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.
• The setgid permission from 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

• Never format a drive until its identity has been confirmed using its size, model, serial number, existing filesystem, and mount status.
• Do not rely on names such as /dev/sdi remaining permanent. Linux device letters can change between boots or when USB drives are connected in a different order.
• Permanent mounts should therefore use filesystem UUIDs in /etc/fstab.
• All external/data-drive mounts on this server should use nofail so that a missing storage drive cannot prevent the server from booting.
• External/media drives should use x-systemd.device-timeout=60 so that slower USB drives have enough time to become available during startup.
• The recommended combination for media drives is nofail,x-systemd.device-timeout=60.
• SMB shares should be validated with sudo testparm before reloading Samba.