Can't mount /dev/hda1

SMGEG · 05-08-2006, 06:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randux

hda1 is the whole drive. If it's unformatted (which I suspect it is) it may explain why it doesn't show up in mount -l. I also suspect it's automounted at boot (might be worth checking messages and/or syslog) because it's in fstab as 1 1 which should cause automount.

If you can't resolve this maybe you should go to distrowatch.com and try to find a good forensics live CD and maybe you can unravel this mystery.

Thanks for the idea. The drive is a single partition, but has the reiserfs file system on it. I am able to create file systems on the drive. I just can't mount it for whatever reason.

SMGEG · 05-08-2006, 06:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syg00

Let's have a look at the output from the following

Code:

dd if=/dev/hda bs=1 skip=446 count=66 | hexdump

That'll tell us if a partition actually defined (successfully).

Edit: Added pipe to hexdump.

Most interesting. Gave it a go. Here is what I got:

Gentoo log # dd if=/dev/hda bs=1 skip=466 count=66 | hexdump
66+0 records in
66+0 records out
0000000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
*
0000020 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 aa55 5652
0000030 03be e821 012a bf5e 21f8 8b66 832d 047d
0000040 0f00
0000042

I'm affraid I don't understand the data. What does it mean?

michaelk · 05-08-2006, 06:46 PM

Have you tried another directory besides /storage1?

SMGEG · 05-08-2006, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

Have you tried another directory besides /storage1?

Yes. I'm affraid with the same results:

# mount /dev/hda1 /test
mount: /dev/hda1 already mounted or /test busy

syg00 · 05-08-2006, 07:45 PM

I'm trying to get you to dump the partition table - you got the offset (the skip parameter) wrong.
Try running it again - the skip is 446

Randux · 05-09-2006, 03:34 AM

His fdisk -l shows that hda1 is the only partition on the drive:

Disk /dev/hda: 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/hda1 1 19457 156288321 83 Linux

syg00 · 05-09-2006, 06:14 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randux

His fdisk -l shows that hda1 is the only partition on the drive:

Indeed - I think I must be getting cross-threaded ...

michaelk · 05-09-2006, 08:00 AM

When mounting the filesystem make sure your not accessing the mount point i.e. your not "in" /test or /storage1. change to some other directory. Also make sure a file browser is also not accessing the mount point.

Has hda i.e. 1st IDE controller - master position been used for other devices like a CDROM or CDRW drive? Are you running a 2.4 or 2.6 kernel?

Randux · 05-09-2006, 11:27 AM

I can't wait to see the resolution to this one! He may win the wierdest problem award for 2006.

SMGEG · 05-09-2006, 08:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by michaelk

When mounting the filesystem make sure your not accessing the mount point i.e. your not "in" /test or /storage1. change to some other directory. Also make sure a file browser is also not accessing the mount point.

Has hda i.e. 1st IDE controller - master position been used for other devices like a CDROM or CDRW drive? Are you running a 2.4 or 2.6 kernel?

Interestingly, hda1 was working literally maybe one day prior. I crashed Debian beyond repair (at last...took like two years to do it running Sid). But...just prior to my crash, I had backed up around 100 GB of data to /dev/hda1. So this controller has been used...for this exact same device...and running flawlessly within 24 hours of the problem. I am running a 2.6 kernel. I was also running 2.6 on the prior Debian install

Even though I have wiped the data when I created the new reiserfs system on the drive within this thread, I still would love to save the drive, so your help is much appreciated. Oh and I am 100% positive I am not in the test or storage1 directory. I have even tried to mount it prior to starting X.

SMGEG · 05-09-2006, 08:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by syg00

I'm trying to get you to dump the partition table - you got the offset (the skip parameter) wrong.
Try running it again - the skip is 446

Oh. Sorry bout that

dd if=/dev/hda bs=1 skip=446 count=66 | hexdump
66+0 records in
66+0 records out
0000000 0100 0001 fe83 ffff 003f 0000 8a82 12a1
0000010 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
*
0000040 aa55
0000042

SMGEG · 05-09-2006, 08:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Randux

I can't wait to see the resolution to this one! He may win the wierdest problem award for 2006.

Yes. Certainly a first for me. You would think if I can make a file system on the drive that I would also be able to mount it....

Randux · 05-10-2006, 02:04 AM

I have a suspicion that there is no filesystem. But then I would expect a superblock error from the mount rather than a busy message. That's what's confusing me.

Can you load a live CD like Slax or Kanotix and mount this partition? (actually, Slax automounts everything, it might be worth trying.)

SMGEG · 05-15-2006, 07:17 PM

You guys aren't going to believe this. I purchased a new SATA drive. Figured I could use the storage and the other was most likely bad. Mounted it manually....worked fine. Copy some files over to it. Create a entry for it in /etc/fstab and it is happening again with a new drive. And...Randux I took your advice. I booted up off the Gentoo live install CD mounted it and it mounts fine and I can see my files. Ok fine. Unmount...reboot and the exact same trouble.

mount: /dev/sdb1 already mounted or /storage busy

cat /etc/mtab
/dev/sda3 / ext3 rw,noatime 0 0
proc /proc proc rw 0 0
sysfs /sys sysfs rw 0 0
udev /dev tmpfs rw,nosuid 0 0
devpts /dev/pts devpts rw 0 0
none /dev/shm tmpfs rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev 0 0
usbfs /proc/bus/usb usbfs rw,devmode=0664,devgid=85 0 0
/dev/hde1 /storage2 reiserfs rw 0 0
/dev/hdg1 /storage3 reiserfs rw 0 0

# fdisk -l (non applicable data removed)

Disk /dev/sdb: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 38913 312568641 83 Linux

So on the bright side, I guess this means there is nothing wrong with my prior /dev/hda drive and I can put it back in. However, I still have a problem and I have no idea what it could even remotely be. The fact that I can get the drive to mount off the live CD would seem to logically point to a software error rather than hardware. If anybody has any ideas, I would most certainly be grateful if you shared them.

SMGEG · 05-15-2006, 11:00 PM

UPDATE:

It appears, for some reason, I may have solved my mystery. I installed a package called evms. Then after yet another Google, I found this over @ the Gentoo forums:

http://forums.gentoo.org/viewtopic-t...ount+busy.html

After installing this, I am able to mount /dev/sdb1 to /storage. Although the syntax is interesting... mount /dev/evms/hdXX /path/to/mount/point. I better brush up on this evms as I wonder if I now need to modify /etc/fstab to denote /dev/evms for every entry.