[SOLVED] Debian 8 + Xfce, Thunar mount MTP (Android) device

HMW · 06-14-2015, 11:27 AM

Hi all!

This is not a big deal, since I have solved the issue of mounting my Samsung phone by simply:

Code:

apt-get install jmtpfs

mkdir ~/Android
jmtpfs ~/Android

With the result that my phone and its external memory card shows up in Thunar (obviously as well as being accessible via the terminal).

But, still I wonder why I can't get the blasted thing to automount in Thunar, I am not all that interested in installing a different file manager, and I have tried installing gvfs-backends but that amounted to no change at all regarding this behaviour.

Like I said, this is no biggie since I can access my phone, but if anyone knows the proper solution to this I am curious to hear about it.

Thanks for reading.

cynwulf · 06-14-2015, 12:24 PM

I've been working on the same thing over the last few days. My better half has an Android phone and I needed to get her photos backed up to RAID 1 (OpenBSD box). I took the easy route and installed Debian jessie (with systemd) and KDE and use gwenview to transfer all of the photos to an ext2 partition (read/writeable by OpenBSD) . I couldn't even get normal usb mass storage to mount in thunar, so didn't even bother trying anything else.

I didn't really look into jmptpfs that much, so your post has inspired me to give that another go. Thanks.

Head_on_a_Stick · 06-14-2015, 12:25 PM

Have you tried Edit → Preferences → Advanced → tick the "Enable Volume Management" box in the thunar menu?

If you have, check the "Configure" options in that tab.

EDIT: Well, that doesn't work on my system but I swear it used to...

I've just switched from GDM/GNOME to dwm from a console log-in so it may be connected to that.

I'll get back to you when I figure it out.

Have you tried nautilus?

HMW · 06-14-2015, 01:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head_on_a_Stick

Have you tried nautilus?

No. But apparently it should work, but like I said, I'd rather not change file manager.

Quote:

Originally Posted by cynwulf

I couldn't even get normal usb mass storage to mount in thunar

That's strange, it has ALWAYS worked for me!

Thanks for your replies!

ondoho · 06-15-2015, 10:43 AM

i think it's rather a question of optional dependencies for gvfs (gvfs-gphoto2 gvfs-mtp) and setting it up correctly.
at least pcmanfm uses that, i guess thunar is no different.
i have to admit, i don't own a modern android phone, but this has solved the issue for my camera.

HMW · 06-15-2015, 12:27 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

i think it's rather a question of optional dependencies for gvfs (gvfs-gphoto2 gvfs-mtp) and setting it up correctly.
at least pcmanfm uses that, i guess thunar is no different.
i have to admit, i don't own a modern android phone, but this has solved the issue for my camera.

Hi there!

I actually read somewhere that some users switched to pcmanfm from Thunar just because pcmanfm could handle mtp devices whilst Thunar could not. But, again, I am perfectly happy with Thunar, and this is a mild annoyance, nothing more.

However, if you have clear directions on how to set up gvfs-mtp etcetera to get it working in Thunar, I would be interested.

Thanks for your reply!

Head_on_a_Stick · 06-15-2015, 01:48 PM

@OP: Do you have thunar-volman & udisks2 installed?

In my Arch system, thunar will mount and browse my Samsung Galaxy SIII with thunar-volman, gvfs-mtp & udisks2 installed.

According to this page of the Debian wiki, you should only need gvfs-backends...

I'll try this later in Debian.

HMW · 06-15-2015, 02:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Head_on_a_Stick

@OP: Do you have thunar-volman & udisks2 installed?

In my Arch system, thunar will mount and browse my Samsung Galaxy SIII with thunar-volman, gvfs-mtp & udisks2 installed.

According to this page of the Debian wiki, you should only need gvfs-backends...

I'll try this later in Debian.

I have thunar-volman & udisks2 installed, but I don't have gvfs-mtp, and it doesn't seem available in the Debian (stable) repos either.

Head_on_a_Stick · 06-15-2015, 02:52 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by HMW

I don't have gvfs-mtp, and it doesn't seem available in the Debian (stable) repos either.

According to the wiki page I have linked above, this should be covered by the gvfs-backends package.

I am absolutely certain I could mount & browse my smartphone under Debian sid using the GNOME (3.14) desktop (I used Debian to install CyanogenMod on it) so it is at least possible...

EDIT: Update:

I can mount the phone in thunar in the GNOME desktop (started from GDM) in Debian sid:

http://s11.postimg.org/vlg2xicf7/201...1080_scrot.png

However, it will not mount in thunar in dwm started from a console log-in (ie, `startx`).

