Re: usb storage problems
Theo Schmidt wrote:
> I continue to be stumped by USB storage devices in KDE. Only once with
> some older version of Knoppix did a USB stick appear automatically on the
> desktop when plugged in. I don't need this, but I do need at least to know
> under which name the device can be mounted. Even without other SCSI
> devices, the devices seem to vary from sda1 through sda5 to sdd1. I did
> once in a fit of frenzy create 20 different lines in /etc/fstab in order
> to find the right device, but it didn't really work. Years ago I could
> find the right device in /proc somewhere, but this no longer seems
> possible.
>
> People have recommended pmount, but all I get is:
> "find_sysfs_device: looking for sysfs directory for device 8:1
> Fehler: konnte sysfs-Verzeichnis nicht erfragen"
>
> People have recommended hal, but I am loathe to install this, because it
> would involve the deinstallation of about 20 packages on my system.
>
> People have recommended a 2.6 kernel, but my system with a 2.6 kernel has
> the same problems as with the 2.4 kernel.
Sorry, but 2.4 is pretty primitive these days. As long as it only has the
"same" problems, upgrade. I wouldn't want to bet we can fix _this_ problem
on 2.4.
>
> Looking through the internet I see a great many questions of this nature,
> but no simple answers.
Sure there are, but you're refusing to use them. For most people, hal, dbus
& pmount solve the problem - without any need to configure anything.
However, in your case - and possibly even on 2.4 kernels - udev could easily
be made to provide a symlink to /dev/usbstick every time you mount the
device. Then you just need one entry in fstab.
> Also even worse, often when having found the right
> device name, it is impossible to mount because the system claims that it
> has the wrong file type or a damaged superblock even when this is
> definately not the case.
I'd be prepared to bet it definitely _is_ the case. What those messages
usually mean are that you specified a file type in fstab, and that isn't
what's on the device; or you mounted (e.g.) /dev/sdb when you should have
mounted /dev/sdb1
> Surely it must be possible in this day and age to get where Macintosh was
> 10 years ago with SCSI, even if it wasn't hot-pluggable then.
Yeah, but not if you're not willing to use the software from "this day and
age". Try installing a clean version of Kubuntu and see how easy it is...
--
derek
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