Connect Server Drives on Linux: Permanent Connections to Windows & MacOS

Imagine starting up your Linux computer and having connect Server Drives on Linux automatically! Is that cool?

No manual connecting, no complicated commands, just a seamless experience. In this blog post, I’ll show you exactly how to achieve this!

⭐ IMPORTANT NOTE: Multiple Servers with Different Accounts

You can easily connect to multiple different Windows and MacOS servers, each with its own login credentials. One credentials file per server – cleanly separated and easy to maintain!

Please also note this article:

Setting Up Network Drives for Mac and Windows

📊 Why Permanent Connections Make Sense

Advantage	Explanation
Always available	Files are immediately accessible
Transparent	Integrated into file managers
Automatic	No manual mounting needed
Stable	Survives network interruptions

Tested and works on: Debian 12, Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, Linux Mint 21.x

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🚀 Let’s Get Started: Basic Preparation

Step 1: Install CIFS-Utils

Same on all Debian-based systems:

bash

sudo apt update
sudo apt install cifs-utils

Step 2: Secure Password Management

Never, really NEVER store passwords directly in fstab! Instead:

bash

sudo nano /etc/.smbcredentials

Content for Windows Server:

bash

username=YOUR_USER
password=YOUR_PASSWORD
# Optional for domains:
# domain=MY_DOMAIN

Content for MacOS Server:

bash

username=YOUR_MAC_USER
password=YOUR_PASSWORD

Correct Permissions (IMPORTANT!):

bash

# Root owner, but your group must be able to read
sudo chown root:YOUR_GROUP /etc/.smbcredentials
sudo chmod 640 /etc/.smbcredentials

💡 Tip: Find your group with id -gn. Often it’s your username or users.

Step 3: Create Mount Points

bash

# Create folders for server drives
sudo mkdir -p /server/{windows,macos,shared}

# Optional: Change owner for easier access
sudo chown $USER:$USER /server/*

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🪟 Connect Windows Server Permanently

Preparation on Windows Side

1. Share folder (Right-click → Properties → Sharing)
2. Set user permissions
3. Assign static IP for Windows server
4. Note: \\IP-ADDRESS\SHARENAME

The /etc/fstab Configuration:

bash

sudo nano /etc/fstab

Add this line:

bash

//192.168.1.20/Documents /server/windows/documents cifs credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,file_mode=0644,dir_mode=0755,iocharset=utf8,nofail,x-systemd.automount 0 0

💡 Find your User-ID: id -u (usually 1000 for the first user)

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🍏 Connect MacOS Server Permanently

Prepare MacOS (from Sonoma/Ventura)

1. “System Settings” → “General” → “Sharing”
2. Activate “File Sharing” (toggle switch)
3. Click the Info icon “ⓘ” on the right
4. “+” to add folders
5. Leave SMB activated – standard on modern MacOS

IMPORTANT: Find Available Shares

Before configuring fstab, find the correct share name:

bash

smbclient -L //YOUR_MAC_IP -U YOUR_MAC_USER

Typical MacOS shares: username, Public, Macintosh HD, Backup

The /etc/fstab Configuration for MacOS:

bash

//192.168.1.30/username /server/macos/home cifs credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,file_mode=0644,dir_mode=0755,noperm,nofail,x-systemd.automount 0 0

⚠️ IMPORTANT: No line breaks in fstab! Everything in one line!

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🔧 Important Options Explained

Option	What it does	Why important
nofail	No boot error if server unavailable	⭐ Prevents boot problems
x-systemd.automount	Mounts only on access	Saves resources, automatic recovery
uid=1000,gid=1000	Files belong to your user	No permission problems
iocharset=utf8	Correct special characters	Important for Windows server
noperm	Ignores permission checks	Often needed for MacOS server

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🧪 Test Configuration – Step by Step

Step 1: Manual Test

bash

# First test manually
sudo mount -t cifs //192.168.1.30/username /server/macos/home -o credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,uid=1000

Step 2: Check fstab Syntax

bash

# Test fstab (BUT BEFORE!)
sudo systemctl daemon-reload  # ⭐ IMPORTANT: Reload systemd!
sudo mount -a

Step 3: Check Success

bash

# Check mount status
mount | grep cifs

# Show content
ls -la /server/macos/home

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🚨 Troubleshooting – Common Errors and Solutions

Error 1: “No such file or directory”

bash

# 1. Find available shares
smbclient -L //SERVER_IP -U USER

# 2. Test with different shares
sudo mount -t cifs //SERVER_IP/SHARE /mnt/test -o credentials=...

Error 2: “NT_STATUS_LOGON_FAILURE”

bash

# Check credentials
sudo cat /etc/.smbcredentials
# Correct username/password

Error 3: “Unable to open credentials file”

bash

# Correct permissions
sudo chown root:$(id -gn) /etc/.smbcredentials
sudo chmod 640 /etc/.smbcredentials

Error 4: Systemd Warning After fstab Change

bash

# Always after fstab changes:
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo mount -a

Error 5: MacOS FileVault Problem

If home directory doesn’t work:

• Use Public folder instead of Home
• Or create a separate share folder on MacOS

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🔄 Understanding Systemd – The Key to Success

Modern Linux systems use Systemd for mounts. Therefore:

1. Changes in /etc/fstab only become active after systemctl daemon-reload
2. Automount (x-systemd.automount) mounts only when needed
3. No manual mounting needed after each startup

Practical Alias:

bash

# Add to ~/.bashrc
alias fstab-reload='sudo systemctl daemon-reload && sudo mount -a'

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📋 Success Checklist

• cifs-utils installed
• /etc/.smbcredentials with correct data (permissions 640!)
• Mount folders created (/server/...)
• Static IPs used (not hostnames!)
• /etc/fstab with nofail and x-systemd.automount
• After fstab changes: sudo systemctl daemon-reload
• sudo mount -a successful
• File access works

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🎯 My Recommended fstab Entries

Windows Server (optimized):

bash

//192.168.1.20/Documents /server/windows/documents cifs credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,iocharset=utf8,nofail,x-systemd.automount 0 0

MacOS Server (optimized):

bash

//192.168.1.30/username /server/macos/home cifs credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,noperm,nofail,x-systemd.automount 0 0

For MacOS Problems:

bash

//192.168.1.30/Public /server/macos/public cifs credentials=/etc/.smbcredentials,uid=1000,gid=1000,noperm,nofail,x-systemd.automount 0 0

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🏁 Conclusion: Set Up Once, Benefit Always

Advantages at a Glance:

1. Time Saving: No more manual mounting
2. Reliability: Automatic recovery from problems
3. Integration: Seamless in file managers
4. Stability: Survives reboots and network changes

Your Workflow After Setup:

1. Start Linux
2. Access /server/windows/documents or /server/macos/home
3. Work as if they were local folders
4. Profit!

Whether Windows or MacOS – with this method you have permanently reliable server connections!

Do you have questions or your own experiences? Share them in the comments!

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