Mandrake does nothing with USB drive

icarus24 · 05-03-2006, 12:10 PM

Hi there,

I really really hope I'm missing something very easy to fix. Just plugged a LaCie 250 GB external USB drive into a long-running Mandrake 10.0 machine - and nothing happens, nothing except for

Code:

usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using address 2

No "SCSI emulation for USB mass storage device" as I have seen it dozens of times googling this problem. Consequently, I have no device to mount in /dev. I know it is feasible for linux since knoppix mounts this drive right off the bat. Just this Mandrake 10.0 doesn't .. am I missing the "USB mass storage driver"? Seems nobody else is missing it since nobody seems to have this problem.

My kernel is 2.6.3-7mdksecure.

And should I be worried that lspcidrake gives me

Code:

via-agp         : VIA Technologies|VT82C691 [Apollo PRO] [BRIDGE_HOST]
unknown         : VIA Technologies|VT82C598 [Apollo MVP3 AGP] [BRIDGE_PCI]
unknown         : VIA Technologies|VT82C686 [Apollo Super] [BRIDGE_ISA]
unknown         : VIA Technologies|VT82C586 IDE [Apollo] [STORAGE_IDE]
usb-uhci        : VIA Technologies|VT82C586B USB [SERIAL_USB]
usb-uhci        : VIA Technologies|VT82C586B USB [SERIAL_USB]
unknown         : VIA Technologies|VT82C686 [Apollo Super ACPI] [BRIDGE_HOST]
es1371          : Creative Labs|Sound Blaster AudioPCI64V/AudioPCI128 [MULTIMEDIA_AUDIO]
8139too         : Realtek|RTL-8139 [NETWORK_ETHERNET]
8139too         : Realtek|RTL-8139 [NETWORK_ETHERNET]
Card:NVIDIA GeForce2 DDR (generic): nVidia Corporation|NV11 Geforce2 MX/MX 400 [DISPLAY_VGA]
unknown         : Linux 2.6.3-7mdksecure uhci_hcd|UHCI Host Controller [Hub]
unknown         : Linux 2.6.3-7mdksecure uhci_hcd|UHCI Host Controller [Hub]
unknown         : LaCie|LaCie HardDrive USB [Mass Storage|SCSI|Bulk (Zip)]

?

lsusb gives

Code:

Bus 002 Device 001: ID 0000:0000
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 059f:0641 LaCie, Ltd
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 0000:0000

and the corresponding entry in /proc/bus/usb/devices is

Code:

T:  Bus=01 Lev=01 Prnt=01 Port=00 Cnt=01 Dev#=  2 Spd=12  MxCh= 0
D:  Ver= 2.00 Cls=00(>ifc ) Sub=00 Prot=00 MxPS=64 #Cfgs=  1
P:  Vendor=059f ProdID=0641 Rev= 0.00
S:  Manufacturer=LaCie
S:  Product=LaCie HardDrive USB
S:  SerialNumber=10000E000B27AC05
C:* #Ifs= 1 Cfg#= 1 Atr=c0 MxPwr=  2mA
I:  If#= 0 Alt= 0 #EPs= 2 Cls=08(stor.) Sub=06 Prot=50 Driver=(none)
E:  Ad=81(I) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms
E:  Ad=02(O) Atr=02(Bulk) MxPS=  64 Ivl=0ms

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated!

Regards,
Philip

voyciz · 05-03-2006, 12:37 PM

Are you sure there's no device to mount? /dev/sda1 doesn't exist? Have you tried a mount command? What is the output when you run "lsmod"?

svarmido · 05-03-2006, 12:37 PM

Did you check to see if the appropriate module is loaded with "lsmod"?

Have you tried the "mount" command alone to see what devices are mounted? Are you relying on an automount daemon that may not recognize your USB drive, or that may not be activated? I am a Fedora 5 user, but I presume you will have an /etc/fstab file. Take a look at it and see whether or not your device has been added. If not, try editing the file and add the device yourself. I may be wrong, but I believe it is going to be either sda or sdb so you may have to try both.

Create a "/mnt/usbdrive" or "/media/usbdrive" directory depending upon which you have in your distro.

