Re: how to format a floppy in ext2

[Carel Fellinger <cfelling@iae.nl>]

On Fri, Mar 30, 2001 at 12:30:46PM -0500, Holp, John Mr. wrote:
> I just did a cat on /etc/fstab to see how my Debina 2.2.17 machine "sees"
> the floppy.
> 
> /dev/fd0	/floppy	auto	defaults,user,noauto	0	0
> 
> is the entry in fstab.

So?  As long as it isn't mounted you can format as often as you like.

> mke2fs /dev/fd0 /floppy

if I do this I get errors (and I still think I should:):

   $ mke2fs /dev/fd0 /floppy
   mke2fs 1.18, 11-Nov-1999 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09
   mke2fs: bad blocks count - /floppy

If I try this with only the mount point as parameter to mke2fs
(whether the floppy is mounted or not), I get:

   $ mke2fs /floppy
   mke2fs 1.18, 11-Nov-1999 for EXT2 FS 0.5b, 95/08/09
   /floppy is not a block special device.
   Proceed anyway? (y,n) y
   /floppy: Invalid argument passed to ext2 library while setting up superblock

So I stick to it, you can't format a floppy that is mounted, and the
mountpoint is an invalid parameter to mke2fs.  And it should as I
already explained.

> And there is the formatted blank floppy with only the "." and ".." entries

Oh, and blank floppies are normally already formatted.  It would be more
telling if you could first create an msdos file system, and next an ex2.
A simple "mount" will show you what fs are currently mounted.

-- 
groetjes, carel