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Solaris Handbook for SMCC Peripherals

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CHAPTER 4

Setting Up Removable Media Devices

This chapter describes how to configure removable media devices using the Solaris operating environment. Devices commonly referred to as removable media devices include:

CD-ROM drives
Diskette drives
PCMCIA memory cards

This chapter contains the following information:

*Requirements* you must perform	*page 39*
*Adding a CD-ROM Drive* to your system	*page 40*
*Adding an Additional CD-ROM Drive* to your system	*page 41*
*Adding a Diskette Drive* to your system	*page 42*
*Formatting a PCMCIA Memory Card*	*page 43*
Using *Volume Management*	*page 45*
Mounting CDs and diskettes	*page 49*
CD-ROM and diskette device reference material	*page 50*
What you can do with CDs and diskettes	*page 52*

Requirements

Before you start to configure the operating environment for a new CD-ROM, diskette drive, or PCMCIA memory card, you must:

Install the Solaris software

Shut down the system and peripherals that are already connected, as described in "Shutting Down the System" on page 3

Note - If you did not follow the procedures in "Shutting Down the System" on page 3, the operating system may not recognize the new removable media device.

CD-ROM Drives

CD-ROMs provide large data capacity and have quickly become today's medium of choice for software distribution. CD-ROM drives allow you to add both operating system and application packages quickly and easily to the workstations you administer.

Most CD-ROM drives conform to the Small Computer Systems Interface (SCSI) protocol. As a result, getting a CD-ROM drive up and running on your workstation usually involves little more than plugging in the cables and, if applicable, setting the jumpers or SCSI target switch to 6 (or another number if it is a secondary drive). Refer to the documentation that accompanies your hardware for information about physical connections.

Tip - For more information about CD-ROMs, refer to "Managing CDs and Diskettes" in the System Administration Guide.

· Adding a CD-ROM Drive

Shut down your system.
Tip - See "Shutting Down the System" on page 3.
Check that the address switch for the CD-ROM drive has been correctly set.
The SCSI address switch for CD-ROM drives is usually preset by the factory to SCSI target ID 6.
Note - If you have more than one SCSI device, you must set each SCSI address switch to a different target ID.

Tip - Refer to the documentation that accompanies your hardware and TABLE 6-2 on page 62 to set the physical SCSI switch or jumpers on your CD-ROM drive.

Install the CD-ROM drive.
For installation information, refer to the documentation that accompanies your hardware.
Turn on the power to all external peripheral devices, this includes the CD-ROM drive that you plan to configure and the system.
The system is booted and the Solaris operating environment configures the system by assigning a device address to the CD-ROM drive.
You are now ready to mount the CD-ROM drive. Refer to "How Solaris Manages CD-ROM and Diskette Devices" on page 45.

· Adding an Additional CD-ROM Drive

Note - Be sure that the target number you select is not already used by a peripheral device attached to your system. Use the probe-scsi or probe-scsi-all command to list the existing devices and their addresses. You can connect no more than seven CD-ROM drives to a single SCSI bus provided that the total cable length does not exceed 6 meters.

Edit the /etc/vold.conf file to add the CD-ROM drive to the list of devices managed by Volume Management/
Copy the default CD-ROM line under "Devices to use" and change the device address and mount location.


  # Devices to use  
  use cdrom drive /dev/dsk/c0t6 dev_cdrom.so cdrom0  
  use cdrom drive /dev/dsk/c0t5 dev_cdrom.so cdrom1

In this example, a new entry was added for a CD-ROM drive with a target number of 5. When a CD-ROM containing a file system is inserted into this secondary CD-ROM drive, it is automatically mounted as /cdrom/cdrom1. If the CD-ROM does not contain a file system, it can be accessed at /vol/dev/dsk/c0t5/ unnamed_cdrom as a block device.

Tip - For more information, refer to "How Solaris Manages CD-ROM and Diskette Devices" on page 45.

Shut down your system.
Tip - See "Shutting Down the System" on page 3.
Install the additional CD-ROM drive.
For installation information, refer to the documentation that accompanies your hardware. Turn on the power to all external peripheral devices, this includes the second CD-ROM drive that you plan to configure and the system.
The system is booted and the Solaris operating environment configures the system by assigning a device address to the CD-ROM drive.
You are now ready to mount the CD-ROM drive. Refer to "How Solaris Manages CD-ROM and Diskette Devices" on page 45.