Add lines to your "/etc/fstab" file:

"/dev/sda" /mnt/usbdrive auto defaults 0 0

or,

"/dev/sdb" /mnt/usbdrive auto defaults 0 0

alternatively, you may need to enter:

"/dev/sda1" or "sdb1" instead of "/dev/sda" or "sdb"

Save your "fstab" file making sure there is a carriage return at the end. At root prompt try mounting the drive, "mount /mnt/usbdrive" or "mount /media/usbdrive" whichever is appropriate. You may also try "mount /dev/sda1 or /dev/sdb1"

Hope this helps.

icarus24 · 05-03-2006, 12:45 PM

Thanks for your reply!

I have tried to mount sda1, sdb1, sdc1, sdd1, sda, sdb, sdc, sdd, hdc and even everything looking suspicious I could find in /dev/usb. They do exist but "do not contain a valid block device".

lsmod gives

Code:

Module                  Size  Used by
md5                     4864  1
ipv6                  251616  16
es1371                 37856  0
soundcore              10208  1 es1371
gameport                5664  1 es1371
ac97_codec             18828  1 es1371
ppp_synctty            10240  0
ppp_async              13280  1
ppp_generic            32752  6 ppp_synctty,ppp_async
slhc                    8192  1 ppp_generic
af_packet              22824  10
ipt_TOS                 3232  12
ipt_MASQUERADE          4704  1
ipt_REDIRECT            2944  1
ipt_REJECT              7456  4
ipt_state               2720  80
ipt_multiport           2848  1
ipt_conntrack           3296  0
iptable_filter          3616  1
iptable_mangle          3616  1
iptable_nat            24996  3 ipt_MASQUERADE,ipt_REDIRECT
ip_conntrack           33612  5 ipt_MASQUERADE,ipt_REDIRECT,ipt_state,ipt_conntrack,iptable_nat
ip_tables              18720  10 ipt_TOS,ipt_MASQUERADE,ipt_REDIRECT,ipt_REJECT,ipt_state,ipt_multiport,ipt_conntrack,iptable_filter,iptable_mangle,iptable_nat
8139too                25760  0
mii                     6080  1 8139too
via-agp                 8352  1
agpgart                32460  1 via-agp
uhci-hcd               31856  0
usbcore               102908  3 uhci-hcd
rtc                    13704  0
ext3                  114216  2
jbd                    61976  1 ext3

@svarmido:
Yes, first reflex was to look at fdisk -l and mount. The drive is certainly not mounted. I have no automount that I am aware of and since the drive is not listed on fdisk -l I assume there's not much to mount yet without a driver anyway. Thank you for the info on fstab, but I assume there's no use adding a line in there if I cannot get it to work manually with the mount command anyway.

Oh and by the way, I do have

Code:

/lib/modules/2.6.3-7mdksecure/kernel/drivers/usb/host/ohci-hcd.ko.gz
/lib/modules/2.6.3-7mdksecure/kernel/drivers/usb/host/ehci-hcd.ko.gz
/lib/modules/2.6.3-7mdksecure/kernel/drivers/usb/host/uhci-hcd.ko.gz

in modprobe -l .

Please keep them replies coming, thanks so far!

svarmido · 05-03-2006, 01:47 PM

If the device is not listed in your /etc/fstab file your mount command will not find any such device. If the drivers are loaded, and it appears they are, I believe editing your /etc/fstab file will do the trick. Nothing you have tried regarding usage of the mount command would work without editing your fstab file...

Also, review your dmesg output again and see if there is any clue as to which device your drive has been assigned...

svarmido

icarus24 · 05-03-2006, 03:28 PM

Thanks for replying again

Quote:

If the device is not listed in your /etc/fstab file your mount command will not find any such device.

Is that really true?

Code:

mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbdrive

doesn't work unless there's an fstab entry?

But you see my problem with that fstab entry is that I don't know which device to mount. Since as for your other question, I assure you there is *no other output* in dmesg or /var/log/messages than

Code:

usb 1-1: new full speed USB device using address 3

Really!

From any search in google I can see what should follow connecting the device.

