Mount DVD/CD iso9600 with caja

Giskard

Hi! I'm a new GhostBSD user. I installed it a couple of weeks ago, after a long period on GNU/Linux and a little experience with FreeBSD as OPNSense on my job's firewalls. I'm still learning many things and differences from what I used to. I'm liking very much how the system is clean, well sorted out and easy to understand. GhostBSD also is a huge help by itself, allowing me to have an excellent desktop installation with FreeBSD, very quickly and with sane defaults.

There are, however, a couple of thing where I need help to find the proper way to do them. One is this.

I'm trying to mount data CDs and DVDs from the desktop, but I can't find a way to do it.
USB Drives with UFS and FAT32 are mounted fine, but I can't make it mount my data DVD.

The only way that I found is to mount them with a sudo mount_cd9660 /dev/cd0 /cdrom/, but I'd like to be able to mount them from mate desktop.

I see that gvfs and udisks are loaded, so I expect them to detect and auto mount the discs.
ps -ax|grep gvfs 1440 - I 0:00,03 /usr/local/libexec/gvfsd 1459 - S 0:00,05 /usr/local/libexec/gvfs-udisks2-volume-monitor (gvfs-udisks2-volume) 1467 - I 0:00,01 /usr/local/libexec/gvfs-mtp-volume-monitor (gvfs-mtp-volume-mon) 1472 - I 0:00,01 /usr/local/libexec/gvfs-gphoto2-volume-monitor (gvfs-gphoto2-volume) 1539 - S 0:00,06 /usr/local/libexec/gvfsd-trash --spawner :1.1 /org/gtk/gvfs/exec_spaw/0 1551 - I 0:00,00 /usr/local/libexec/gvfsd-metadata 1563 - I 0:00,01 /usr/local/libexec/gvfsd-network --spawner :1.1 /org/gtk/gvfs/exec_spaw/1 1564 - I 0:00,01 /usr/local/libexec/gvfsd-dnssd --spawner :1.1 /org/gtk/gvfs/exec_spaw/2 2707 0 S+ 0:00,00 grep --color=auto gvfs

My installation is quite default. I just disabled some services that I don't need, such as cups and moused.
cat /etc/rc.conf zfs_enable="YES" kld_list="linux linux64 cuse fusefs hgame /boot/modules/i915kms.ko" linux_enable="YES" ntpd_enable="YES" ntpd_sync_on_start="YES" devfs_enable="YES" devfs_system_ruleset="devfsrules_common" dbus_enable="YES" lightdm_enable="YES" webcamd_enable="NO" cupsd_enable="NO" avahi_daemon_enable="YES" avahi_dnsconfd_enable="YES" moused_enable="NO" firewall_enable="YES" firewall_type="workstation" ifconfig_em0="DHCP" keymap="us.kbd" hostname="beastie"

Thanks in advance for your help!

vimanuelt

Giskard It is my understanding that modern FreeBSD and GhostBSD systems (especially those using MATE or Caja) rely on devd, autofs, and gvfs for automounting removable media like CDs, USB drives, etc. The following instruction is for both FreeBSD and GhostBSD.

Updated Setup for CD-ROM Auto-Mount in FreeBSD and GhostBSD (No HAL)

1. Make sure `autofs` is enabled

Check your /etc/rc.conf for:

autofs_enable="YES"

If not there, add it:

sudo sysrc autofs_enable=YES

Then start it:

sudo service autofs start

2. Make sure `gvfs` is installed

Caja uses gvfs to integrate with MATE:

sudo pkg install gvfs

These support mounting various kinds of devices (including CD-ROMs).

3. Make sure `devd` is running (it should be by default)

Check if running:

ps aux | grep devd

If not, enable it in /etc/rc.conf:

devd_enable="YES" sudo service devd start

Use Caja for Mounting

Once the above are configured, you should be able to:

Insert a CD-ROM
Open Caja
The CD should appear in the sidebar or on the desktop
Click it to mount

If it still doesn’t appear, devd may not be triggering autofs for optical media correctly. In that case, a manual mount script or shortcut might be the most reliable fallback.

vimanuelt

vimanuelt Here is a Mount-CD script idea.

mkdir -p ~/.config/caja/scripts
nano ~/.config/caja/scripts/Mount-CD

#!/bin/sh
# Mount-CD 
DEVICE="/dev/cd0"
MOUNTPOINT="/mnt/cdrom"

if [ ! -e "$DEVICE" ]; then
  notify-send "No CD-ROM detected at $DEVICE"
  exit 1
fi

if [ ! -d "$MOUNTPOINT" ]; then
  mkdir -p "$MOUNTPOINT"
fi

pkexec mount_cd9660 "$DEVICE" "$MOUNTPOINT" && \
notify-send "CD-ROM mounted at $MOUNTPOINT" || \
notify-send "Failed to mount CD-ROM"

Be sure to make it executable.
chmod +x ~/.config/caja/scripts/Mount-CD

vimanuelt

vimanuelt Here is an Unmount Script idea.

nano ~/.config/caja/scripts/Unmount-CD

#!/bin/sh
MOUNTPOINT="/mnt/cdrom"

pkexec umount "$MOUNTPOINT" && \
notify-send "CD-ROM unmounted" || \
notify-send "Failed to unmount CD-ROM"

Be sure to make it executable:
chmod +x ~/.config/caja/scripts/Unmount-CD

vimanuelt

vimanuelt Here is how those scripts could be used in Caja:

Right-click anywhere in Caja (like on the desktop or in a folder)
Go to Scripts
Click Mount-CD or Unmount-CD

Requirements:

notify-send (from libnotify)
pkexec (from polkit)
mount_cd9660 (comes with FreeBSD and GhostBSD base)

You can install libnotify if needed:

sudo pkg install libnotify

Giskard

Thank you @vimanuelt . Unfortunately, enabling autofs was not enough. I'll search some other way to make it work seamlessly. Meanwhile, I'll use the scripts. ;-)

vimanuelt

I apologize. It has been a long time since I have used a DVD or a CD drive. If I recall the correct procedure, I'll post.

