Working with Disks
It is still under construction and content may change. Do not rely on the information on this page.
Linux uses the concept of mounting disks before they are available, as a desktop user there exists a number of methods that hide the complexity of this process from the end user.
By default, Fedora uses the www.freedesktop.org tools, HAL and D-Bus (listed as messagebus). These two pieces of software provide a means for Fedora to notify the desktop when a new piece of software is connected, the mounting of the disk is then handled by Gnome. Inserting a disk will automatically mount it, displaying an icon on the desktop and making the files accessible through Nautilus or another file browser.
When not using HAL and D-Bus the user may simply browse to a disk as they would a file on their hard drive. Accessing 'Computer' either through the desktop or the 'Places' menu brings up a folder with icons representing the disks present on the PC, including CD/DVD drives and any USB devices that have been detected. Assuming the disk is present it will be mounted and accessed as any other directory.