Which desktop environment/window manager are you using and how are you starting it?

ondoho · 06-16-2015, 08:04 AM

i really think it's independent of the file manager; one has to get the underlying structures right.
gvfs, and then permissions, i remember i installed lxsession for this because it provides lxpolkit.
something with dbus getting started when you log in (there's a shells cript for that somewhere in /etc/X11, you'll know it when you see it).
but if you have a desktop environment, these things should be taken care of.

everything can be found in archwiki, good instructions, not sure how they carry over to debian.

if you want to solve it, maybe provide some hard info, maybe dmesg output (just the bit that comes when you plug the phone into the computer), maybe something more...

Head_on_a_Stick · 06-16-2015, 01:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ondoho

everything can be found in archwiki, good instructions, not sure how they carry over to debian.

This is the problem -- in Arch there are scripts to start the dbus session correctly in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d which are run by the example script in /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc which is copied to ~/.xinitrc and modified for use with console log-ins and pure window manager environments.
https://wiki.archlinux.org/index.php/Xinitrc

In Debian, there is no folder at /etc/X11/xinit/xinitrc.d so it is not clear exactly how to achieve a similar set up.

I will try copying the Arch files to Debian (they are just scripts and both use systemd so they should be transferable) and see if that allows thunar to browse my smartphone in a pure window manager environment.

As I said above, it all works just fine under GNOME/GDM in Debian.

Head_on_a_Stick · 06-16-2015, 03:24 PM

I have managed to get this working in dwm with a console log-in and no display manager.

Add this snippet to the start of ~/.xinitrc (sid) or ~/.xsession (jessie) to start the dbus session:

Code:

#!/bin/bash
if [ -z "${DBUS_SESSION_BUS_ADDRESS-}" ] && type dbus-launch >/dev/null; then
  eval $(dbus-launch --sh-syntax --exit-with-session)
fi

Note that the shebang needs to specify /bin/bash as the script uses BASHisms and /bin/sh is symlinked to DASH in Debian.

With this, thunar mounts & browses my Samsung Galaxy SIII i9300 with thunar-volman & gvfs-backends installed even in a bare-bones window manager environment using a console log-in.

This will also work with display managers that parse ~/.xinitrc

widget · 06-16-2015, 08:02 PM

What Android phone are you using.

We have Samsung here and it requires the package;

Code:

bitpim

to work.

Thunar has no problem accessing my phone (G3) or the wifes G4.

When first plugged in Thunar does give me the message that the CD has been mounted which is fun. After a few seconds it changes the entry in the left pane to "SAMSUNG Android". That, I think has to do with some of the crap Verison puts on the thing, undoubtedly as a service I desperately need.

Many device manufacturers and service providers add stuff to the phones. The best thing to do is run something like;

Code:

ac search <company that built the phone>

Mine;

Code:

sam@lounge:~$ ac search samsung
bitpim - utility to communicate with many CDMA phones
bitpim-lib - architecture-dependent helper files for BitPim
heimdall-flash - tool for flashing firmware on Samsung Galaxy S devices
heimdall-flash-frontend - tool for flashing firmware on Samsung Galaxy S devices - Qt GUI
libimage-exiftool-perl - library and program to read and write meta information in multimedia files
madwimax - user-space driver for mWiMAX equipment based on Samsung CMC-730
pkpgcounter - computes number of pages or quantity of ink needed to print documents
skyeye - Embedded Hardware Simulation
printer-driver-splix - Driver for Samsung and Xerox SPL2 and SPLc laser printers
firmware-samsung - Binary firmware for Samsung MFC video codecs

There is a phone management package for Motorola phones.

HMW · 06-17-2015, 02:48 PM

Ok, this is seriously odd. I reinstalled gvfs-backends, rebooted, and now the phone pops up in Thunar as a, eh, network device:

Code:

mtp://[usb:002,004]/

I am not familiar with this kind of ”mounting”, and the device is not listed at all if you do a

Code:

mount -l

But I really don't care at the moment. This was the behaviour I was looking for, and it makes it possible for me to access the phone without fiddling in a terminal. Not that it was much of an issue, I like fiddling in terminals, in fact that's what I prefer to do!

Anyway, I digress... thank you all for your replies and efforts. Much appreciated!

HMW · 06-21-2015, 11:03 AM

...and here is a screenshot of how it looks when Thunar mounts my device.