Code:

usb 1-2: new full speed USB device using address 2
SCSI subsystem initialized
Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...
scsi0 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
  Vendor:           Model:                   Rev:     
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
USB Mass Storage device found at 2
usbcore: registered new driver usb-storage
USB Mass Storage support registered.
SCSI device sda: 512000 512-byte hdwr sectors (262 MB)
sda: assuming Write Enabled
sda: assuming drive cache: write through
 /dev/scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0:
Attached scsi removable disk sda at scsi0, channel 0, id 0, lun 0

And if I had anything like that I would know what to mount. From this I also deduct that apparently, in linux, USB drives are mounted with SCSI emulation. Since there is no reference to SCSI in my kernel messages, I assume I don't have the driver that emulates SCSI for USB or it doesn't automatically start when the drive is connected. I firmly believe that is what I actually need the remedy for.

The thing that makes the /dev/sda1 "file" out of the physical USB device. That's what I don't know how to do.

Thanks again
Philip

icarus24 · 05-03-2006, 05:49 PM

Problem solved .. ungratifyingly though I don't know what exactly I did. What I do know is that I attached keyboard and screen to the linux machine and went into kde, then started one of those system configuration gizmos. And sure enough, a few moments later there was an sda that could be mounted. So I unplugged the peripherals and could mount the drive normally.

And when I plug the drive in now, the "usual"

Code:

SCSI subsystem initialized
Initializing USB Mass Storage driver...

appears in /var/log/messages finally.

The GUI gizmo did something that installed or invoked that driver. Almost feels like windows. *shiver*.

Thanks for trying to help everyone.

ScottReed · 05-03-2006, 06:03 PM

Quote:

If the device is not listed in your /etc/fstab file your mount command will not find any such device. If the drivers are loaded, and it appears they are, I believe editing your /etc/fstab file will do the trick. Nothing you have tried regarding usage of the mount command would work without editing your fstab file...

This is incorrect information.

Icarus24 -

I'm glad you solved your problem! Great information attached to your posts by the way! I like when people give the info that others need to help them.

Thanks,
Scott

voyciz · 05-03-2006, 06:37 PM

Icarus, the modules "usb_storage" and "sd_mod" (maybe "scsi_mod") do not seem to be loaded. Maybe that config program you ran loaded them. Try lsmod now that you've gotten it working, and see if there's a difference. If this is the case, then all you need to do is load them with modprobe next time. The configuration program may not have done anything permanent, so the issue may come up again next time you restart.

icarus24 · 05-03-2006, 06:47 PM

Aborted Fetus, despite your curious nickname you are absolutely correct! usb-storage and scsi_mod are in the list now and even though I'm obviously not linux-savvy at all, it makes sense to me that this could easily be what was missing before. When (if ever, this is *nix after all) I reboot, I will keep this in mind.

Scott, I can imagine how it is to be on the receiving end of these queries and I'm happy some of the info was useful. There's another thread around quite the same topic high in the board right now that started differently

. About the fstab issue, I believe svarmido is referring to usage of "mount" with just the device or mount point as in "mount /mnt/usbdrive" which, of course, indeed only works with a proper fstab entry. Svarmido: this can actually be overcome by giving the mount command (almost) all the information you would usually give in the fstab file. You could even see fstab as a configuration file for mount if you will.

svarmido · 05-04-2006, 10:09 AM

Icarus. Thanks for acknowledging that what I was saying is not "incorrect". What does your fstab file look like now after using the gui? The beauty of Linux is there are different ways to get things done. If one is comfortable using the "command line", they are usually ahead of most people new to Linux. Most people understand how to "edit" a document or file. By the way, "/lib/modules/kernel-version/modules.dep" list module dependencies between modules... Do the depended upon modules load only once a device becomes active? I don't know. But, I wonder if you had edited your fstab file as I suggested and then successfully mounted your usb device if the "other" modules would have loaded...

Glad you got it up and working...

svarmido

icarus24 · 05-04-2006, 11:35 AM

svarmido,

actually I had not edited it manually when it started working, the configuration gizmo did it for me. I just edited the options later back from the command line. This is why I cannot tell you whether it would have worked without the fstab entry for sure, but I'm very close to positive that

Code:

mount -t vfat /dev/sda1 /mnt/usbdrive

would have been successful as soon as the proper modules to implement the SCSI emulation were loaded.

But right now, there's also a proper fstab entry.

Is that what you were asking?

Regards
Philip