I am running Slackware 12 with kernel 2.6.23.8 and using an external hard drive as an extra ext3 partition. I setup /etc/fstab to automount this drive automatically at boot with the following command:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/mp3 ext3 defaults 0 0

This computer moves too fast to read the boot messages, but I examined dmesg and /var/log/messages and found nothing that indicates an error. The problem is that sda1 is not getting mounted on boot. I can manually mount this drive with:

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/mp3

Why won't this drive automount?

Just want to make sure on some things. With the newer kernels many IDE controlers are using pata to sata mode drivers which in older kernels IDE were seen as /dev/hdXX and new kernels use /dev/sdXX. So I am curious as to what the system sees with the USB drive plugged in. Post ouptu of this command as root.
/sbin/fdisk -l

Brian

root@LinuxHippy:~# fdisk -l

Disk /dev/hda: 20.0 GB, 20020396032 bytes
16 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38792 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 1008 * 512 = 516096 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/hda1 * 1 19146 9649552+ 83 Linux
/dev/hda2 19147 38292 9649584 83 Linux
/dev/hda3 38293 38792 252000 82 Linux swap

Disk /dev/sda: 160.0 GB, 160041885696 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 19457 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 1 9729 78148161 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 9730 19457 78140160 83 Linux

I have 2 partitions on each drive and 1 swap on the hard drive.

You could also try the command #blkid, that may help to see what is going on. I'm assuming you've made your user a member of plugdev in /etc/group.

I only want my user to have read and execute access to this drive. Do I have to add to plugdev for this?

I'm fairly certain that for automount to happen your user needs to be a member of plugdev.
Not sure if you need plugdev for just read and execute.
I'll let someone else answer that one:-)

Maybe placing the auto option on the fstab line for the mount might do it.
Other than that leave the fstab alone and add the mont command you use to mount in /etc/rc.local.

Brian

I was thinking I could just add the mount command to /etc/rc.local...but will it be file checked?

I bet this is a problem with the "mount" command happening before "udev" is launched and the corresponding USB mass storage modules loaded. The error would appear in the virtual terminal but not in /var/log/messages or "dmesg". Try to put the "noauto" keyword in the fstab line and add the mount command to rc.local and report results.

Anyway, it's bit off topic but I always wondered how to check those virtual terminal messages.

ok-how do I know if it would get checked by fsck?

it automounts good now...I just want the drive to be checked/repaired on boot if there is a power failure. I put this in /etc/fstab:

/dev/sda1 /mnt/mp3 ext3 noauto,defaults 0 0


And then I put this in /etc/rc.d/rc.local

mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/sda1

Linuxhippy, do you have usb support compiled as modules or directly into the kernel?

compiled as modules.

glad to see you have it working. I forgot you were using Slackware and just thought Redhat type when I seen your sig to the left. At any point you have it working. There seems to be some odd stuff with the 2.6.23 kernels and the way some items are started up in the runlevels be seeing weird stuff like this everywhere and on many distros.

Brian