I have a third gen ipod and suse 10.0. When I connect the ipod via my usb 2.0 port Suse detects it. But the problem is, the usb to ipod cable is not mine and I have to return it soon. Connecting my ipod via Firewire does not work. Suse doesn't detect and mount it as a drive automatically. I searched on Google for a solution, but they were all for redhat. Nevertheless I tried the solutions, one being to modprobe ieee1394 modprobe ohci and modprobe sbp2. This solution allowed me to mount, but I could not unmount successfully. The Ipod read/write indicator (two arrows rotating in the upper left corner of the Ipod screen) keeps flashing and I am afraid to pull the cable out, even though I am sure that everything has been written. Another solution was to change udev to automatically mount the ipod, but I don't know how to do that.

Any help on configuring Suse for the Ipod so that it works just as well as a usb flash drive?

When using firewire to get the checkmark to disconnect the iPod:
This thread may be of help. It is on a Mandvriva box, but is setting up a second generation firewire iPod. I am not too sure on the differences between Mandriva and Suse, if any, but I think the fstab entry should be universal. As long as you don't delete your current lines that are being replaced (comment them out instead) never a problem changing back if need be.
http://www.linuxquestions.org/questi...17#post2034717

The way Suse handles fstab is a bit different. I am assuming that mounting an ipod is similar to mounting a usb flash drive. In Suse, there is no fstab entry for my usb flash drive, but Suse can automatically mount and unmount my usb flash drive. My ipod in usb mode does the same thing. When I connect it, it mounts. When the read/write indicator is not flashing (it doesn't have to show the checkmark), I pull it out and it automatically unmounts it with no data loss(kinda like in Windows, where you have the "Safely remove hardware" icon in your tray whenever you plug in a usb drive, but there really is no need to use it because the data write is sychronized). Suse has this weird hotplug system. No fstab entry is required for hotplug devices.

I managed to get Suse to automount my ipod in firewire mode by loading the three modules mentioned above. The trouble is the read/write indicator is still flashing. I want Suse to stop whatever it is communicating with the ipod, so I can simply pull it out and Suse will automatically unmount. Any suggestions?

32.3.2 Activating Storage Devices

Interfaces to storage devices must be mounted to be able to access them. This can be fully automated or preconfigured. Additionally, SUSE Linux distinguishes between system and user devices. System devices can only be automatically mounted by creating an entry in /etc/fstab. User devices are handled via hal by default. If a different configuration for user devices is required, these devices can be entered into /etc/fstab. Alternatively, the handling of this device in hal can be modified. For more information about hal, refer to /usr/share/doc/packages/hal/hal-spec.html.

The use of persistent device names is recommended, because traditional device names may change depending on the initialization sequence. Details about persistent device names is available in Section 33.0, Dynamic Device Nodes with udev.


This is out of the Suse Linux 10 Reference Guide (found under System>The Hotplug System>Hotplug Device Configuration) located here:
http://www.novell.com/documentation/suse10/index.html
Hope this is of some help.

Do you know how to configure udev or hal? The configuration files in the udev rules.d folder are so baffling.

From what I gathered, I can probably just load the three modules (ohci, ieee1394, and sbp2) on bootup and then enter a fstab entry for my ipod so i can manually unmount it. What do you think?

Nope, never bothered to figure it out. The fstab approach worked wonders. Mandriva is using hal and udev same as Suse. What I was unsure of was where mount points are created for Suse, if it was /mnt/ipod or /media/ipod or just what. My fstab entry is
/dev/sda2 /mnt/ipod vfat noauto,user,uid=500,gid=500 0 0
I believe yours should be
/dev/sda2 /media/ipod vfat noauto,user,uid=500,gid=500 0 0
changing the uid and gid to whatever you get from the command "id" as regular user in a terminal.

First I made the fstab entry. Then I opened the "configure preferences" in gtkpod, and changed the iPod mount point to reflect the mount point in fstab(probably /media/ipod for you), put checkmark in the "Handle mounting/unmounting of iPod drive" option box.

Now plug in iPod, open gtkpod, do my stuff, close gtkpod when done, gtkpod automatically unmounts and ejects iPod (simply by closing the program) giving me a big checkmark & ok to disconnect message on iPod display.

Anyway, hope you get it figured out.

I tried the fstab approach and unmounted the ipod, but the read/write thingy was still flashing! I pulled it out because I thought that it was already unmounted. After that I had to reformat my ipod because everything just got screwed over.

I'm sorry to hear that. Next time after unmounting, check the properties of the device, or issue unmount command in a termial, if it is really unmounted, it will tell you so if you try a second unmount command. After unmounting, the command to get the checkmark and the iPod to tell you it is really ready to be disconnected is eject /dev/sda, refer to post #2 in this thread. The command rmmod sbp2 may work to get the checkmark as well, but may have to modprobe sbp2 if reconnecting iPod without reboot. Also in post #2, I said this is how firewire works, you said you own a firewire connector, but have a usb connector borrowed at moment. Did you use firewire or usb? I mentioned that these instructions were for firewire because I have no experience using usb with iPod, so I don't know what procedure is with that.

It was firewire, I returned the usb cable. I'm gonna try to use the eject /dev/sda2 approach, I didn't do that the first time. Maybe that was why I couldn't rmmod sbp2 and the checkmark didn't appear.

Don't forget the space between the command eject and destination /dev/sda

If that works, which I suspect it will, no need to rmmod sbp2