      To ensure the share remains mounted after a reboot, you’ll need to edit the `fstab` file. Run:

      sudo nano /etc/fstab

      And add the following line at the end of the file:

      //IP_ADDRESS/SHARE_NAME /mnt/myshare cifs credentials=/etc/smbcredentials,iocharset=utf8,sec=ntlm 0 0

      This ensures that the share is mounted automatically at boot. Save and exit, then test it by running:

      sudo mount -a

      If there are no errors, your setup is correct! You should now be able to access your SMB share seamlessly.


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