Diskette Drives

Diskette drives provide small amounts of data storage and are typically used to transfer files to a non-networked personal computer or to store individual user files.

· Adding a Diskette Drive

Shut down your system.
Tip - See "Shutting Down the System" on page 3.
Check that the address switch for the diskette drive has been correctly set.
Refer to the documentation that accompanies your hardware to set the physical switch or jumpers on your diskette drive.
Install the diskette drive.
For installation information, refer to the documentation that accompanies your hardware.

Turn on the power to the system.
The system automatically boots and configures the new diskette drive.
You are now ready to mount the diskette drive. Refer to "How Solaris Manages CD-ROM and Diskette Devices" on page 45.

PCMCIA Memory Cards

Personal Computer Memory Card International Association (PCMCIA) cards are rugged, credit card-sized, user-installable devices. You can use PCMCIA memory cards in the same way as a diskette, but you can store much larger amounts of data on a PCMCIA memory card.

PCMCIA serial and modem cards provide a convenient way to add an RS-232 interface or data/fax modem functionality to your SPARCstation. PCMCIA cards are available from many vendors. Check with your SunService provider or the PCMCIA card vendor to determine if a device is compatible with your SPARCstation.

· Formatting a PCMCIA Memory Card

Before using a PCMCIA memory card, you may need to format it. Use the fdformat utility to format diskettes and PCMCIA memory cards.

Caution - Formatting deletes any data that may already be resident on a PCMCIA memory card. (See TABLE 4-1.)

· Format the PCMCIA memory card using the fdformat command:


  % fdformat option device_name

TABLE 4-1 lists the available options for the fdformat utility.

TABLE 4-1 fdformat

Option	Description
`-U`	Unmounts the PCMCIA memory card
`-d`	Installs an MS-DOS file system (UNIX file system is the default)
`-f`	Does not display confirmation messages before starting to format
`-q`	Disables print status messages
`-x`	Installs a Solaris label or an MS-DOS file system; it does not format the PCMCIA memory card
`-b` *label*	Specifies a UNIX or MS-DOS label on a PCMCIA memory card
`-t dos`	Installs an MS-DOS file system (UNIX file system is the default)
`-B` *filename*	Installs a special boot loader

Note - There is no option in the fdformat utility for installing a NEC-DOS file system on a PCMCIA memory card.

If you want to format a PCMCIA memory card, you must specify a device name for the PCMCIA memory card. Otherwise, the fdformat utility automatically specifies the diskette drive as the default device.

The format for a device name of a PCMCIA memory card is /dev/rdsk/cntndnsn or /dev/dsk/cntndnsn. For example, the device name /dev/dsk/c1t6d0s2 represents a PCMCIA SRAM memory card with the logical socket controller number 1, the technology number 6, and the slice number 2.

TABLE 4-2 lists the available device name options for the fdformat utility.

TABLE 4-2 fdformat

Device Name Option	Description
n	= a decimal number
`c`n	= controller n

TABLE 4-2 fdformat(Continued)

Device Name Option	Description
`t`n	= technology region n 0x1 ROM, 0x2 OTPROM, 0x3 EPROM, 0x4 EEPROM, 0x5 FLASH, 0x6 SRAM, 0x7 DRAM
`d`n	= technology region in type n
1 `s`n	= slice n

1. This release supports only one partition on the PCMCIA memory card. Therefore, the partition number sn for the de-vice name must be s2.

How Solaris Manages CD-ROM and Diskette Devices

This section describes how to manage CD-ROM and diskette device information using the Solaris operating environment.

