execute shell script when USB drive plugged in

OneSeventeen · 10-27-2005, 03:47 PM

I would like to execute a shell script when I plug a USB device into my linux box.

I have udev running, and someone mentioned that would be a good place to start, but I don't really know what to do with that info. (the man pages didn't help)

I simply want to plug in a USB drive, and have it execute a shell script, say "/var/myscripts/usb.sh $a"

(where $a is the path to the USB drive, so the shell script could then add files to it, or remove files from it.)

acid_kewpie · 10-27-2005, 04:52 PM

you can do it with udev or hotplug, but just looking now and the udev way does look simpler.... there's a simple example in my 50-udev.rules file:

Code:

# dvb devices
KERNEL=="dvb*", PROGRAM="/etc/udev/scripts/dvb.sh %k", NAME="%c", GROUP="video", MODE="0660"

so this just means that if udev picks up a dvb device (this is a string match on the /dev/ entry that udev automatically creates), it runs what's in the PROGRAM variable, aswell as doing other configuration things. you may well find you already have this in your default rules file or an equivalent.

OneSeventeen · 10-28-2005, 10:27 AM

I've modified a few of my udev config/rule files to execute a program, but the program never got executed, I didn't know if there were tutorials anywhere on stuff like this, or maybe what lines to specifically add the PROGRAM= to.

Does anyone know if it is possible to add a catchall for removable storage at the end of one of the rules files? Because I'm just not quite sure how to tell if it is a USB storage device before executing my script.