Automount CD-ROM Images

Novell Cool Solutions: Trench
By Chris Lander

Applies to:

• SUSE Linux 10.0
• SUSE Linux Professional 9.2-9.3
• Novell Linux Desktop 9
• SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 9

PROBLEM: You want to automount CD-ROM images to avoid doing it manually.

SOLUTION: Following up on the article "A Little YaST Magic" by Scott M. Morris posted on 6 Jan 2005, where he explains how to mount iso images of the distribution CD-ROMs,it is possible to automatically mount them by making suitable entries in /etc/fstab.

If you have followed Scott's directory and data structure then add the folllowing lines to /etc/fstab:-

/isos/suse1.iso /suse/1              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop0 0 0
/isos/suse2.iso /suse/2              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop1 0 0
/isos/suse3.iso /suse/3              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop2 0 0
/isos/suse4.iso /suse/4              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop3 0 0
/isos/suse5.iso /suse/5              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop4 0 0

Now when the system boots, or you run the command

# mount -a

the iso images will be mounted under the /suse directory tree, and there will be no need to manually run Scott's mntimg.sh script before installing software.

EXAMPLE: # Additions to /etc/fstab to mount distribution CD-ROM iso images:

/isos/suse1.iso /suse/1              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop0 0 0
/isos/suse2.iso /suse/2              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop1 0 0
/isos/suse3.iso /suse/3              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop2 0 0
/isos/suse4.iso /suse/4              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop3 0 0
/isos/suse5.iso /suse/5              iso9660      rw,loop=/dev/loop4 0 0

Reader Comments

• That's not automounting. How about a configuration for autofs?
• Nice; but why are the ISOs mounted in RW mode?
• Some little hints: * "rw" is useless for iso images, use "ro" instead * if you use encrypted partitions, make sure not to use the same loop devices for iso images ;-) - the fstab entries will win on a first come, first served basis... * without encrypted partitions, "loop" instead of "loop=/dev/loopX" should be enough - the system cares about free loop devices itsself -- Christian Boltz

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