How to Mount and Unmount Filesystem in Linux

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    Managing storage devices and filesystems is a fundamental skill for Linux users and administrators. As you work with Linux, you’ll frequently need to mount and unmount filesystems to access and manage data stored on various storage devices. This article will provide a comprehensive guide on mounting and unmounting filesystems in Linux, helping you master storage management and enhance your Linux experience.

    1. Understanding Mounting and Unmounting

    In Linux, before you can access the files and directories stored on a device, you must first “mount” the filesystem. Mounting a filesystem involves attaching it to a specific directory in the existing filesystem hierarchy. This designated directory, known as the mount point, serves as an access point to the mounted filesystem.

    Unmounting, on the other hand, is the process of detaching a filesystem from its mount point, making it inaccessible to the user.

    2. Identifying Storage Devices

    Before you can mount a filesystem, you need to identify the storage device you want to access. You can use the “lsblk” command to list all available block devices and their associated partitions:

    lsblk

    Another useful command is “fdisk”, which displays detailed information about your storage devices and their partitions:

    sudo fdisk -l

    3. Creating a Mount Point

    To create a mount point, you need to choose or create a directory that will serve as the access point for the mounted filesystem. You can create a new directory using the “mkdir” command:

    For example:

    mkdir /mnt/my-storage

    4. Mounting a Filesystem

    To mount a filesystem, use the “mount” command followed by the device name and the mount point:

    For example:

    sudo mount /dev/sdb1 /mnt/my-storage

    The filesystem on the specified device will now be accessible through the mount point directory.

    5. Unmounting a Filesystem

    To unmount a filesystem, use the “umount” command followed by the mount point:

    For example:

    sudo umount /mnt/my-storage

    The filesystem will now be detached from the mount point and become inaccessible.

    6. Automounting Filesystems

    If you want a filesystem to be mounted automatically at system startup, you can configure the “/etc/fstab” file. The “fstab” file contains a list of filesystems and their corresponding mount points, options, and other parameters.

    To edit the “fstab” file, open it with a text editor such as “nano” or “vim”:

    sudo nano /etc/fstab

    Add a new line with the following format:

    For example:

    Save the file and exit the text editor. The specified filesystem will now be mounted automatically at startup.

    Conclusion

    Mounting and unmounting filesystems in Linux is a fundamental skill that is essential for effective storage management. By understanding the process and its related commands, you can easily access, manage, and configure storage devices and their filesystems. This comprehensive guide has provided you with the tools and knowledge necessary to master storage management in Linux, enabling you to manage your data efficiently and enhance your overall Linux experience.

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    4 Comments

    3. Byron on

      I have a dedicated server provided to me by 1and1. I started migrating websites to the server only to realise that I am running out of disk space. I had to clear my backups in order to continue migrating my sites. I thought this to be weird as the server comes with 4T of disk space.

      On accessing the system via ssh. I see the following setup by 1and1:

      #vgdisplay

      — Volume group —
      VG Name vg00
      System ID
      Format lvm2
      Metadata Areas 1
      Metadata Sequence No 8
      VG Access read/write
      VG Status resizable
      MAX LV 0
      Cur LV 3
      Open LV 3
      Max PV 0
      Cur PV 1
      Act PV 1
      VG Size <54.00 GiB
      PE Size 4.00 MiB
      Total PE 13823
      Alloc PE / Size 11520 / 45.00 GiB
      Free PE / Size 2303 / <9.00 GiB
      VG UUID CmLv2a-xKAn-cFQQ-K4TU-f5y2-UK8K-Uv1PO9

      — Volume group —
      VG Name hdd
      System ID
      Format lvm2
      Metadata Areas 1
      Metadata Sequence No 2
      VG Access read/write
      VG Status resizable
      MAX LV 0
      Cur LV 1
      Open LV 1
      Max PV 0
      Cur PV 1
      Act PV 1
      VG Size <3.58 TiB
      PE Size 4.00 MiB
      Total PE 938308
      Alloc PE / Size 1024 / 4.00 GiB
      Free PE / Size 937284 / <3.58 TiB
      VG UUID Pv2xfH-zkE1-hgH0-dOzZ-FgKp-IobS-5C2zea

      Also #pvscan reveals this:
      PV /dev/sda3 VG vg00 lvm2 [<54.00 GiB / <9.00 GiB free]
      PV /dev/sdb1 VG hdd lvm2 [<3.58 TiB / <3.58 TiB free]

      Can someone please let me know the best process for getting this unused free space in to the root volume group? I have searched and seen so many different answers. As I have already started migrating a number of websites. I cannot afford to break the server, otherwise I would have a fiddle, break, and learn as I usually do.