*Volume Management*	*page 45*
*Comparing Automatic Versus Manual Mounting*	*page 49*
*Reference Material for CD-ROM and Diskette Devices*	*page 50*
*Using CDs and Diskettes*	*page 52*

Volume Management

Volume Management automates the interaction between you and your CD-ROMs and diskettes. For example, in previous Solaris releases (Solaris 2.1 or earlier), to mount and access data on a CD-ROM you had to follow these steps:


  # cd /  
  # mkdir /cdrom  
  # mount -F ufs -o ro /dev/dsk/c0t6d0s2 /cdrom

If you attempt to follow these instructions while using a Solaris release later than Solaris 2.1, you may see one or both of these messages:


  # mkdir /cdrom  
  mkdir:  Failed to make directory "/cdrom"; File exists  
  # mount -F ufs -o ro /dev/dsk/c0t6d0s0 /cdrom  
  mount: /dev/dsk/c0t6d0s0 is already mounted, /cdrom is busy,  
          or allowable number of mount points exceeded

You will also see the following messages when you attempt to use the /dev/ diskette path to access or eject diskettes:


  % tar cvf /dev/diskette proposal status reviewers  
  tar: cannot open /dev/diskette.  
  % eject /dev/diskette  
  /dev/rdiskette is busy (try /vol name?)

In the Solaris operating environment, Volume Management automatically mounts CD-ROMs and diskettes with file systems at /cdrom/cdrom_name and /floppy/ floppy_name respectively. It also keeps track of CD-ROM and diskette file systems during a workstation session (rebooting will clear the in-memory database). To view the media that has been inserted during a workstation session, list /vol/dsk:


  % ls /vol/dsk  
  solaris_2_1/unnamed_cdrom#1  
  unnamed_cdromunnamed_floppy

Volume Management uses the configuration file /etc/vold.conf to determine which devices it manages. The default /etc/vold.conf file contains the following information:


  # @(#)vold.conf 1.13     92/10/28 SMI  
  #  
  # Volume Daemon Configuration file  
  #  
  
  # Database to use (must be first)  
  db db_mem.so  
  
  # Labels supported  
  label dos label_dos.so floppy  
  label cdrom label_cdrom.so cdrom  
  label sun label_sun.so floppy  
  
  # Devices to use  
  use cdrom drive /dev/dsk/c0t6 dev_cdrom.so cdrom0  
  use floppy drive /dev/fd0 dev_floppy.so floppy0  
  
  # Actions  
  insert /vol*/dev/fd[0-9]/* user=root /usr/sbin/rmm  
  insert /vol*/dev/dsk/* user=root /usr/sbin/rmm  
  eject /vol*/dev/fd[0-9]/* user=root /usr/sbin/rmm  
  eject /vol*/dev/dsk/* user=root /usr/sbin/rmm  
  notify /vol*/rdsk/* group=tty /usr/lib/vold/volmissing -c  
  
  # List of file system types unsafe to eject  
  unsafe ufs hsfs pcfs

· Before you add secondary CD-ROM and diskette drives to a system, update the / etc/vold.conf file by adding the new devices to the "Devices to use" list. The syntax for a "Devices to use" entry is:


  use device type special shared_object symname options

Each variable item in the device control line is defined in
TABLE 4-3.

TABLE 4-3

Syntax	Description	Supported and Default Values
*device*	The type of removable media device to be used	`cdrom`, `diskette`
*type*	The class of device--multiple or single media support	`drive`
*special*	Pathname of the device to be used. Path usually begins with `/dev`	Default support is for the devices `/dev/ dsk/c0t6` and `/dev/diskette`
*shared object*	The location of the code that manages this device	The default location is `/usr/lib/vold/`*name_ of_shared_object*
*symname*	The symbolic name that refers to this device; the symname is placed in the device directory, either `/cdrom` or `/floppy`	Default values are `cdrom0`, `floppy0`
*options*	The user, group, and mode permissions for the media inserted	Default values are `user=nobody`, `group=nobody`, `mode=0666`

After updating the /etc/vold.conf file, attach the drive and reboot your system with a reconfiguration boot.

· To attach the drive and reboot your system with a reconfiguration boot, enter either boot -r or touch /reconfigure.

Tip - or information on booting your system in different modes, see Appendix A, "Booting Your System."

Note - Volume Management controls the /dev/dsk/c0t6d0s0 path to a CD-ROM drive and the /dev/diskette path to a diskette drive. An attempt to access a CD-ROM or diskette using these paths will result in an error message.

Tip - For more information about Volume Management, see man Pages(4): File Formats and the System Administration Guide.

Comparing Automatic Versus Manual Mounting

FIGURE 4-1 compares the steps for manual mounting (without Volume Management) and automatic mounting (with Volume Management). Volume Management performs many of the tasks previously required to manually mount and work with CDs and diskettes..

