[gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Marcus Wanner]

I tried to mount a floppy disk in my ~x86 gentoo system, but the 
/dev/fd0 device is not there. In other words, I can't find the block 
device corresponding to my floppy drive. Where is it and what am I doing 
wrong?

Marcus

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Willie Wong]

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 10:53:21AM -0500, Penguin Lover Marcus Wanner squawked:
> I tried to mount a floppy disk in my ~x86 gentoo system, but the /dev/fd0 
> device is not there. In other words, I can't find the block device 
> corresponding to my floppy drive. Where is it and what am I doing wrong?

You are using udev, I assume? Did you compile the IDE floppy support
into your kernel?

W

-- 
In this course we will of course make use of God's Units, namely 
       h-bar = c = 1
but occasionally I will indulge myself in my personal addition to
those units, in the form of 
       2 = -1 = pi = i = 1
please feel free to interject whenever you feel confused, and I will
make my best effort to clarify things. 
   ~Prof. Herman Verlinde explaining the things. 
    PHY 509, Intro to QFT, first lecture 09-12-03
Sortir en Pantoufles: up 1105 days, 14:58

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Alex Schuster]

Willie Wong writes:

> On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 10:53:21AM -0500, Penguin Lover Marcus Wanner
> squawked:
> > I tried to mount a floppy disk in my ~x86 gentoo system, but the
> > /dev/fd0 device is not there. In other words, I can't find the block
> > device corresponding to my floppy drive. Where is it and what am I
> > doing wrong?
> 
> You are using udev, I assume? Did you compile the IDE floppy support
> into your kernel?

It's not IDE (IDE/ATAPI floppy support is for things like LS-120 drives), 
but CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD, found in Device Drivers -> Block devices -> Normal 
floppy disk support. If it's compiled as a module, maybe you just need to 
modprobe floppy?

	Wonko

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Marcus Wanner]

On 12/17/2009 11:06 AM, Willie Wong wrote:
> On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 10:53:21AM -0500, Penguin Lover Marcus Wanner squawked:
>    
>> I tried to mount a floppy disk in my ~x86 gentoo system, but the /dev/fd0
>> device is not there. In other words, I can't find the block device
>> corresponding to my floppy drive. Where is it and what am I doing wrong?
>>      
> You are using udev, I assume? Did you compile the IDE floppy support
> into your kernel?
>    
The only floppy options I can find in the kernel relating to floppy 
drives in the kernel config are mac floppy, amiga floppy, and atari 
floppy, none of which apply to me. I believe I am using udev, and both 
the cd/dvd drives work with my current setup. Thanks!

Marcus

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Willie Wong]

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 06:04:37PM +0100, Penguin Lover Alex Schuster squawked:
> Willie Wong writes:
> > On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 10:53:21AM -0500, Penguin Lover Marcus Wanner
> > squawked:
> > > I tried to mount a floppy disk in my ~x86 gentoo system, but the
> > > /dev/fd0 device is not there. In other words, I can't find the block
> > > device corresponding to my floppy drive. Where is it and what am I
> > > doing wrong?
> > 
> > You are using udev, I assume? Did you compile the IDE floppy support
> > into your kernel?
> 
> It's not IDE (IDE/ATAPI floppy support is for things like LS-120 drives), 
> but CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD, found in Device Drivers -> Block devices -> Normal 
> floppy disk support. If it's compiled as a module, maybe you just need to 
> modprobe floppy?

My mistake. It's been a while since I built a kernel with floppy
support. 

W
-- 
You should approach relationships like chess. And preferably as Deep Blue plays
it, or at least as Kasparov.
Sortir en Pantoufles: up 1105 days, 18:51

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Willie Wong]

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 12:04:56PM -0500, Penguin Lover Marcus Wanner squawked:
> The only floppy options I can find in the kernel relating to floppy drives 
> in the kernel config are mac floppy, amiga floppy, and atari floppy, none 
> of which apply to me. I believe I am using udev, and both the cd/dvd drives 
> work with my current setup. Thanks!

Made a mistake in my post. Please see what Wonko/Alex said. 

Cheers

W
-- 
"`Hand me the rap-rod, Plate Captain.'
The little waiter's eyebrows wandered about his forehead in 
confusion.
`I beg your pardon, sir?' he said.
`The phone, waiter,' said Zaphod, grabbing it off him. 
`Shee, you guys are so unhip it's a wonder your bums don't 
fall off.'"

- Zaphod discovers that waiters are the least hip people 
in the Universe. 
Sortir en Pantoufles: up 1105 days, 18:57

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Marcus Wanner]

On 12/17/2009 12:04 PM, Alex Schuster wrote:
> Willie Wong writes:
>
>    
>> On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 10:53:21AM -0500, Penguin Lover Marcus Wanner
>> squawked:
>>      
>>> I tried to mount a floppy disk in my ~x86 gentoo system, but the
>>> /dev/fd0 device is not there. In other words, I can't find the block
>>> device corresponding to my floppy drive. Where is it and what am I
>>> doing wrong?
>>>        
>> You are using udev, I assume? Did you compile the IDE floppy support
>> into your kernel?
>>      
> It's not IDE (IDE/ATAPI floppy support is for things like LS-120 drives),
> but CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD, found in Device Drivers ->  Block devices ->  Normal
> floppy disk support. If it's compiled as a module, maybe you just need to
> modprobe floppy?
>    
I looked at that path in the config, it turns out that it was disabled 
(by default! why?). I enabled it, rebuilt, rebooted, and now it works. 
Thanks guys!

