Mapping a Network Drive in Ubuntu

**jcm4** · December 7th, 2008

I'm a Linux noob, I've spent the last 3 hours looking through Google to find out how to access a network drive, but I just can't get it.
The instructions for Windows are as follows:
1. Right Click on “My Computer” and select “Map Network Drive”
2. Pick Drive Letter “I”
3. In the Folder field enter \\WFS4\academics\
4. Make sure the “Reconnect at Login” box is checked
5. Select Finish

Can somebody please take the time to tell me the steps to go through to access it? Thanks.

**dark_harmonics** · December 7th, 2008

Originally Posted by jcm4

I'm a Linux noob, I've spent the last 3 hours looking through Google to find out how to access a network drive, but I just can't get it.
The instructions for Windows are as follows:
1. Right Click on “My Computer” and select “Map Network Drive”
2. Pick Drive Letter “I”
3. In the Folder field enter \\WFS4\academics\
4. Make sure the “Reconnect at Login” box is checked
5. Select Finish

Can somebody please take the time to tell me the steps to go through to access it? Thanks.

First install smbfs with

Code:

sudo apt-get install smbfs

Then create a mount point for it under media with:

Code:

sudo mkdir /media/WFS4

You can really name the folder whatever you like.
Next put an entry in /etc/fstab so that your computer mounts it on each boot.

Code:

sudo gedit /etc/fstab&

add a line to the end of that file like this one:
//WFS4/academics/ /media/WFS4 cifs noperms 0 0

If you need a username and password to mount that you might need to edit like this:
//WFS4/academics/ /media/WFS4 cifs user=your_username_,pass=your_password,noperms 0 0

Save and close that file. Then run

Code:

sudo mount -a

to force a mount or just reboot.

**jcm4** · December 7th, 2008

Thanks, but I get the following after trying to mount it:
mount error 13 = Permission denied
Refer to the mount.cifs(8) manual page (e.g.man mount.cifs)

**jcm4** · December 7th, 2008

Nevermind, I had to use a username and password. Thanks a bundle!

**hambone79** · December 7th, 2008

You are most likely having problems with the way the password is passed to the mount command (something I have run into many times). I would try changing the fstab line to this:

Code:

//WFS4/academics/ /media/WFS4 cifs credentials=/home/username/.credentials,domain=mydomain 0 0

After that, create a credentials file in /home/username/.credentials with the following info:

Code:

username=my_username
password=my_password

**dark_harmonics** · December 9th, 2008

Originally Posted by hambone79

You are most likely having problems with the way the password is passed to the mount command (something I have run into many times). I would try changing the fstab line to this:

Code:

//WFS4/academics/ /media/WFS4 cifs credentials=/home/username/.credentials,domain=mydomain 0 0

After that, create a credentials file in /home/username/.credentials with the following info:

Code:

username=my_username
password=my_password

I didnt know this and i find it rather useful because you can change the credentials file instead of each entry in your /etc/fstab. I am therefore marking this post as thanked.