How to mount Windows servers from macOS

To automate the process of mounting Windows servers from your macOS whenever you connect to the VPN, you can create a shell script and configure it to run automatically when you connect to the VPN. Additionally, you can add a command to close the Finder window at the end of the script. Here's a step-by-step guide:

1. Create a Shell Script:

Open a text editor like TextEdit or use a code editor like Visual Studio Code to create a shell script. Save the script with a .sh extension. For example, you can name it mount_servers.sh. Here's an example of what the script could look like:

#!/bin/bash

# Define the list of server addresses
servers=("smb://server1" "smb://server2" "smb://server3" "smb://server4" "smb://server5")

# Loop through the list and mount each server
for server in "${servers[@]}"
do
    open "$server"
done

# Close the Finder window
osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to close window 1'

#!/bin/bash # Define the list of server addresses servers=("smb://server1" "smb://server2" "smb://server3" "smb://server4" "smb://server5") # Loop through the list and mount each server for server in "${servers[@]}" do open "$server" done # Close the Finder window osascript -e 'tell application "Finder" to close window 1'

• Make the Script Executable:

Open Terminal, navigate to the directory where you saved the script, and make it executable by running:

chmod +x mount_servers.sh

1. Automatically Run the Script on VPN Connection:

Since you want the script to run automatically when you connect to the VPN, you can use the built-in macOS feature called "Login Items." Here's how to set it up:

• Go to "System Preferences" > "Users & Groups."
  • Select your user account.
    • Click the "Login Items" tab.
      • Click the "+" button to add a new login item.
        • Browse and select your mount_servers.sh script.
          • Make sure the checkbox next to the script is checked.
          This will execute the script every time you log in, which should coincide with connecting to the VPN.

1. Configure VPN Auto-Connect (Optional):

If you want the VPN to connect automatically on startup, you can configure it to do so in the "Network" settings. However, since you mentioned you don't have admin privileges, you may need to consult your IT department or administrator to set up automatic VPN connection.

With these steps, your script should run automatically every time you log in (which includes connecting to the VPN), and it will mount your Windows servers. It will also close the Finder window at the end of execution.

@Sohail Asghar

I highly appreciate your help.

To be honest ... for some reason I don't receive email notification from this forum and I did not see your response before.

Hence , I asked AI and it wrote me the script ...exactly same as you suggested.

I implemented it ... and it works fine. Sometimes it does close Finder window and sometimes it does not ... but it's minor anyway. I added this script to 'Login items'
Sure ... I can't modify 'Network' app but it's minor thing.
Again ... thanks a lot for your help

BTW: I had a line for closing Finder like this: ... but I've changed it like you suggested

osascript -e 'tell app "Finder" to close first Finder window'