pmount:tldr:abf84

The "pmount" command stands for "Policy Mount". It is a command-line tool used in Unix-like operating systems to mount removable media devices (such as USB drives, external hard drives, and CD/DVDs) on the system.

The purpose of using "pmount" instead of the traditional "mount" command is to provide a more user-friendly and safer approach to mounting removable media. When "pmount" is used, it automatically handles the mount point creation, permission settings, and unmounting of the device when the user is finished using it.

Here is how the "pmount" command works:

1. Syntax: The command is executed as "pmount ", where:

   • is the path or name of the removable media device, such as "/dev/sdb1", "/dev/cdrom", etc.
   • is the directory where the device will be mounted, which can be an existing or new directory.

2. Policy Check: Before mounting the device, "pmount" checks if the user has the necessary permissions to mount the device. By default, only the root user or users belonging to a specific group (often called "plugdev") are allowed to use "pmount".

3. Mount Point Creation: If the mount-point directory specified in the command does not exist, "pmount" creates it automatically with the appropriate user permissions.

4. Device Mounting: Once the mount point is ready, "pmount" mounts the specified device onto the given mount point. It uses the appropriate file system driver to handle the specific device type (e.g., FAT32, NTFS, ISO 9660 for CDs/DVDs, etc.).

5. Accessing the Device: After a successful mount, the contents of the device become accessible at the specified mount point, allowing the user to read, write, and perform various operations on the files within the device.

6. Unmounting: When the user finishes using the device, they can safely unmount it by executing the "pumount " command. This ensures that any pending writes to the device are completed, preventing data loss or corruption.

Overall, "pmount" simplifies the process of mounting removable media devices by handling the necessary security checks, mount point creation, and clean unmounting, reducing the risk of accidental data loss and making the process more user-friendly.