GUI utillity (Not Gnome Disks) to edit fstab to automount at startup permanently connected drive(s).

Question

Looking for a simple GUI that can simply configure (and backup as well) my /etc/fstab file to automatically mount all sd? hard disks. Basically to automount without password or using root password so that all programs can access other hard drives and partitions. I know it is totally accomplishable by root editing of fstab, but I want an application that does it for you safely and tests the mounting whereas fstab is such a crucial file, and retains a backup trail so you can easily go back in and undo any mistakes. Having it as part of GRUB would be an even smarter idea as well. That way to undo mistakes if needed.

Answer 1

If you want completely 'safe' then any activity that requires root privileges is not for you. Root access allows you to do things that may break your system and you take responsibility for your actions. There is no safety net.

If you do break fstab, you may not find out until you cannot boot and then the only options you will have to fix it are going to be command line or boot from live media. Best to be familiar with the command line.

That said, if they are still around and in your distro then there is (or were) GUI options that may fulfill most of your demands

1. Forlex
2. Mountmanager

(Pysdm is mentioned in that article, but is no longer recommended as it has been removed from the Ubuntu repositories as it is out of date, buggy and not maintained.)

The 'safety rules' for editing fstab are simple enough.

• Make your own backup before starting sudo cp /etc/fstab /etc/fstab.original
• Don't mess with your existing system mounts. In other words don't touch the entries in fstab now (cat /etc/fstab) until you really know what you are doing.
• Mount any new (usb?) devices below /media/whateverYourUsernameIs/

Stick to that, and any edits you make will not break your system.

Mistakes: Don't be afraid to make them; it's how we learn "Good judgment comes from experience but experience is the result of poor judgement".

Editing fstab from GRUB: Doesn't seem so smart to me. You are giving root access to your system to a user who hasn't even logged in yet... not on my machine, thanks.

Have fun.