How to use the command 'udisksctl' (with examples)

The ‘udisksctl’ command is used to interact with the ‘udisksd’ daemon, allowing users to query and manipulate storage devices. This command provides a set of functionalities to obtain information about disk drives and block devices, mount and unmount partitions, and monitor events related to storage devices.

Use case 1: Show high-level information about disk drives and block devices

Code:

udisksctl status

Motivation:

This use case is helpful when you want to get an overview of the available disk drives and block devices on your system. It allows you to quickly check the status of each device without needing to navigate through different settings or configuration files.

Explanation:

The ‘udisksctl status’ command displays high-level information about disk drives and block devices. It provides details such as device name, model, serial number, size, mount points, and connection status.

Example output:

MODEL                     REVISION  SERIAL               DEVICE
-----------------------------------------------------------------
KINGSTON SSDNOW V100      FE5A     50026B726B2A95E8     /dev/sda

Use case 2: Show detailed information about a device

Code:

udisksctl info --block-device /dev/sdX

Motivation:

This use case is useful when you need to gather detailed information about a specific device. It can be used to retrieve information such as device capabilities, file system details, and mount options.

Explanation:

The ‘udisksctl info –block-device /dev/sdX’ command displays detailed information about the block device specified by “/dev/sdX”. The “/dev/sdX” should be replaced with the actual name of the block device you want to retrieve information about.

Example output:

/org/freedesktop/UDisks2/block_devices/sda:
  org.freedesktop.UDisks2.Block:
    Device:    /dev/sda
    Id:        by-path-pci-0000_02_00_0-scsi-0\:0\:0\:0
    Symlinks:  /dev/disk/by-id/ata-KINGSTON_SSDNOW_V100_50026B726B2A95E8, /dev/disk/by-path/pci-0000:02:00.0-scsi-0:0:0:0, /dev/disk/by-uuid/0123456789abcdef
    Drive:     ata-KINGSTON_SSDNOW_V100_50026B726B2A95E8
    CryptoBackingDevice:    No
    CryptoDevice:   No
    DeviceNumber:  8:0
    DeviceMajor:   8
    DeviceMinor:   0
    Ejectable:     No
    IdLabel:       KINGSTON_SSDNOW_V100
    IdType:        ata
    IdUUID:        0123456789abcdef
    MountPoints:   /, /boot/efi
    PreferredDevice:  yes
    ReadOnly:      No
    Size:          120034123776
...

Use case 3: Show detailed information about a device partition

Code:

udisksctl info --block-device /dev/sdXN

Motivation:

This use case is beneficial when you want to retrieve detailed information about a specific device partition. It helps provide insights into partition properties such as file system type, mount options, and partition size.

Explanation:

The ‘udisksctl info –block-device /dev/sdXN’ command displays detailed information about the device partition specified by “/dev/sdXN”. The “/dev/sdXN” should be replaced with the actual name of the device partition for which you want to retrieve information.

Example output:

/org/freedesktop/UDisks2/block_devices/sdb2:
  org.freedesktop.UDisks2.Block:
    Device:    /dev/sdb2
    Id:        by-id-ata-Hitachi_HDS721010CLA332_JP2941HQ1J06FC,part2
    Symlinks:  /dev/disk/by-id/ata-Hitachi_HDS721010CLA332_JP2941HQ1J06FC-part2, /dev/disk/by-partuuid/01234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef
    DeviceNumber:  8:18
    DeviceMajor:   8
    DeviceMinor:   18
    IdType:        ata
    IdUUID:        01234567-89ab-cdef-0123-456789abcdef
    MountPoints:   /mnt/data
    PreferredDevice:  yes
    ReadOnly:      No
    Size:          1000204886016
    Slave:     /org/freedesktop/UDisks2/block_devices/sdb
...

Use case 4: Mount a device partition and print the mount point

Code:

udisksctl mount --block-device /dev/sdXN

Motivation:

This use case is handy when you want to manually mount a device partition and obtain the mount point. It allows you to easily access the files and data stored within the partition.

Explanation:

The ‘udisksctl mount –block-device /dev/sdXN’ command mounts the device partition specified by “/dev/sdXN”. The “/dev/sdXN” should be replaced with the actual name of the device partition you want to mount. Upon successful mounting, it prints the mount point where the partition is mounted.

Example output:

Mounted /dev/sdb2 at /mnt/data.

Use case 5: Unmount a device partition

Code:

udisksctl unmount --block-device /dev/sdXN

Motivation:

This use case comes in handy when you want to unmount a device partition that is no longer needed. It allows you to safely detach the partition from the system, ensuring that all pending data writes are completed before unmounting.

Explanation:

The ‘udisksctl unmount –block-device /dev/sdXN’ command unmounts the device partition specified by “/dev/sdXN”. The “/dev/sdXN” should be replaced with the actual name of the device partition you want to unmount.

Example output:

Unmounted /dev/sdb2.

Use case 6: Monitor the daemon for events

Code:

udisksctl monitor

Motivation:

This use case is useful when you want to monitor events related to storage devices in real-time. It enables you to keep track of device insertions, removals, and other storage-related events.

Explanation:

The ‘udisksctl monitor’ command starts monitoring the ‘udisksd’ daemon for events. It continuously displays relevant events such as device insertions, removals, mount, and unmount events. To exit the monitoring mode, you can press Ctrl+C.

Example output:

Monitoring started.
14:25:10.432: The object /org/freedesktop/UDisks2/drives/ATA_KINGSTON_SSDNOW_V300S_SN_50026B729F5493FE was added.
14:25:12.145: The object /org/freedesktop/UDisks2/drives/ATA_KINGSTON_SNVP325_S3_SN_50026B725401FE4C was added.
14:25:13.908: The object /org/freedesktop/UDisks2/drives/ATA_Hitachi_HTS543232L9A300_SN_GEKH0MB5J9CBHE was added.
...

Conclusion:

The ‘udisksctl’ command provides a convenient interface to interact with the ‘udisksd’ daemon and perform various actions related to storage devices. It enables users to obtain high-level and detailed information about disk drives and block devices, mount and unmount partitions, and monitor events in real-time. By utilizing different options and arguments within the command, users can efficiently manage their storage devices and perform necessary operations.