To access data CDs and hot-plugged USB storage devices on linux workstations, simply insert the CD or connect the device. The media should mount automatically, placing an icon on the desktop and opening a listing of the files on the device. This also adds a corresponding entry under /media with a name based on the label of the media.

When finished, you should dismount the device prior to removing it by either right clicking on the desktop icon or using the File menu of its file listing, and then selecting Unmount.

Note, however, that on our newer Linux installs running SL5 this will only happen when running under a graphical environment. For devices to be automatically mounted while at the console, start the “gnome-volume-manager”:

 gnome-volume-manager --sm-disable

This forks by itself into the background and will now mount devices into /media for you.

For CD/DVD burning, we recommend using k3b

From the command line, you can also use cdrecord, but it requires more understanding to use, and we will not attempt to provide a tutorial here.