From: Steve Brueggeman <xioborg@yahoo.com>
To: "H. Peter Anvin" <hpa@zytor.com>
Cc: linux-kernel@vger.kernel.org
Subject: Re: [ANNOUNCE] submount: another removeable media handler
Date: Mon, 19 May 2003 11:45:46 -0500
Message-ID: <oc2icvot0lp3qaqpven4v7bgp6e7oc6krm@4ax.com>
References: <200305160106.37274.eweiss@sbcglobal.net> <20030516113304.GK32559@Synopsys.COM> <200305161027.20045.eweiss@sbcglobal.net> <ba3bls$c2p$1@cesium.transmeta.com>
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Off Topic, sorry.

Is there a way to detect whether a floppy has been installed, without
actually forcing the motor to spin, and heads to engage???

I'd like to create a simple auto-run utility that constantly looks for
a special file on a MSDOS formatted floppy, and run it if found.
Unfortunately, the only way I know of to determine if a floppy is
installed is to open the floppy device, which causes the undesired
motor spin-up, and head access.

Any help is greatly appreciated!!!

Steve Brueggeman


On 16 May 2003 11:46:20 -0700, you wrote:

>Followup to:  <200305161027.20045.eweiss@sbcglobal.net>
>By author:    Eugene Weiss <eweiss@sbcglobal.net>
>In newsgroup: linux.dev.kernel
>>
>> 
>> > how is it different from what automounter does?
>> 
>> Autofs works by creating a special filesystem above the vfs layer, and passing 
>> requests and data back and forth.   Submount actually does much less than 
>> this- it puts a special filesystem underneath the real one, and the only 
>> things it returns to the VFS layer are error messages.  It handles no IO 
>> operations whatsoever.
>> 
>> Peter Anvin has called using the automounter for removeable media "abuse."
>> Submount is designed for it.
>> 
>
>Sure, but it's not clear to me that you have listened to me saying
>*why* it is abuse.
>
>Basically, in my opinion removable media should be handled by insert
>and removal detection, not by access detection.  Obviously, there are
>some sticky issues with that in the case where media can be removed
>without notice (like PC floppies or other manual-eject devices), but
>overall I think that is the correct approach.
>
>	-hpa

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