FIGURE 4-1

Reference Material for CD-ROM and Diskette Devices

CD-ROM and diskette file systems are mounted in default locations by Volume Management when the media is inserted. See TABLE 4-4 for more information. These mount points are only created and mounted if a file system is already resident on the diskette.

TABLE 4-4

Media type	Mount location	State of media
Diskette	`/floppy/floppy0`	Symbolic link to mounted diskette in local diskette drive
Diskette	`/floppy/`*floppy_name*	Mounted named diskette
Diskette	`/floppy/unnamed_floppy`	Mounted unnamed diskette
CD-ROM	`/cdrom/cdrom0`	Symbolic link to mounted CD-ROM in local CD-ROM drive
CD-ROM	`/cdrom/`*CD-ROM_name*	Mounted named CD-ROM
CD-ROM	`/cdrom/`*CD-ROM_name/partition*	Mounted named CD-ROM with partitioned file system
CD-ROM	`/cdrom/unnamed_cdrom`	Mounted unnamed CD-ROM

To inform Volume Management that a diskette with a file system has been inserted into the drive, use volcheck(1). You do not need to use this command if you are going to use the commands fdformat(1) or eject(1).

Tip - For more information about these commands, see man Pages(1): User Commands and the System Administration Guide.

If no file system exists on the media, Volume Management provides block and character devices in the /vol file system. See TABLE 4-5 for the location of diskette and CD-ROM media in the /vol file system.

Note - All releases provide a symbolic link in /vol/dev/aliases.

TABLE 4-5 /vol

Media Type	Device Location: Solaris 2.2	State of Media
Diskette	`/vol/dev/fd0/unnamed_floppy`	Formatted unnamed diskette--block device access
Diskette	`/vol/dev/rfd0/unnamed_floppy`	Formatted unnamed diskette--raw device access
Diskette	`/vol/dev/fd0/unlabeled`	Unlabeled diskette--block device access
Diskette	`/vol/dev/rfd0/unl`abeled	Unlabeled diskette--raw device access
CD-ROM	`/vol/dev/dsk/c0t6/unnamed_cdrom`	CD-ROM--block device access
CD-ROM	`/vol/dev/rdsk/c0t6/unnamed_cdrom`	CD-ROM--raw device access
Media Type	Device Location: Solaris 2.3 or higher	State of Media
Diskette	`/vol/dev/diskette0/unnamed_floppy`	Formatted unnamed diskette--block device access
Diskette	`/vol/dev/rdiskette0/unnamed_floppy`	Formatted unnamed diskette--raw device access
Diskette	`/vol/dev/diskette0/unlabeled`	Unlabeled diskette--block device access
Diskette	`/vol/dev/rdiskette0/unl`abeled	Unlabeled diskette--raw device access
CD-ROM	`/vol/dev/dsk/c0t6/unnamed_cdrom`	CD-ROM--block device access
CD-ROM	`/vol/dev/rdsk/c0t6/unnamed_cdrom`	CD-ROM--raw device access

Using CDs and Diskettes

TABLE 4-6 shows the various tasks you can perform using CDs and diskettes. See the System Administration Guide, for details.

TABLE 4-6

Media Type	Task	Available with File Manager?	Available through Command Line?
CD	· How to load a CD	Yes	Yes
	· How to examine the contents of a CD	Yes	Yes
	· How to copy information from a CD	Yes	Yes
	· How to find out if a CD is still in use	No	Yes
	· How to eject a CD	Yes	Yes
	· How to access CDs on other systems	No	Yes
	· How to make local CDs available to other systems	No	Yes
	· How to configure a system to play musical CDs	No	Yes
	· How to stop Volume Management	No	Yes
· How to restart Volume Management	No	Yes
	· How to format a UFS diskette · How to place a UFS file system on a diskette	No No	Yes Yes
· How to format a DOS diskette	No	Yes
· How to load a diskette	Yes	Yes
· How to examine the contents of a diskette	Yes	Yes
· How to copy or move information from a diskette	Yes	Yes
· How to copy or move information to a diskette	Yes	Yes
· How to find out if a diskette is still in use	No	Yes
· How to eject a diskette	Yes	Yes
· How to access diskettes on other systems	No	Yes
Diskette	· How to make local diskettes available to other systems	No	Yes