This process is for adding a new storage drive to the Ubuntu server, formatting it as ext4, mounting it under /mnt, setting the correct permissions, making the mount permanent, and optionally sharing it over SMB.
The example below uses:
Drive: /dev/sdi Partition: /dev/sdi2 Mount name: media8 Mount point: /mnt/media8
Replace those values as needed for future drives.
After connecting the drive, run:
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL,FSTYPE,LABEL,UUID,MOUNTPOINTS
Look for the new drive by its size, model, serial number, label, or the fact that it is not currently mounted.
Example:
sdi 3.6T PSSD L98420
├─sdi1
│ 16M
└─sdi2
3.6T exfat T7 4095-6F3B
In this example:
Disk: /dev/sdi Partition: /dev/sdi2
Be certain that the correct drive has been identified before formatting it.
Formatting will erase the existing filesystem and all data on the partition.
For a permanent Linux server drive, use ext4:
sudo mkfs.ext4 -L media8 /dev/sdi2
If the drive already contains another filesystem, such as exFAT, Ubuntu may ask:
Proceed anyway? (y,N)
Answer y only after confirming that the correct drive is being formatted.
The formatting process will create a new filesystem UUID.
Create the directory where the drive will be mounted:
sudo mkdir -p /mnt/media8
The naming convention for storage drives is:
/mnt/media1 /mnt/media2 /mnt/media3 ... /mnt/media8
After formatting, run:
sudo blkid /dev/sdi2
Example:
/dev/sdi2: LABEL="media8" UUID="a28ee7c4-9f5a-468a-a7aa-c82acdb2c798" TYPE="ext4"
Use the filesystem UUID, not the PARTUUID.
Formatting changes the filesystem UUID, so do not reuse the UUID that existed before formatting.
Mount the partition manually:
sudo mount /dev/sdi2 /mnt/media8
Verify that it mounted:
df -h /mnt/media8
Example:
Filesystem Size Used Avail Use% Mounted on /dev/sdi2 3.6T 2.1M 3.4T 1% /mnt/media8
The server's shared media drives use:
Owner: mike Group: media
Set ownership:
sudo chown mike:media /mnt/media8
Set permissions:
sudo chmod 2775 /mnt/media8
The leading 2 sets the setgid bit. This causes newly created files and directories to inherit the media group.
Verify:
ls -ld /mnt/media8
Expected permissions should look similar to:
drwxrwsr-x mike media /mnt/media8
Create whatever folders will live on the drive.
Example:
mkdir "/mnt/media8/TV Torrents"
Verify:
ls -ld "/mnt/media8/TV Torrents"
It should also belong to:
mike media
and normally inherit the setgid permissions.
Use the filesystem UUID so the drive mounts consistently even if its /dev/sdX device name changes.
Example:
echo 'UUID=a28ee7c4-9f5a-468a-a7aa-c82acdb2c798 /mnt/media8 ext4 defaults,nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60 0 2' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab
Important: nofail is intentionally included on media/data drives.
This prevents a failed, disconnected, or missing storage drive from preventing Ubuntu from booting.
x-systemd.device-timeout=60 tells systemd to wait up to 60 seconds for the drive to become available during boot. This is useful for external USB storage, because some drives may take longer to initialize when several drives are connected.
The combination:
nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60
means that Ubuntu will give the drive up to 60 seconds to appear, but will still continue booting if the drive is missing or unavailable.
The entry follows this format:
UUID=FILESYSTEM-UUID /mnt/NAME ext4 defaults,nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60 0 2
Example:
UUID=a28ee7c4-9f5a-468a-a7aa-c82acdb2c798 /mnt/media8 ext4 defaults,nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60 0 2
After changing /etc/fstab, run:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
Validate the fstab configuration:
sudo findmnt --verify --verbose
The important result is that there are no parse errors or errors.
Warnings may still appear for certain filesystem types or the swap file and do not necessarily indicate an invalid fstab entry.
For a media drive using the recommended settings, findmnt should show:
userspace options: nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60
Unmount the drive:
sudo umount /mnt/media8
Then mount everything listed in /etc/fstab:
sudo mount -a
If no errors appear, verify the drive:
findmnt /mnt/media8
Check space:
df -h /mnt/media8
Check the media folder:
ls -ld "/mnt/media8/TV Torrents"
Example successful result:
TARGET SOURCE FSTYPE OPTIONS /mnt/media8 /dev/sdi2 ext4 rw,relatime
If the new drive should be accessible over the network, add it to Samba.
The media shares on this server use the following configuration:
[media8] path = /mnt/media8 browseable = yes read only = no valid users = mike force group = media create mask = 0664 directory mask = 0775
Append the new share to /etc/samba/smb.conf:
sudo tee -a /etc/samba/smb.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF' [media8] path = /mnt/media8 browseable = yes read only = no valid users = mike force group = media create mask = 0664 directory mask = 0775 EOF
Replace media8 and /mnt/media8 as needed for future drives.
Validate the Samba configuration:
sudo testparm
A successful test should include:
Loaded services file OK.
The new share should also appear in the service definitions shown by testparm.
If the configuration is valid, reload Samba:
sudo systemctl reload smbd
Verify the underlying mount permissions:
ls -ld /mnt/media8
Expected ownership and permissions should look similar to:
drwxrwsr-x mike media /mnt/media8
The share can then be accessed from another computer using:
smb://server/media8
On macOS, use:
Finder → Go → Connect to Server
The Samba settings work together with the filesystem permissions:
valid users = mike restricts access to the Samba user mike.force group = media causes files created through Samba to use the media group.create mask = 0664 allows the owner and group to write newly created files.directory mask = 0775 allows the owner and group to write newly created directories.chmod 2775 helps newly created directories inherit the media group.Show all drives, filesystems, UUIDs, and mount points:
lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,MODEL,SERIAL,FSTYPE,LABEL,UUID,MOUNTPOINTS
Show mounted-drive disk usage:
df -h --output=source,size,used,avail,pcent,target
Show only /mnt storage:
df -h --output=source,size,used,avail,pcent,target | grep -E 'Filesystem|/mnt/'
Show information about one mount:
findmnt /mnt/media8
Show a filesystem UUID:
sudo blkid /dev/sdi2
Check that all expected media mounts are currently mounted:
for m in /mnt/media{1..8} /mnt/internal; do if mountpoint -q "$m"; then echo "OK $m" else echo "MISSING $m" fi done
Validate /etc/fstab:
sudo findmnt --verify --verbose
Validate the Samba configuration:
sudo testparm
Reload Samba after making a configuration change:
sudo systemctl reload smbd
/dev/sdi remaining permanent. Linux device letters can change between boots or when USB drives are connected in a different order./etc/fstab.nofail so that a missing storage drive cannot prevent the server from booting.x-systemd.device-timeout=60 so that slower USB drives have enough time to become available during startup.nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60.sudo testparm before reloading Samba.