Mint 19: fstab network mounts not working - probably because network not up until user logs in

[bernd.wechner]

I've just installed Mint 19 on a new SSD. On Mint 18 I had a pile of network mounts coded in /etc/fstab.

On Mint 19 I'm finding a familiar problem (as in I had this with Mint 18 when I first used it), namely that I log in and these /etc/fstab network mounts are not mounted. Easy fixed I just have to type sudo mount -a in a terminal window and they appear.

Now from memory in Mint 18 (a long time ago now) I concluded (and was advised) that the network manager doesn't bring the cabled ethernet link up until after logging in. It was eth0 then and is eno1 lately. So that is my premise this time round too. That the reason they are not mounded is because when /etc/fstab is processed the network is not up yet.

Only this time I would like to try something new, that is, keep the network manager installed (for a few other reasons). It's not crucial but I'd rather look for a solution that includes it.

I notice that this is all now done under netplan: https://netplan.io/

and Network Manager is handed the reigns in:

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$ cat /etc/netplan/1-network-manager-all.yaml 
# Let NetworkManager manage all devices on this system
network:
  version: 2
  renderer: NetworkManager

Great, but what I'd like is something slightly different more like:

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$ cat /etc/netplan/1-network-manager-all-but-eno1.yaml 
# Let NetworkManager manage all devices on this system except for the cabled ethernet link eno1 which we bring up at boot time
[What goes here?]

For [What goes here] I'm thinking:

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network:
    ethernets:
        eno1:
            addresses: []
            dhcp4: true
            optional: true
    version: 2
    renderer: NetworkManager

But I'm guessing blindly just comparing with an Ubuntu 18.04 server I have .

I would like to understand better how to mix network manager with an ethernet link that is up at boot time so network drives mount successfully. Is that even possible, sensible or what?

I will of course do some reading at neplan.io but wanted to raise the question here too to see if ther eis experience out there that can be shared and to have the story/use-case on record in these forums I guess.

Reasons I'd like to try and mix these is that I work a fair bit with a VPN and also with a Wifi dongle on this box and I historically work with these all through system configs I guess but really like the idea of seeing them in my sys tray too. In short I like the idea of the network manager a lot, I just wish it had a clearly easily configurable way of starting at boot time and raising the wired network not at login time.

And perhaps such a things is doable and easy but I have'nt fallen over any clear documentation. Alas networking on Linux is a convoluted mess of different systems at play in my experience, mixes of network manager, systemd.network, upstart, systemd, netplan and more and getting one's head around this nest of things is not trivial to say the least, but this use case here I figure must be a fairly common desktop one. I mean I just want my NAS drives mounted at boot so I a) don't have to mount them manually and b) can access them in other other run contexts I guess (during startup, from daemons running when I'm not logged in etc).

[bernd.wechner]

Seriously? Not a soul in the Mint community with any smarts in this space willing to share? I guess I'll move it over to AskUbuntu ...

[altair4]

On Mint 19 I'm finding a familiar problem (as in I had this with Mint 18 when I first used it), namely that I log in and these /etc/fstab network mounts are not mounted. Easy fixed I just have to type sudo mount -a in a terminal window and they appear.

Replace "gksu gedit" with "sudo -H xed":

A couple of ideas:

** Create a script:

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gksu gedit /etc/network/if-up.d/fstab

** With this content:

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#!/bin/sh
mount -a

** Make it executable:

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sudo chmod +x /etc/network/if-up.d/fstab

Or ... and this isn't really making them mount at boot:

Add two more options to your list: noauto and user. For example:

//192.168.n.nnn/backup /media/username/nas cifs username=admin,password=password,sec=ntlm,noauto,user 0 0

noauto = will make it so it doesn’t mount at boot which seems counter-intuitive but ...
user = allows a regular user to mount - and later unmount - the share rather than root.
Since the mount points are already under /media a device icon will be created on the side panel of your file manager and other places.

When you boot into your system the shares will not be mounted but if you select the icon on the side panel of your file manager or pretty much any other application like gedit's "Open" and "Save" for example the system will use the instructions in fstab and mount it on demand seamlessly without any other intervention on your part.

