[wellylug] linux usb

[Brenda Wallace]

i'm using lots of usb devices here, and i'm a little confused.. maybe a
lot confused..

i'm using mandrake 9.1

question 1:
i have a usb flash card reader.
to read from it i added this line to my fstab
/dev/sda1 /mnt/flash vfat noauto,user 0 0

this works sometimes and not others.
one day it will mount just fine.
the next day it'll tell me:
mount: special device /dev/sda1 does not exist
i have not unplugged the device and i have not rebooted in between...
sometimes rebooting does fix this.
what needs to be done to make the usb card reader create that /dev/sda1
thingie??

Question 2:
i have a tungsten T(1) palm os PDA.
when syncing this appears as /dev/ttyUSB0
i made a symbolic link from /dev/pilot to /dev/ttyUSB0
this works once -> ie i can sync to /dev/pilot once
immediately after it's finished syncing the symbolic link changes and
now points to /dev/usb/tts/1 instead of where i made it link to
if i move the sym link back to /dev/ttyUSB0 syncing once again works...
what is moving my link???


Question 3:
after rebooting i see the following exist:
/dev/ttyUSB0 
/dev/ttyUSB1  
/dev/ttyUSB2  
/dev/ttyUSB3
after successfully syncing my pda, the first two, USB0 and USB1
disappear.. where do they go???
they reappear again when i press the sync button on my palm...
sometimes.... 




On Fri, 2003-09-12 at 16:19, Centurion Computer Technology Ltd wrote:
> On Fri, 2003-09-12 at 16:02, Brenda Wallace wrote:
> > the most confusing part of linux to me, so far, is USB
> > i just don't get what is going on.
> > 
> > serial ports are easy.. you just read what on /dev/ttyS0 or S1
> > but usb devices seems random and unreliable in linux, and work
> > beautifully in windows.
> 
> USB is not straight forward in windows, Linux actually handles it much
> better.  The problem many linux users have is the general lack of Linux
> driver support for USB devices.
> > 
> > has anyone here got a good grip on how usb work in linux?
> > i have a bunch of questions.
> > 
> Fire away.
> > 
> > -- 
> > 
> > Brenda Wallace
> > DDI +64 4 916 7213
> > Catalyst IT, P O Box 11053, Manners Street
> > Level 2, 150-154 Willis Street, Wellington
> > 
> > 
> > 
> > -- 
> > Wellington Linux Users Group Mailing List: wellylug at lists.naos.co.nz
> > To Leave:  http://lists.naos.co.nz/mailman/listinfo/wellylug
> > 
> -- 
> 	Daniel Reurich
> 	Centurion Computer Technolgy Limited
> 	
> 	Ph: (04) 565 1832
> 	    (025) 374 387
> 	    
> 	email: centurion at paradise.net.nz
-- 

Brenda Wallace
DDI +64 4 916 7213
Catalyst IT, P O Box 11053, Manners Street
Level 2, 150-154 Willis Street, Wellington