Giskard

Don't worry. There's no need to apologize 😉 Your answer was very kind and also useful, because I didn't know that I can call scripts from caja's contextual menu. 🙂

Giskard

Just to update the topic: I kept using the scripts that @vimanuelt wrote, with some modifications.

I added to /etc/devfs.conf two rules to allow my user (which is into the operator group) to mount the CDROM

own	/dev/cd0	root:operator
perm	/dev/cd0	0660

Then I removed the root password prompt from the script and made it create a directory inside my home. Doing so, caja will show an icon of the removable drive on the desktop.

#!/bin/sh
# Mount-CD 
DEVICE="/dev/cd0"
MOUNTPOINT="${HOME}/cdrom"

mkdir -p "$MOUNTPOINT"

if [ ! -e "$DEVICE" ]; then
  notify-send "CD Mount" "No CD-ROM detected at $DEVICE"
  exit 1
fi

mount_cd9660 "$DEVICE" "$MOUNTPOINT" && \
  notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom "CD Mount" "CD-ROM mounted at $MOUNTPOINT" || \
  notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom -u critical "CD Mount" "Failed to mount CD-ROM"

The unmount script deletes the mount dir after the umount command

As a bonus, I wrote two similar scripts to mount/unmount my android smartphone using jmtpfs

vimanuelt

Giskard
If I got it right the new scripts would be like these.

`mount-cd.sh`

    #!/bin/sh
    # File: mount-ch.sh
    
    DEVICE="/dev/cd0"
    MOUNTPOINT="${HOME}/cdrom"
    
    mkdir -p "$MOUNTPOINT"
    
    if [ ! -e "$DEVICE" ]; then
      notify-send "CD Mount" "No CD-ROM detected at $DEVICE"
      exit 1
    fi
    
    if mount | grep -q "on ${MOUNTPOINT} "; then
      notify-send "CD Mount" "CD-ROM already mounted at $MOUNTPOINT"
      exit 0
    fi
        
    if mount_cd9660 -o ro "$DEVICE" "$MOUNTPOINT"; then
      notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom "CD Mount" "CD-ROM mounted at $MOUNTPOINT"
    else
      notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom -u critical "CD Mount" "Failed to mount CD-ROM"
      exit 1
    fi

unmount-cd.sh

    #!/bin/sh
    # File: unmount-ch.sh
    
    MOUNTPOINT="${HOME}/cdrom"
    
    if mount | grep -q "on ${MOUNTPOINT} "; then
      if umount "$MOUNTPOINT"; then
        notify-send "CD Unmount" "CD-ROM unmounted from $MOUNTPOINT"
        rmdir "$MOUNTPOINT" 2>/dev/null
      else
        notify-send -u critical "CD Unmount" "Failed to unmount $MOUNTPOINT"
        exit 1
      fi
    else
      notify-send "CD Unmount" "No CD-ROM is currently mounted at $MOUNTPOINT"
    fi

In /etc/devfs.conf, ensure:

own     /dev/cd0    root:operator
perm    /dev/cd0    0660

And your user must be in the operator group: pw groupmod operator -m yourusername

Giskard

vimanuelt Correct, but now that I see it again, I just had an idea for a further improvement. 😃

#!/bin/sh
# Mount-CD

DEVICE="/dev/cd0"
MOUNTPOINT="${HOME}/cdrom"

remove_mount_dir () {
  rmdir "$MOUNTPOINT"
}
trap 'remove_mount_dir' EXIT

mkdir -p "$MOUNTPOINT"

if [ ! -e "$DEVICE" ]; then
  notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom -u critical "CD Mount" "No CD-ROM detected at $DEVICE"
  exit 1
fi

if mount | grep -wq "on ${MOUNTPOINT}"; then
  notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom "CD Mount" "CD-ROM already mounted at $MOUNTPOINT"
  exit 0
fi

mount_cd9660 "$DEVICE" "$MOUNTPOINT" && \
  notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom "CD Mount" "CD-ROM mounted at $MOUNTPOINT" || \
  notify-send -a mount_cd9660 -i drive-cdrom -u critical "CD Mount" "Failed to mount CD-ROM"

while mount | grep -wq "on $MOUNTPOINT"; do
  sleep 5
done

With this you don't need the unmount script, because you can just unmount the disk using caja.
I put the mountpoint removal into a function that's trapped on exit. The script will stay in a loop until the CD is unmounted.

And that's the script for Smartphone's MTP

#!/bin/sh
# Mount-Smartphone

MOUNTPOINT="${HOME}/mtpfs"

remove_mount_dir () {
  rmdir "$MOUNTPOINT"
}
trap 'remove_mount_dir' EXIT

mkdir -p "$MOUNTPOINT"

if mount | grep -wq "on ${MOUNTPOINT}"; then
  notify-send -a jmtpfs -i phone "Smartphone Mount" "Smartphone already mounted at $MOUNTPOINT"
  exit 0
fi

jmtpfs "$MOUNTPOINT" && \
  notify-send -a jmtpfs -i phone "Smartphone Mount" "Smartphone mounted at $MOUNTPOINT" || \
  notify-send -a jmtpfs -i phone -u critical "Smartphone Mount" "Failed to mount Smartphone"

while mount | grep -wq "on $MOUNTPOINT"; do
  sleep 5
done

vimanuelt

Giskard
Thank you. Nice idea.