[gm10]

Replace "gksu gedit" with "sudo -H xed":

Actually xed admin://<path/file> is the polkit compatible variant of doing it now.

[altair4]

The problem is I can never remember the syntax. It's simple enough so it must be stubbornness on my part.

As a Xubuntu user I don't have to use it since pkexec is a one to one replacement for gksu for it's default text editor and file manager. If I had the same problem with mousepad in Xunbuntu that Mint has with xed then I would think the admin:// approach would be memorized by now.

[gm10]

As a Xubuntu user I don't have to use it since pkexec is a one to one replacement for gksu for it's default text editor and file manager. If I had the same problem with mousepad in Xunbuntu that Mint has with xed then I would think the admin:// approach would be memorized by now.

pkexec xed still worked in the Mint 19 beta, it's all a question of supplying the proper policy file now. Besides, there's always sudoedit (aka sudo nano), was nothing ever wrong with that one.

[bernd.wechner]

Hey, thanks so much fro dropping a line. I'd been waiting patiently for a while. Just checked in again. Oddly didn't get an email notification so will have to check on that.

Still, alas hooking into ifup can't really solve the issue. The problem is the if does not go up! Until I've logged in.

The solution you suggest is in fact fine for saving me the hassle of doing

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mount -a

after I log in yes. But that is not in fact the biggest problem. The bigger problem is I need these network drives mounted even when I am not logged in! And I can do that, easy really, I just turn off the network manager, and I force the if up on boot. From memory it's as simple as adding to /etc/network/interfaces:

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auto eno1
iface eno1 inet dhcp

But the problem is I want to use the network manager (for other reasons). I don't need to. In fact I never have. I'd just like to.

Oddly I'm puzzled now why I can't use network manager AND put those lines /etc/network/interfaces. I might try that. I think I have tried it in past and it didn't work. But worth checking again. Still part of me wants to understand how to use netplan (https://netplan.io/) which is now stock standard on Mint 19, to have the wired interface come up on boot while keeping Network Manager active, so I could turn it off, and connect with wireless for example using a nice GUI.

[gm10]

Just a thought: Your NetworkManager connection does have the boxes checked for automatically connecting and allowing all users to connect, right? Because if it's user-specific you'd indeed have to log in first.

[bernd.wechner]

Well, just tried that and two surprising issues:

1) When I reboot and log on, on a console (ALT_CTRL+1), the mounts where not mounted. Forgot to check if eno1 was up. Will do that next. Reboots meen bye by, until done then back here .

2) On NetworkManager The Wired Interface is now listed as unmanaged. That rings a loud bell and I'm pretty sure I should have expected. And this pains me. I'd like to bring it up on boot, but be able to log on and turn it off (bring it down) with network manager.

[bernd.wechner]

Just rebooted and checked. The eno1 interface is up on boot. Great. Just as needed.

The Wired interface is listed as unmanaged. Not desirable. Wish Network Manager would let me manage it. Looking for way to do that.

So:

Just a thought: Your NetworkManager connection does have the boxes checked for automatically connecting and allowing all users to connect, right? Because if it's user-specific you'd indeed have to log in first.

Hmmm, I don't see any such boxes. But then I'm not sure where to look. So I had a poke around. I see two dialogs accessible from the Network Manager systray icon:

Network Settings
Network Connections

On the latter I see the wired link and can double click it raising anew dialog box and on its General Tab I do see "All users may connect to this network" checked.

So I guess I should reset /etc/network/interfaces to default and come back and look at that box and check it if it's not checked and then reboot again and see. Load of boot cycles here.

[bernd.wechner]

Done. Reset /etc/network/interfaces ... conifirmed on console that net was not up after boot. Confirmed that it came up after X login only.Confirmed that Wired interface is now listed on network manager, (I can turn it on and off, it's not listed as unmanaged), but also note that on Network Settings for the Wired Interface on the general Tab and "All users may connect to this network" is checked.

Still it seems if managed the interface is brought up by Network Manager only on an X login. Not on boot.

I'd like to bring it up on boot. And still be able to manage it. This is looking tricky. How to bring up the network and still have Network Manager manage it (from a different start state is all, up, not down).