How to Create a Mount Point for /srv/personal After a Clean Install of OpenMediaVault (OMV)

If you've recently performed a clean install of OpenMediaVault (OMV) and are looking to create a mount point for /srv/personal, you're in the right place. In this guide, we will walk through the steps to configure and mount a disk to the /srv/personal directory in OMV. This directory can be used for personal storage, backups, or any other purpose you may need.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following:

• OMV is installed on your system.
• You have a disk (internal or external) that you want to mount to /srv/personal.
• You are familiar with basic Linux commands.
• You have SSH access to your OMV server, or you are working directly on the system's terminal.

Step 1: Connect Your Disk

Before creating the mount point, connect the storage device (HDD/SSD) that you want to use. You can either use an external drive or an internal disk that is not already in use.

Once the device is connected, you can proceed with the steps.

Step 2: Identify the Disk

To identify the connected disk, run the following command:

lsblk -f

This will list all the available disks and their partitions. Look for the disk that you want to mount, and take note of the UUID (Universally Unique Identifier) of the partition.

Step 3: Create the Mount Point

Now, create the /srv/personal directory, which will be the location for your disk to mount:

sudo mkdir -p /srv/personal

This creates the directory /srv/personal where the storage will be mounted.

Step 4: Update /etc/fstab

The next step is to ensure that the disk is automatically mounted every time your server reboots. To do this, you need to add an entry to the /etc/fstab file.

Edit the file using nano:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Now, add the following line at the end of the file, replacing <UUID> with the actual UUID of your disk:

UUID=7be32e79-f9de-4977-ad26-9685decf6ad9  /srv/personal  ext4  defaults,nofail  0  2

This line tells the system to mount the disk with the specified UUID to /srv/personal during boot.

Step 5: Mount the Disk

To mount the disk immediately without rebooting, run the following command:

sudo mount -a

This will mount all the entries in /etc/fstab, including the new entry for /srv/personal.

Step 6: Verify the Mount

Check if the disk is mounted correctly by running:

df -h | grep /srv

You should see something like this:

/dev/sdb1       458G  360G   99G  79% /srv/personal

If this shows up, your disk is successfully mounted to /srv/personal.

Step 7: Make the Mount Point Available in OMV

Now that your disk is mounted to /srv/personal, we need to make it available in the OMV Dashboard to create shared folders.

Steps to Access in OMV:

• Log into the OMV web interface.
• Go to Storage → File Systems.
• You should see the disk with the UUID you used for /srv/personal. Click on Mount if it's not already mounted.
• Once the disk is mounted, you can go to Access Rights Management → Shared Folders.
• Create a new shared folder and select /srv/personal as the path.

Troubleshooting

1. The Disk Doesn’t Appear in OMV

If the disk doesn’t appear in OMV, make sure it's properly mounted and check for any errors in the dmesg logs using:

dmesg | grep sdb

2. Mount Not Persistent After Reboot

If the disk is not mounted automatically after rebooting, double-check your /etc/fstab entry and ensure there are no syntax errors. Also, ensure that the disk is recognized by the system with the correct UUID.

Conclusion

Creating a mount point for /srv/personal in OpenMediaVault (OMV) is a simple process that can enhance your OMV setup by providing personal storage for backups, media, or data. By following these steps, you can easily set up the mount point and ensure it persists across reboots.

If you encounter any issues, feel free to refer to the troubleshooting section above or leave a comment below!