We can mount DVDs/partitions using systemd.mount by writing a mount unit file.
Ensure that a RHEL7 DVD is inserted (or attached if using a VM).
Create a mountpoint:
# mkdir /mnt/rhel7dvd
Note that mount units must be named after the mountpoint directories they control. In our case, the mountpoint /mnt/rhel7dvd has to be configured in the file mnt-rhel7dvd.mount. The unit file name has to match the mountpoint path.
Here’s the context of the newly created file /etc/systemd/system/mnt-rhel7dvd.mount:
[Unit] Description=rhel7dvd [Mount] What=/dev/cdrom Where=/mnt/rhel7dvd [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target
Reload the systemd daemon and start the unit:
# systemctl daemon-reload # systemctl start mnt-rhel7dvd.mount # systemctl enable mnt-rhel7dvd.mount
Create a Yum repo file /etc/yum.repos.d/rhel7dvd.repo with the following content:
[dvd] name=rhel7 dvd baseurl=file:///mnt/rhel7dvd enabled=1 gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///mnt/rhel7dvd/RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release [dvd-ha] name=add-on HighAvailability baseurl=file:///mnt/rhel7dvd/addons/HighAvailability enabled=1 gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///mnt/rhel7dvd/RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release [dvd-rs] name=add-on ResilientStorage baseurl=file:///mnt/rhel7dvd/addons/ResilientStorage enabled=1 gpgcheck=1 gpgkey=file:///mnt/rhel7dvd/RPM-GPG-KEY-redhat-release
Verify:
# yum clean all && yum repolist Cleaning repos: dvd dvd-ha dvd-rs Cleaning up everything Loaded plugins: product-id, subscription-manager dvd | 4.1 kB 00:00 dvd-ha | 4.1 kB 00:00 dvd-rs | 4.1 kB 00:00 (1/6): dvd/group_gz | 134 kB 00:00 (2/6): dvd-rs/primary_db | 28 kB 00:00 (3/6): dvd/primary_db | 3.4 MB 00:00 (4/6): dvd-ha/group_gz | 3.4 kB 00:00 (5/6): dvd-ha/primary_db | 21 kB 00:00 (6/6): dvd-rs/group_gz | 4.9 kB 00:00 repo id repo name status dvd rhel7 dvd 4,371 dvd-ha add-on HighAvailability 25 dvd-rs add-on ResilientStorage 36 repolist: 4,432
Hi Tomas , just wanted to know what is the purpose of using a mount unit file instead of using normal mount command to mount the rhel7 DVD.
Thanks.
Normal mount command would not survive system reboot.
Hi Tomas
Well explained. Really appreciate your work, especially the RHCA material
You’re welcome Bruce.
Would this not be better mounted via /etc/fstab?
The fstab way is simpler, but I wouldn’t say that it’s any better compared to systemd, likely the opposite. For example, systemd gives you flexibility to specify when to mount each point.
Hi, guys!
Here is really good explanation how to accomplish the task
Thank you!
Can you explain why this DVD mount method works without the need to run ‘createrepo’?
The createrepo program creates a repomd repository from a set of rpms. There is no need to use it on a DVD because the content of the DVD is already a repository.
When you install RedHat/CentOS from a DVD, you use that DVD as an installation media repository.
Strangely my experience was different… After I unpacked the .iso to a directory on an http server and configured the repo to download from there, I got errors 404 for the repodata files. It only got fixed after running createrepo on the extracted files.
That’s interesting, thanks for sharing.
Wait, what kind of dark magic is this? ;-) You aren’t issuing mount command nor editing /etc/fstab yet you get the cdrom/dvdrom mounted?! :-)
Great guide, thanks for compiling it. And thank you for compiling your entire blog, the name “blog” itself may be misleading, you created something way beyond just a blog…
That dark magic has a name: systemd.
Thanks for your feedback, it’s greatly appreciated.