You might want to take this to the linux-hotplug list, as this is less about usb functionality than it is about hotplug re-configuration.
Matt On Thu, Jun 10, 2004 at 04:39:07PM -0600, Rita Gibson wrote: > Hello everyone: > > I am fairly new to this list, just subscribed a few days ago. > > I work at a school and we run k12ltsp. Most of our equipment is old most > don't even have usb ports.. Currently kids carry their work back and > forth via floppy or send it to themselves via email. Floppies are very > unreliable, and sometimes the kids have powerpoint or multimedia > projects that are too big for a floppy. I do have a stand-alone linux > machine with front-access usb ports and we'd like for kids next year to > be able to copy their homework from a usb pen drive to their home > directories by logging into this stand-alone machine, and inserting > their usbstick/usb pen drive and copying their updated work.. The > challenge to this, if I understand this correctly, is that every pen > drive is configured as a different scsi device. The first one is sda, > the next sdb. This is what works so far: > > I added this line to the fstab file: > > /dev/sda1 /mnt/flash vfat noauto,users,rw 0 0 > > And it allows me to mount the pen drive as root or as my user name, and > I wrote a little script that copies the contents of the pen drive to the > "flash" folder in my home directory, then unmounts the pen drive and > tells me to go ahead and exit. I take out that pen drive, log out, log > in as a different user with a different pen drive and the script no > longer works because the next pen drive is not identified as sda, it is > now sdb, and my script no longer works. If you restart the computer, it > works the first time with whichever pen drive you start out with, which > then becomes sda, however, I think it is impractical to have the kids > restart the machine when they come in to copy their homework to their > home directories.. > > My users are kindergarten through 12th grade. Obviously kindergarten > kids are not carrying work back and forth on usb pen drives, but the 4th > and 5th graders are. Some kids are more adept than others, and I'd like > to automate this as much as possible. Using the command line to mount a > floppy is too much to ask the kids to learn, let alone teach them how to > determine what Linux decided to call their usb device. I believe mtools > is being used at the terminals to access floppies, and supposedly can be > configured to access a usb device, but I am trying to learn and conquer > one thing at a time. If I can get one "station" set up for copying files > to and from USB devices, then maybe I can get the terminals to mount the > usb on a remote box. > > I found this below posting about using mutliple USB mass storage devices > with one linux system. > > > http://www.webservertalk.com/archive235-2004-4-193597.html > > I tried his instructions but don't really understand them, so I don't > know why it is not working: > > <snip> > Problem: multiple USB pen drives register as separate device names > (starting with /dev/sda1, next one is /dev/sdb1, etc). There seems to > be no consistent way of figuring out automatically what device is > mounted under what letter. > > Solution: the updfstab utility automatically updates the /etc/fstab as > long as it knows what device is being plugged in. problem is, since > linux uses a generic driver for mass storage devices, updfstab doesn't > always know that the device is flash memory. so, to fix this problem, > the updfstab configuration file's (/etc/updfstab.conf.default) flash > memory section should look like this: > > device flash { > partition 1 > match hd CompactFlash > match hd ImageMate > match hd "USB Drive" > match hd "Flash Drive 2.0" > } > > this will match any device that has any of these descriptions (the > ones in quotes are the descriptions of the pen drives I am using). you > can find the description of your brand of pen drives by using the > output from dmesg. > > so once updfstab is recognizing your usb pen drives as flash memory, > it will automatically add /dev/flash to the /etc/fstab file, allowing > you to simply > mount /mnt/flash > > and not worry about whether it's /dev/sda1 or whatever. voila! > <end snip> > > When I type the command dmesg when you have a pen drive inserted I get > more information than I know what to do with, sometimes. Sometimes the > output is very small and concise. Suffice it to say I am confused about > this. However I can determine that one device is getting called sda, > then next is sdb. I added the "Attache 2.0" and "Compact Flash" to the > section that was already there in the updfstab.conf.default file. > > device flash { > match hd CompactFlash > match hd ImageMate > match hd "Attache 2.0" > match hd "Compact Flash" > } > > (A copy of the entire updfstab.conf.default file is pasted at the bottom > of this, I only added those two lines, the rest probably is just as it > was when originally installed). This did not work, the assignment is > still the same depending on what order I insert the pen drives after a > reboot. > > I have looked at what ever I could find on google about mounting USB pen > drives keychain drives, etc. to see if I could get some tips. I'm > stumped.After I solve this, then I need to figure out how I can call the > virus agent to check the contents for viruses before copying them to the > student's home directory. But one thing at a time..... > > Thanks for any help you can give me. > > Rita Gibson > > > (updfstab.conf.default) > > symlink false > partition 0 > > device cdrom { > symlink true > match cdrom > } > > device cdwriter { > symlink true > nofstab true > match cdwriter > } > > device jaz { > partition 4 > match hd jaz > } > > device zip { > partition 4 > match floppy zip > match hd zip > match floppy clik > match hd clik > } > > device ls120. { > match floppy ls120 > match floppy ls-120 > } > > device camera { > partition 1 > match hd DSC > match hd CAMERA > } > > device memstick { > partition 1 > match hd MSC > } > > device flash { > partition 1 > match hd CompactFlash > match hd ImageMate > match hd "Attache 2.0" > match hd "Compact Flash" > } > > device floppy { > match hd USB-FDU > match floppy USB-FDU > match floppy FD > match floppy "floppy drive" > } > > device diskonkey { > partition 0 > match hd diskOnKey > } > > device microdrive { > partition 1 > match hd IBM-DMDM > } > > > > > ------------------------------------------------------- > This SF.Net email is sponsored by the new InstallShield X. > >From Windows to Linux, servers to mobile, InstallShield X is the > one installation-authoring solution that does it all. Learn more and > evaluate today! http://www.installshield.com/Dev2Dev/0504 > _______________________________________________ > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > To unsubscribe, use the last form field at: > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/linux-usb-users -- Matthew Dharm Home: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Maintainer, Linux USB Mass Storage Driver Sir, for the hundreth time, we do NOT carry 600-round boxes of belt-fed suction darts! -- Salesperson to Greg User Friendly, 12/30/1997
pgpm9JjVZv69q.pgp
Description: PGP signature
