Allow non-root users to mount cifs shares

Seb Spiers · 05-16-2013, 05:42 AM

Hi There,

I want to allow a handful of my users to mount cifs shares to directories they create within their home drives.

When they try to mount them currently theyre advised that only root can mount.

How can enable specific users to use the mount command without giving them root level privileges?

TobiSGD · 05-16-2013, 08:42 AM

This is a perfect case for the use of sudo. Create a new group and add the users that should be able to use mount, then configure sudo so that this group can use mopunt with sudo.
For example, if the group you created is called mounters the entry in your sudoers file should look like:

Code:

%mounters ALL=/sbin/mount

Seb Spiers · 05-16-2013, 08:45 AM

So how would they then go about mounting the share? Just normally using the mount command?

TobiSGD · 05-16-2013, 09:26 AM

It would be something like

Code:

sudo mount -t cifs //server/share /mountpoint

I also forgot that you have of course to add umount to the sudoers file, otherwise your users wouldn't be able to unmount the shares.

Satyaveer Arya · 05-16-2013, 09:34 AM

Or you can do like this with username, password and domainname,

Code:

# mount -t cifs //server-name/share-name /mnt/<directory_name> -o username=<shareuser>,password=<sharepassword>,domain=<domainname>

Seb Spiers · 05-16-2013, 09:34 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by TobiSGD

It would be something like

Code:

sudo mount -t cifs //server/share /mountpoint

I also forgot that you have of course to add umount to the sudoers file, otherwise your users wouldn't be able to unmount the shares.

I tried this but it didn't work... I added ALL to sudoers and then it worked but I don't want another root account!
I wonder if my mount isnt /sbin/mount ... is that possible?!?!?

TobiSGD · 05-16-2013, 11:40 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Seb Spiers

I wonder if my mount isnt /sbin/mount ... is that possible?!?!?

Maybe, on my Slackware systems it is /sbin/mount, I just looked at a Debian system and there it is /bin/mount. You can find out where it is on your system with

Code:

which mount