How to use the command `mount` (with examples)

The mount command is used in Windows to mount Network File System (NFS) network shares. It allows users to access remote shared folders on the network as if they were local drives on their computer. This can be useful for collaborating with others, accessing files on a server, or sharing resources across multiple computers. The mount command provides various options to customize the mounting behavior, including setting drive letters, timeouts, retrying failed mounts, enabling case sensitivity, and specifying mount types.

Use case 1: Mount a share to the “Z” drive letter.

Code:

mount \\computer_name\share_name Z:

Motivation: Mounting a share to a specific drive letter, such as “Z:”, allows users to easily access the shared folder using a consistent path without worrying about the availability of drive letters. This can be helpful when setting up scripts or configuring applications that rely on a specific drive letter for file operations.

Explanation:

• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• Z:: Specifies the desired drive letter to assign to the mounted share.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the “Z:” drive letter.

Use case 2: Mount a share to the next available drive letter.

Code:

mount \\computer_name\share_name *

Motivation: Mounting a share to the next available drive letter allows users to automatically assign a drive letter without having to specify it explicitly. This is useful when users want to quickly access a shared folder without worrying about conflicts with existing drive letters.

Explanation:

• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• *: Indicates that the mount command should automatically assign the next available drive letter.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the next available drive letter, such as “Y:”.

Use case 3: Mount a share with a read timeout in seconds.

Code:

mount -o timeout=seconds \\computer_name\share_name Z:

Motivation: Setting a read timeout for the mount command can be helpful when accessing remote shares over a slower network connection. By specifying a longer timeout value, users can ensure that the mount operation has enough time to complete successfully, even in cases of high latency or network congestion.

Explanation:

• -o timeout=seconds: Sets the read timeout value in seconds. The default value is 0.8 seconds, and the valid range is from 0.9 to 60 seconds.
• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• Z:: Specifies the desired drive letter to assign to the mounted share.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the “Z:” drive letter with a read timeout of 5 seconds.

Use case 4: Mount a share and retry up to 10 times if it fails.

Code:

mount -o retry=10 \\computer_name\share_name Z:

Motivation: When mounting a share that may intermittently become unavailable due to network issues or server outages, it can be helpful to configure the mount command to automatically retry the operation multiple times before giving up. This ensures that the share is successfully mounted even in less stable network environments.

Explanation:

• -o retry=10: Specifies the maximum number of retries for the mount operation. In this example, the command will retry up to 10 times before considering the mount as failed.
• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• Z:: Specifies the desired drive letter to assign to the mounted share.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the “Z:” drive letter after 3 retries.

Use case 5: Mount a share with forced case sensitivity.

Code:

mount -o casesensitive \\computer_name\share_name Z:

Motivation: By default, Windows file systems are case-insensitive, which means that file and folder names are not treated as distinct based on letter case. However, in certain scenarios, such as when interacting with Unix or Linux systems, it may be necessary to enforce case sensitivity to ensure proper compatibility and behavior.

Explanation:

• -o casesensitive: Enables case sensitivity for the mounted share.
• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• Z:: Specifies the desired drive letter to assign to the mounted share.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the “Z:” drive letter with case sensitivity enforced.

Use case 6: Mount a share as an anonymous user.

Code:

mount -o anon \\computer_name\share_name Z:

Motivation: In some scenarios, it may be necessary to access a share as an anonymous user, without providing any explicit credentials or authentication information. This can be useful when accessing publicly shared resources or when troubleshooting permission-related issues.

Explanation:

• -o anon: Mounts the share as an anonymous user.
• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• Z:: Specifies the desired drive letter to assign to the mounted share.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the “Z:” drive letter as an anonymous user.

Use case 7: Mount a share using a specific mount type.

Code:

mount -o mtype=soft|hard \\computer_name\share_name Z:

Motivation: The mount command supports different mount types to specify how the mount operation should behave in case of errors or interruptions. Choosing the appropriate mount type depends on the desired behavior and the specific requirements of the use case.

Explanation:

• -o mtype=soft|hard: Sets the mount type to either “soft” or “hard”. “soft” mount attempts to recover from errors, while “hard” mount keeps retrying indefinitely until the share becomes available.
• \\computer_name\share_name: Specifies the network path of the share to be mounted.
• Z:: Specifies the desired drive letter to assign to the mounted share.

Example output: The share \\computer_name\share_name is successfully mounted to the “Z:” drive letter with the mount type set to “soft”.

Conclusion:

The mount command in Windows provides a versatile way to mount Network File System (NFS) network shares. By understanding its various options and use cases, users can customize the mounting behavior to suit their specific needs, whether it’s assigning specific drive letters, setting timeouts, retrying failed mounts, enabling case sensitivity, or choosing different mount types. With these capabilities, accessing remote shared folders becomes more seamless and efficient.