Marcus

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:21:28 -0500, Marcus Wanner wrote:

> > It's not IDE (IDE/ATAPI floppy support is for things like LS-120
> > drives), but CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD, found in Device Drivers ->  Block
> > devices ->  Normal floppy disk support. If it's compiled as a module,
> > maybe you just need to modprobe floppy?
> >      
> I looked at that path in the config, it turns out that it was disabled 
> (by default! why?).

For the same reason that support for punched card readers is disabled by
default.


-- 
Neil Bothwick

Protect your software at all costs -- all else is meat.

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Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Marcus Wanner]

On 12/17/2009 5:16 PM, Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:21:28 -0500, Marcus Wanner wrote:
>
>    
>>> It's not IDE (IDE/ATAPI floppy support is for things like LS-120
>>> drives), but CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD, found in Device Drivers ->   Block
>>> devices ->   Normal floppy disk support. If it's compiled as a module,
>>> maybe you just need to modprobe floppy?
>>>
>>>        
>> I looked at that path in the config, it turns out that it was disabled
>> (by default! why?).
>>      
> For the same reason that support for punched card readers is disabled by
> default.
>    
But they're so useful...and the computer we got a year ago had one. Do 
things really go obsolete like that after decades of prevalence?

Marcus

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Joshua Murphy]

On Thu, Dec 17, 2009 at 7:45 PM, Marcus Wanner <marcusw@cox.net> wrote:
> On 12/17/2009 5:16 PM, Neil Bothwick wrote:
>>
>> On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 16:21:28 -0500, Marcus Wanner wrote:
>>
>>
>>>>
>>>> It's not IDE (IDE/ATAPI floppy support is for things like LS-120
>>>> drives), but CONFIG_BLK_DEV_FD, found in Device Drivers ->   Block
>>>> devices ->   Normal floppy disk support. If it's compiled as a module,
>>>> maybe you just need to modprobe floppy?
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> I looked at that path in the config, it turns out that it was disabled
>>> (by default! why?).
>>>
>>
>> For the same reason that support for punched card readers is disabled by
>> default.
>>
>
> But they're so useful...and the computer we got a year ago had one. Do
> things really go obsolete like that after decades of prevalence?
>
> Marcus

Yep... why deal with floppies when you can get a tiny little stick
that'll hold about 5688 times as much (8GB), read and write faster, is
more portable, and costs about $20 US on Newegg (without shopping
around even a little to find one on sale). Windows XP is the last big
reason I've dealt with floppy drives in the past 2/3 of a decade or so
now, and that's only because the only other option in getting screwy
chipset drivers at install time is to rebuild the install media
(nforce fake raid on Dell XPSes, more often than not).

-- 
Poison [BLX]
Joshua M. Murphy

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Neil Bothwick]

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On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:45:31 -0500, Marcus Wanner wrote:

> > For the same reason that support for punched card readers is disabled
> > by default.
> >      
> But they're so useful...and the computer we got a year ago had one. Do 
> things really go obsolete like that after decades of prevalence?

Yes, thankfully. Floppy disks have no real place nowadays, they are
bulky, unreliable and store very little. If you want support for legacy
hardware, it is there at the flick of a (config) switch but enabling by
default makes no sense, especially on Gentoo where default tends to mean
"starting point" more that "standard configuration".


-- 
Neil Bothwick

When there's a will, I want to be in it.

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Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Marcus Wanner]

On 12/18/2009 4:32 AM, Neil Bothwick wrote:
> On Thu, 17 Dec 2009 19:45:31 -0500, Marcus Wanner wrote:
>
>    
>>> For the same reason that support for punched card readers is disabled
>>> by default.
>>>
>>>        
>> But they're so useful...and the computer we got a year ago had one. Do
>> things really go obsolete like that after decades of prevalence?
>>      
> Yes, thankfully. Floppy disks have no real place nowadays, they are
> bulky, unreliable and store very little. If you want support for legacy
> hardware, it is there at the flick of a (config) switch but enabling by
> default makes no sense, especially on Gentoo where default tends to mean
> "starting point" more that "standard configuration".
>    
Ok, I guess I'm just a bit behind the times/did not go through my make 
menuconfig thoroughly enough...

Marcus

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Peter Humphrey]

On Friday 18 December 2009 09:32:12 Neil Bothwick wrote:

> Yes, thankfully. Floppy disks have no real place nowadays, they are
> bulky, unreliable and store very little.

On the other hand, in some circumstances a boot manager on a floppy is still 
the only way into a system recovery. I had to dig out a USB floppy drive to 
do this just the other day. Boot Magic Rescue, I think it was.

On which topic, is there a make of USB stick that is more-or-less guaranteed 
to boot on any system? I haven't found one yet. Some will boot on this box, 
some on that one, but none on any of them.

-- 
Rgds
Peter

Re: [gentoo-user] Where is my /dev/fd0?

[Marcus Wanner]

On 12/21/2009 7:44 PM, Peter Humphrey wrote:
> On which topic, is there a make of USB stick that is more-or-less 
> guaranteed
> to boot on any system? I haven't found one yet. Some will boot on this box,
> some on that one, but none on any of them.
>    
Well, first you need a box that supports booting from USB. The 
1-year-old box that I'm on now can't...

Marcus