mount.cifs and /etc/fstab is convoluted. Can I simplify this?

Anyone know a way around the mount.cifs needing an entry in /etc/fstab for every remote maybe wanted just so so the local mount-point is identified?

I am using Linux Mint 19.3 ... I read mount.cifs works differently than some other distributions.

I have a remote server farm and want to connect my /home/../DOWNLOAD to one of these remote disks - just one of many.

If my /etc/fstab has an entry

//192.168.1.150/u41disk/DOWNLOAD.41 /home/lindzay/XConnect/DOWNLOAD cifs credentials=/home/lindzay/XConnect/credentials,noauto,rw,users 0 0

Then I can successfully do

mount.cifs -o credentials=/home/lindzay/XConnect/credentials \
//192.168.1.150/u41disk/DOWNLOAD.41 \
/home/lindzay/XConnect/DOWNLOAD
...
umount /home/lindzay/XConnect/DOWNLOAD

NOTES:

• The mount.cifs MUST use -o otherwise the mount will be done; but NO FILES are displayed or accessable
• The ../credentials file MUST be named in both the /etc/fstab file AND the mount.cifs command.
• The /etc/fstab items cannot (understandably) use $HOME; however the mount.cifs can use $HOME
• I have a bash script to select the wanted remote (EG: 41) and am willing to include the sudo password in the script.
• I successfully used sshfs - but I am after WiFi speed, not security encryption.
• I tried sudo -S <<<password mount.cifs ... but that's still a user-mount which need the /etc/fstab entry.

I don't mind naming each user in each pc's fstab; but each user + all remote directories is expanding and complicating.

Can you replace the user name with just the variable $USER, that should make it easier.

You certainly have heard about AutoFS, haven't you?

For regular users to mount a filesystem it has to be in fstab.

From the Mint file browser you should be able to create bookmarks and be able to permanently save passwords. If you need to access the shares from the command line that is a bit more complicated. This is a totally separate process from mount and /etc/fstab.

The option noauto means the share is not automatically mounted at boot time. This is required sometimes because the initialization process calls the mount process via fstab before the network is up and cifs remote shares fail to mount. However, systemd has fixed the problem so using the _netdev option will delay mounting although I have not tried it.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Samba

The users option allows any regular user to mount and unmount those shares without using sudo.

Using mount.cifs is not necessary and you should use mount instead. Actually the mount command calls mount.cifs and while mount.cifs requires root privileges mount does not. Since the share is in the /etc/fstab all that is necessary to mount is the command
With autofs or x-systemd.automount when the user enters the share mount point directory, it is automatically mounted. It is automatically unmounted if not busy after an idle timeout has been exceeded.

uteck
Yes I do use $USER in the script - but it won't work in the fstsb.


Shruggy

AutoFS .... I'm trying to not install anything new. My earlier reading was that it did a permanent mount same as fstab would do.

Besides, they don't go into the /mountpoint until the downloads are finished; and then do clerical things like rename files to a standard and move the files to another directory on the same disk. No copying, just download - rename - move

michaelk

I'm trying to auto-mount during logon; but only one of something like 10+ disks. That //192.168.1.150/u41disk/DOWNLOAD.41 could be any one in the server farm - which one is set by a bash command parameter. And stays until the user changes the parameter, like from 41 to 10 //192.168.1.150/u10disk/DOWNLOAD.10

You should be able to have the script run automatically when a user logs in, so you don't need to mount with fstab.
I did something like that years ago to mount users on Ubuntu to their Windows share and have it show up on their desktop. I think did something with libpam_mount like in this link, https://wiki.ubuntu.com/MountWindowsSharesPermanently
But I was also using AD credentials to login to to Ubuntu desktop.

I just noticed some other options further down the page you may want to look at. The mount after login option may be easier as you could just call the script you have already.

If you want to mount a share on a per user mount point then fstab will not work as far as I know. You could give users sudo rights to the mount command without requiring a password. I think this will work.

The advantage of using sshfs is it is "fully" script-able on a per user basis. Using keys and a config file will take some time to setup but then easy to expand if done right.

uteck

Thanks - Me Too! And it was only about a year ago. I lost exactly how because I switched to Green-Shoes-Ruby for it's sweet user interaction. But I remember I did have a no-problems bash script.

Looks to me that now mount:cifs allows no user connection without the /etc/fstab. This is a security good thing! But I also came across a reference that the /etc/fstab would accept a entry like

USER=lindzay /home/lindzay/DOWNLOAD


which is exactly what I'd want. But this isn't in the man fstab and I assume is for the future - the entry is just ignored.

michaelk

mount does NOT allow a user-mount in no way! I tried sudo. su, sudo-users, etc. and they all kick it back saying the mountpoint in not in fstab

I'm marking this [SOLVED] You can't! ... and am using sshfs

Thanks to all!!!