systemd-mount: Create and Manage Temporary Mount Points

Overview

systemd-mount leverages systemd's mount management capabilities to mount devices or image files to specific paths, or to create automount units that mount when needed. These are temporary units that disappear upon system reboot, making them useful in dynamic environments.

Key Features

Create and activate temporary mount units
Create and activate automount units
Specify mount options and file system checks
List and remove created mount units

Key Options

These are the main options used with the systemd-mount command.

Mounting Actions

Mount Configuration

Generated command:

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Description:

`systemd-mount` Executes the command.

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Usage Examples

Practical examples of using the systemd-mount command.

Basic Temporary Mount

sudo systemd-mount --mkdir /dev/sdb1 /mnt/mydata

Mounts the /dev/sdb1 device to the /mnt/mydata path. The mount point will be created automatically if it doesn't exist.

Create Read-Only Automount

sudo systemd-mount --automount --options=ro --mkdir /dev/sdc1 /mnt/readonly

Creates a read-only automount unit for the /dev/sdc1 device at the /mnt/readonly path. It will be mounted automatically when this path is accessed.

Mount by UUID

sudo systemd-mount --mkdir /dev/disk/by-uuid/YOUR_UUID /mnt/usb

Mounts a device with a specific UUID to the /mnt/usb path. You can find the UUID using commands like 'lsblk -f'.

Unmount and Remove Unit

sudo systemd-mount --collect /mnt/mydata

Unmounts the device mounted at /mnt/mydata and removes the associated mount unit created by systemd.

View Active Mount Units

systemd-mount --list

Displays a list of all mount and automount units currently active and created by the systemd-mount command.

Tips & Notes

Useful tips and points to consider when using systemd-mount.

Permanent vs. Temporary Mounts

systemd-mount: Creates temporary mount units that disappear upon system reboot. Suitable for scripts or one-off tasks.
/etc/fstab: Used for permanent mount configurations that persist across system reboots.

Unit Naming Convention

systemd-mount automatically generates unit names based on the mount path.

Example: The path /mnt/data will result in a unit named mnt-data.mount.

Integration with systemctl

Units created by systemd-mount can be managed like regular systemd units using the systemctl command, such as checking status (systemctl status mnt-data.mount) or stopping (systemctl stop mnt-data.mount).

Using the --collect Option

It is recommended to use the --collect option for unmounting and removing associated units, rather than just using umount. Using umount alone may leave systemd units lingering.