# Understanding Mounting, File Systems, and Choosing Between EXT4 vs NTFS

Before we connect our drives and get everything ready, it’s important to understand **what mounting is**, **what a file
system is**, and **why we choose either EXT4 or NTFS** depending on how you'll use your storage.

This page explains these concepts in simple terms so beginners can follow with confidence.

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## 🧩 What Does “Mounting” Mean?

On Linux, storage devices like HDDs, SSDs, or USB drives **don’t automatically appear as folders** when plugged in.  
Instead, the operating system *attaches* or *mounts* them to a folder—meaning:

**Mounting = attaching a drive to a folder in the filesystem**

For example:

```
Device: /dev/sda1
Mounted at: /mnt/omnissiah-vault
```

Once mounted:

- The drive is accessible through that folder path
- Applications can read/write files there
- You can organize your media, downloads, and settings

If the drive isn’t mounted, Linux can see the hardware but won’t be able to access the data stored on it.

---

## 📘 Why We Use `/mnt/…`

Linux organizes storage under specific folders:

| Path    | Purpose                             |
|---------|-------------------------------------|
| `/home` | User’s personal files               |
| `/root` | Root user’s files                   |
| `/etc`  | System configuration files          |
| `/mnt`  | External drives mounted by the user |

We typically mount drives in `/mnt` to keep things organized, for example:

```
/mnt/omnissiah-vault
```

This makes it clear that the drive is external storage, not part of the system root.

---

## 🔧 What Is a File System?

A **file system** determines how data is organized on a drive.

It controls:

- How files are stored
- How permissions work
- How large files can be
- How reliable and fast the storage is

Two major file systems matter for media management:

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# 🆚 EXT4 vs NTFS — Which Should You Use?

Below is a simple, clear comparison.

| Feature                                   | EXT4 (Linux Native)     | NTFS (Windows Native)              |
|-------------------------------------------|-------------------------|------------------------------------|
| Best OS support                           | Linux                   | Windows                            |
| Performance on Linux                      | ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Fast               | ⭐ Slow (requires NTFS-3G driver)   |
| Supports Linux permissions (chmod, chown) | ✔ Yes                   | ❌ No (emulated)                    |
| Good for Plex & ARR stack                 | ✔ Best choice           | ✔ Works but slower                 |
| Reliability                               | ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Excellent         | ⭐⭐⭐ Good                           |
| 4K/large drive support                    | ✔ Yes                   | ✔ Yes                              |
| Automatic mounting                        | Easy                    | Slightly more complex              |
| Ideal use case                            | Permanent Linux storage | External drive shared with Windows |

### ✔ **Choose EXT4 if the drive stays connected to your Raspberry Pi/Linux system.**

This is the recommended choice for **media servers**, **Plex**, and **qBittorrent** because:

- It’s faster
- Uses native permissions
- More stable
- Less CPU overhead
- Easier integration with Docker

### ✔ **Choose NTFS only if the drive must also be used on Windows.**

For example:

- You physically unplug the drive and connect it to a Windows PC
- You want to browse the media on Windows without a network share

---

## 🪟 Accessing an EXT4 Drive on Windows?

EXT4 cannot be read by Windows *natively*.

However, **this is not a problem**, because:

### You will access your media over the network using **Samba (SMB)**.

This means:

- You keep the performance, safety, and permissions of EXT4
- Windows PCs can still browse the media like a shared network drive

We will configure Samba later in an optional section:

👉 *“Accessing Your Media from Windows (Samba Setup)”*

---

## 📥 Choose Your Mounting Ritual

Below are two scripts — pick one based on your file system choice.

### 🟦 EXT4 Mounting Ritual (Recommended)

**Download:**  
👉 [bind-machine-spirits-ext4.sh](../scripts/shell/setup-mount-points/ext4.sh)

(Use this if your drive is formatted as EXT4 and stays connected permanently.)

---

### 🟨 NTFS Mounting Ritual (Legacy/Optional)

**Download:**  
👉 [bind-machine-spirits-ntfs.sh](../scripts/shell/setup-mount-points/ntfs.sh)

(Use this only if your drive must work on both Linux and Windows without Samba.)

---

## 🧭 What Happens Next?

Once you choose your file system and run the ritual script:

1. Your mount point will be created
2. `/etc/fstab` will be updated for automatic mounting
3. The drive will appear under `/mnt/omnissiah-vault`
4. Subdirectories (movies, tv-shows, downloads, etc.) will be generated

## ➡️ Next Step: Install Docker

Proceed to the **Install Docker** step to prepare docker for media management.
Go to 👉 **[Install Docker](install-docker.md)**

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