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Mount Configuration

Mounts let you map directories from your host machine (or network) into the SAS container, so SAS programs can read and write files without copying data into the container.

Method Use Case
Auto-mount Quick access to all fixed drives
Local directory Mount a specific folder from your machine
Network share Mount a CIFS/SMB network share

Mount configuration is available in the Mounts tab of the desktop form after the first save.

Local Directory Mounts

Adding a Local Mount

  1. Click Add Mount in the Mount Configuration section
  2. Select Local Directory as the mount type
  3. Enter the Source Path — absolute path on your host (e.g. /Users/yourname/sas-data)
  4. Enter the Target Path — where it appears inside the container (e.g. /data)
  5. Choose Access Mode — Read-Write or Read-Only
  6. Click Add Mount

Path Validation

Paths are validated as you type:

  • Source path must be an absolute path on your host machine
  • Target path must be an absolute Linux path (starts with /)
  • Target paths cannot conflict with reserved container paths (/opt/sas, /sasinside, /proc, /sys, /dev)
  • Duplicate or overlapping target paths are blocked

Sensitive directories

Security warnings appear when mounting directories like ~/.ssh, ~/.aws, or system directories. Consider mounting only the specific subdirectory you need.

Example

Field Value
Type Local Directory
Source Path /Users/yourname/projects/analytics/data
Target Path /data
Access Mode Read-Write

In SAS:

libname mydata "/data";

Network Share Mounts

Mount CIFS/SMB file servers into SAS containers. The extension creates Docker volumes with the CIFS driver automatically.

Prerequisites

  • The network share must be accessible from your machine
  • Valid credentials (username/password) for the share
  • Share path in UNC format: //server/share
  • A credential profile must be created first

Creating a Credential Profile

  1. Navigate to the Mounts tab in the desktop form
  2. Click Credentials
  3. Fill in:
    • Profile Name — a friendly name (e.g. "Corporate File Server")
    • Username — your network username
    • Password — your network password
    • Domain — optional, for Active Directory authentication
  4. Click Save

Passwords are encrypted with AES-256-GCM before storage and are never displayed in the UI.

Adding a Network Mount

  1. Click Add Mount
  2. Select Network Share
  3. Enter the Source Path in UNC format (e.g. //fileserver/shared-data)
  4. Enter the Target Path (e.g. /network/shared)
  5. Choose Access Mode
  6. Select the Credential Profile
  7. Click Add Mount

Managing Mounts

Status Indicators

Status Meaning
🟢 Active Mount is enabled and will be used when the container starts
⚪ Disabled Mount exists but won't be used until re-enabled
🔴 Error Mount has a validation error — check the tooltip

Actions

  • Toggle — enable or disable a mount without deleting it
  • Edit — open the mount form with pre-filled values
  • Delete — permanently remove the mount (cannot be undone)

Docker Integration

When you start a desktop, enabled mounts are converted to Docker arguments:

  • Local mounts: --mount type=bind,source=/path,target=/data
  • Network mounts: --volume {cifs-volume-name}:/network/share

Mounts are validated before container startup:

  • Errors (path traversal, reserved paths) block startup
  • Warnings (sensitive directories) are logged but don't block
  • Source path existence is validated by Docker when the container starts