Dynamically mounted ext3 file systems are not writable by users
Affects | Status | Importance | Assigned to | Milestone | |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NULL Project |
Invalid
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned | ||
hal (Ubuntu) |
Invalid
|
Undecided
|
Unassigned |
Bug Description
Binary package hint: hal
A friend of mine (an average Ubuntu Jaunty user) recently bought a new internal SATA hard disk. After installing and formatting it with ext3 filesystem, he complains about Ubuntu mounts it with read-only permissions, so he can't write anything on it.
Steps to reproduce:
1. Install a new internal SATA hard disk into the computer.
2. Use Gparted to create a new ext3 partition into it.
3. Restart hal or reboot. The new drive is displayed in Places->Computer.
4. Click on the drive to mount it.
Result:
- The drive is mounted read-only. You can't create any folder or file on it.
- The mount point is /media/disk, with "root" owner, "root" group and "rwxr-xr-x" permissions.
WORKAROUNDS:
==========
1) Change the default permissions to 777:
$ sudo chmod 777 /media/disk
Since then, you have full write access to the new drive, and hal "remembers" the new permissions, so the write access is granted every time you reboot, and you don't need to retype the chmod command every time.
2) Change the default owner to $USER:
$ sudo chown $USER /media/disk
This is what hal already does when you insert a FAT32 volume (i.e. an USB pen drive or an SD card).
Therefore, I think hal should do any of the above by default on the mountpoint of any new hard disk drive, like /media/disk and so. Without that, an average user will not have full read/write access to the new drive, minimizing his/her user experience and maximizing his/her frustration.
Changed in hundredpapercuts: | |
status: | New → Invalid |
description: | updated |
summary: |
- Mounted ext3 file systems are not writable by users + Dynamically mounted ext3 file systems are not writable by users |
affects: | hundredpapercuts → null |
I can see the same behavior here.
Since you need a special permission to mount devices (you get asked for that the first time you try to mount sth and have to give a password to sudo or get root). These mounted devices should be mounted with user:usergroup rights. This is also consistent with the handling of USB mass storage devices.