Connecting a USB drive to a Linux system doesn’t automatically make its contents available. The process of making a storage device’s files accessible is called mounting. This involves associating the device with a specific directory within the system’s file hierarchy. For example, a user might connect a USB flash drive and link it to the directory /media/usb_drive, allowing access to the drive’s files through that directory.
Mounting provides a structured and organized way to interact with external storage. It prevents data corruption and allows the operating system to properly manage file access. Historically, mounting stemmed from physical mounting of magnetic tapes and disk packs. Modern systems virtualize this process, offering dynamic and flexible storage management crucial for various applications, from simple file transfers to complex system installations.