'specify the filesystem type' shouldn't appear if set to 'auto' in fstab.

ExCIA · 05-19-2005, 06:48 AM

Debian 'Sarge' with 2.6.8-2-k7 kernel

Code:

# /etc/fstab: static file system information.
#
# <file system> <mount point>   <type>  <options>       <dump>  <pass>
proc            /proc           proc    defaults        0       0
/dev/hda1       /               ext3    defaults,errors=remount-ro 0       1
/dev/hda5       none            swap    sw              0       0
/dev/hda7       /backup         auto    defaults
/dev/hdc        /media/cdrom0   iso9660 ro,user,noauto  0       0
/dev/hdd        /media/cdrom1   iso9660 ro,user,noauto  0       0
/dev/sda        /media/usb0     auto    rw,user,noauto  0       0
/dev/fd0        /fd0            auto    rw,user,noauto  0       0

I've noticed this on my workstation, which didn't happened on my server when mounting a device. I have the floppy and second partition set to 'auto' for filesystem.

I've always used this command mount /fd0 on my server, but using it on my workstation kept bringing up the message saying that I must specify the filesystem. I shouldn't have to, right?

My /backup partition won't come on automatically and it is Fat32. All my USBs come on automatically.

ExCIA · 05-19-2005, 07:22 PM

Can someone explain why this error kept coming up, which shouldn't?

Dark_Helmet · 05-19-2005, 09:26 PM

Patience... you waited all of ~40 minutes before you replied to your own thread. That's bad for at least three reasons:[list=1][*]The forum rules allow you to "bump" your thread once every 24 hours[*]Replying to a thread removes your post from the "0 replies" search, which a lot of the forum's experts use[*]Casual users simply see a thread has a reply and won't necessarily loook, thinking someone else is "taking care of it"[/list=1]

That said, your problem can stem from a number of reasons.

First: Does the kernel on your workstation have support compiled in for whatever filesystem is on the floppy? If the kernel doesn't have support, it doesn't matter if it's "auto" or not; it will not be able to identify the filesystem

Second: If your kernel has the required filesystem support, is it configured as a module? If yes, have you loaded the module? If no, then you're back at the first situation.

Three: Are you positive the disk is clean? As in, you can read/write to it from another machine. If the disk isn't formatted, or if it's corrupt, there's no way to identify the filesystem.

Fourth: "auto" is not 100% perfect. I won't claim to know how or why it is, but sometimes a VFAT floppy won't read with auto (meaning I have to specify "-t vfat" on the command line), but the system will detect a different VFAT floppy perfectly fine. Obviously there's some difference somewhere, and maybe someone else that sees this thread can offer insight. However, I've only experienced this problem with VFAT floppies.

ExCIA · 05-20-2005, 04:37 AM

I forgot to mention this... when I install Debian 'Sarge' 2.6.8-2-k7 I noticed that the floppy drive is not included in fstab. It is usually is by default and I wonder why?

How do I add other filesystem modules?

rjlee · 05-22-2005, 10:58 AM

Quote:

Originally posted by ExCIA
How do I add other filesystem modules?

Code:

depmod module-name

You can see the filesystems you have support loaded for by looking in /proc/filesystems.

You will find the names of the modules by looking in /lib/modules/kernel-version/kernel/fs — each file ending in .o or .ko is a seperate module, and the name of the file is the same as the module-name.