zip drive problem
 

I am using a iomega 100 external zip drive (parallel port). My problem is the drive does not load at boot up. So every time I've to modprobe imm, modprobe vfat and then mount the device. How can I get it detected at boot time? I'm using redhat 7.2 with kernel 2.4.7-10. Isn't that automatically supposed to detect it during boot up? I've gone through the previous posts and iomega website. Everyone tells about how to mount it but doesn't talk about getting it detected during boot up. Do I need to recompile my kernel?
Please help
Thanks in advance

I have NO clue why you'd have to do a modprobe for vfat. That should automatically be supported in the kernel. If that's not the case though and you have to modprobe a couple of things, try doing an insmod imm and insmod vfat. The modules may be there, just aren't loading though. See what that does, and if nada thing happens then you may well be looking at a kernel recompile to add the support. If it does bootup and all you have to do is mount it, then add the line to your fstab and you should be groovy.

Actually I don't need to do the modprobe vfat. Just doing the modprobe imm would detect the zip drive and then I can mount it. But I need it to be detected at boot up. I did the insmod imm and got the following stuff..

[root@localhost root]# insmod imm
Using /lib/modules/2.4.7-10/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o
/lib/modules/2.4.7-10/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_register_device_Rf274b881
/lib/modules/2.4.7-10/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_unregister_device_Rb0814cd3
/lib/modules/2.4.7-10/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_release_Rf8ec22de
/lib/modules/2.4.7-10/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_claim_R4c7222c6
/lib/modules/2.4.7-10/kernel/drivers/scsi/imm.o: unresolved symbol parport_enumerate_Rbc847709
[root@localhost root]# mount -t vfat /dev/sda4 /mnt/zip100.0
mount: /dev/sda4: unknown device

Thats what I got. Does that mean the kernel doesn't have the support? Do I need to recompile the kernel to get the zip drive detected at boot?
Please help.

No, the things fine. You need to put an entry in /etc/fstab for it. I haven't got a linux box with a fat partition to log into right now, but it would be the same format more or less if you have a fat partition on your machine already. Oh, except that you're going to have to have the "noauto" flag at the end of it or it will try to mount the drive as well.

Er, if you haven't gotten it by when I get home, I'll post the fstab line from my multi-boot.

Cheers,

Finegan

HOWTOS
 

I just want to make sure everyone reads their HOWTO's ( I am not suggesting that you did not, but this makes the thread more informative):

http://www.linuxdoc.org/HOWTO/mini/ZIP-Drive.html

cheers

Before posting this question, I had already gone through that how-to, older posts and ioemga website. I can do a kernel recompile according to that, but I wanted to make sure if I really need to do a recompile? Is there any way to get it detected during boot up?
I already have that entry in my fstab. i have
/dev/sda4 /mnt/zip100.0 vfat noauto,user 0 0
I know the entry is okay, as I can mount it after I do the modprobe imm. So the only problem I want to fix is getting the drive detected during boot up. It doesn't detect.
Pleaseeee help.

Heck, cheat:

Add this line to /etc/rc.d/rc.local:

modprobe imm


rc.local is the last init script run before the prompt, or before X starts if you have it go straight to that. Its a ghettoriffic hack, but there really isn't a way supposed to do it.

Cheers,

Finegan

You must put a zip disk in before bootup. You can remove it after. It's a strange requirement. I guess Linux treats zip as a permanent drive.

yea i noticed that too!!

if you want it mounted on boot up you NEED to have the disk in the drive:confused: ohwell what ever works?