How to Mount a Disk and Manage Linux Partitions? Print

Introduction

Mounting disks and managing partitions are essential tasks in Linux system administration. This guide provides detailed steps and commands for various Linux distributions to help you mount disks, create partitions, and manage your storage effectively.

Prerequisites

• Root or sudo privileges.
• Basic understanding of Linux terminal commands.
• Disk or partition to work with (ensure no critical data is lost during formatting).

Listing Available Disks

To see all available disks and partitions:

sudo fdisk -l

For a more detailed view:

lsblk

Example Output:

NAME   MAJ:MIN RM  SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINT
sda      8:0    0  500G  0 disk 
├─sda1   8:1    0  100G  0 part /
├─sda2   8:2    0  200G  0 part /home
└─sda3   8:3    0  200G  0 part 
        

Mounting a Disk

To mount a disk, you need to know its device name (e.g., /dev/sdb1) and create a mount point.

Steps:

1. Create a mount point (directory):

sudo mkdir /mnt/mydisk

1. Mount the disk:

sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydisk

1. Verify the disk is mounted:

df -h

Persistent Mounting:

To make the mount persistent across reboots, edit the /etc/fstab file:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add the following line:

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

Partitioning a Disk

Use tools like fdisk, parted, or gparted for partitioning.

Using fdisk:

1. Select the disk:

sudo fdisk /dev/sdb

1. Create a new partition:

n  # Add a new partition
p  # Primary partition
1  # Partition number
    # Accept default start and end sectors
w  # Write changes
            

1. Format the partition:

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdb1

Using parted:

1. Start parted:

sudo parted /dev/sdb

1. Create a new partition table:

mklabel gpt

1. Create a partition:

mkpart primary ext4 0% 100%

1. Exit:

quit

Common Errors and Solutions

• Error: mount: wrong fs type
  Solution: Ensure the correct file system is specified. Use sudo blkid to identify the file system.
• Error: Permission denied
  Solution: Use sudo or ensure proper permissions for the mount point.

Examples for Different Linux Flavors

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydisk
sudo apt-get install gparted
        

CentOS/RHEL:

sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydisk
yum install gparted
        

Arch Linux:

sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydisk
sudo pacman -S gparted
        


Note: Learn how to mount a disk and manage Linux partitions with step-by-step instructions and examples above for various Linux distributions.