      Just a thought failed to mention this is Hardware Raid 5

      Update to question below:

      #pvdisplay
      — Physical volume —
      PV Name /dev/sda3
      VG Name vg00
      PV Size <54.00 GiB / not usable 2.81 MiB
      Allocatable yes
      PE Size 4.00 MiB
      Total PE 13823
      Free PE 767
      Allocated PE 13056
      PV UUID 6J06IE-52et-s8aV-bXk0-alud-0N1v-NEwHHr

      — Physical volume —
      PV Name /dev/sdb1
      VG Name hdd
      PV Size <3.58 TiB / not usable <3.78 MiB
      Allocatable yes
      PE Size 4.00 MiB
      Total PE 938308
      Free PE 937284
      Allocated PE 1024
      PV UUID bGlBQQ-gnmF-gOav-VTfj-np5R-sAKs-YNxemq

      I would like to reduce the physical volume in /dev/sdb1 by 2 or 3TB and increase /dev/sda3 by the same amount. Can this be done? If so what process would I need to follow?

      If not I noticed mentioned in the replies "Migrating the websites to hdd" What process would I have to follow and what are the implications of doing this?

      Logical Volumes:

      — Logical volume —
      LV Path /dev/vg00/usr
      LV Name usr
      VG Name vg00
      LV UUID sRvgQ3-W80K-AJQD-lZid-fqF3-1KTY-JH2Ul0
      LV Write Access read/write
      LV Creation host, time ,
      LV Status available
      # open 1
      LV Size 15.00 GiB
      Current LE 3840
      Segments 2
      Allocation inherit
      Read ahead sectors auto
      – currently set to 8192
      Block device 253:0

      — Logical volume —
      LV Path /dev/vg00/var
      LV Name var
      VG Name vg00
      LV UUID xWSCRG-vBPH-JLha-yJ8X-3zMP-WgRG-AOoJqO
      LV Write Access read/write
      LV Creation host, time ,
      LV Status available
      # open 1
      LV Size 31.00 GiB
      Current LE 7936
      Segments 3
      Allocation inherit
      Read ahead sectors auto
      – currently set to 8192
      Block device 253:1

      — Logical volume —
      LV Path /dev/vg00/home
      LV Name home
      VG Name vg00
      LV UUID 2foQrE-Wy3C-Ig1Z-zIDy-tTFQ-YyO5-ayHBZl
      LV Write Access read/write
      LV Creation host, time ,
      LV Status available
      # open 1
      LV Size 5.00 GiB
      Current LE 1280
      Segments 1
      Allocation inherit
      Read ahead sectors auto
      – currently set to 8192
      Block device 253:2

      — Logical volume —
      LV Path /dev/hdd/data
      LV Name data
      VG Name hdd
      LV UUID GwJgTL-LC8r-jn0a-yQ5H-mTX3-dARL-Xz0eOU
      LV Write Access read/write
      LV Creation host, time ,
      LV Status available
      # open 1
      LV Size 4.00 GiB
      Current LE 1024
      Segments 1
      Allocation inherit
      Read ahead sectors auto
      – currently set to 8192
      Block device 253:3

      I increased the LV on /dev/vg00/var by 100% (This is where the websites are stored). but this will quickly be used up once I continue to migrate more sites over!

      This may also help. This is from running the mount command I have removed additional lines:

      /dev/sda1 on / type ext3 (rw,noatime,data=ordered)
      /dev/mapper/vg00-usr on /usr type ext4 (rw,noatime,data=ordered)
      /dev/mapper/hdd-data on /data type ext4 (rw,noatime,quota,usrquota,data=ordered)
      /dev/mapper/vg00-home on /home type ext4 (rw,noatime,quota,usrquota,data=ordered)
      /dev/mapper/vg00-var on /var type ext4 (rw,noatime,quota,usrquota,data=ordered)

      Thank you for your responses much appreciated!

      Reply
      • ASMA on

        which one of the following system that you cannot mount with the mount command ???
        a) iso9660 b)swap c)FAT d)root e)VFAT

        Reply

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