Startup BUG (USB - Portable hard drive)

[GrizzlyBear]

Hi. My OS is Fedora 16 x64.

I have 1TB USB-HDD 2.5".
have also put a lines in fstab:
"
UUID=6b9ff7a7-5b56-4d4f-bb70-6916c5a1081f / ext4 defaults 1 1
UUID=7e57c6f4-5c07-4f5e-9159-d12498446377 /home ext4 defaults 1 2
UUID=9453bca2-77f5-4000-80c8-c1081d68f07c swap swap defaults 0 0


# my config

UUID=A8DC810ADC80D3CA /mnt/COMMON ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0
UUID=01CC66881CF27960 /mnt/MULTIMEDIA ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0
UUID=01CC66881718ABE0 /mnt/SOFTWARE ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0
UUID=A8A8B097A8B0658A /mnt/OS_WIN ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0
UUID=B0247BFD247BC53E /mnt/SWAP_WIN ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0

"
multimedia and software are on this usb-hdd, and the rest is on normal 3.5" hdd.

Everything works fine, when i plugin or unplug when system runs.
Using mount-a and umount -a also doesn't give a problem.


When i turn-off pc, and unplug the hdd then the problem start.

After a bottom blue-colored progress bar is finishing i have a message:
"Use 'systemctl default" or ^D to activate default mode"
"type password for administrator... bla bla..."

The ways I've choosed:

1. Hit ^D :: nothing happed.. one more time, blue bar finished loading, the same communicate hit the screen.

2. enter the password, and type: startx :: well, after 2sec of watching the login-screen it crashes and communicate shows up that there's something wrong with d-bus (well i didn't remember exactly what - it doesn't matter, cause i know what the problem is - missing the usb hdd...).

3. enter the password, and make "#" on these lines:
"
# UUID=01CC66881CF27960 /mnt/MULTIMEDIA ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0
# UUID=01CC66881718ABE0 /mnt/SOFTWARE ntfs-3g user,users,auto,locale=pl_PL.UTF-8 0 0
"
cause they are on this usb-hdd.
save file, restart OS, and of course system starts up without any problem.

----------------------------------------------
So the question is:
What should I do, or what type in the fstab, so i can use this hdd always after start (so it's mounted after start properly), and system will start properly without bugging my 3 letters, after i unplug the hdd-usb from pc if i had to do.

and - second simple question:
"Use 'systemctl default" or ^D to activate default mode"
What is this communicate anyway??
when I hit enter - it says that it's wrong password (it isn't very shocking)
when I hit ^D - it doesn't do anything but put the same communicate after about 2min of working.
so how to use this "systemctl default" and what's that anyway, or what's the short-key instead of ^D to choose in such case?

(I was using Kubuntu in the past, and after making the same thing, the system was starting, but hangs while showing progress bar and show the communicate "hit S if You don't want to mount missing hdd".
So hitting "S" was resolving a problem.)

[sea]

You could make a request on bugzilla.redhat.com for this 'skip' function.

I'm not quiet sure why you need them to be bound to /mnt, as long you have automount enabled (dont ask me how^^, but should be with default installation) it should mount them automaticly on connection to /media, without needing them to be available on boot.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: addition...
AFAIK: fstab requires all entries to be ready and available while it tries to mount them.
So, if the usb driver has not loaded at the time it tries to mount these, its failing and causing the screen you got.

[jpollard]

I would suggest you put "noauto" on the entries in the /etc/fstab for the filesystems on the USB.

That way they won't try to mount (and cause problems since the disk isn't there), but will be available after plugging it in.

[GrizzlyBear]

You could make a request on bugzilla.redhat.com for this 'skip' function.

I'm not quiet sure why you need them to be bound to /mnt, as long you have automount enabled (dont ask me how^^, but should be with default installation) it should mount them automaticly on connection to /media, without needing them to be available on boot.

Hope this helps.

EDIT: addition...
AFAIK: fstab requires all entries to be ready and available while it tries to mount them.
So, if the usb driver has not loaded at the time it tries to mount these, its failing and causing the screen you got.

Of course - automount works fine.
But than i had to mount it every time (click on the hdd, which will mount it in media or other path).

On this usb-hdd i have pictures, videos and other folders that i'm always using, also made whole bunch of shortcuts, so I need direct and quick path.

I would suggest you put "noauto" on the entries in the /etc/fstab for the filesystems on the USB.

That way they won't try to mount (and cause problems since the disk isn't there), but will be available after plugging it in.

That seems like good idea. I'll try it and give the answer for "next generations"

p.s. so "noauto" won't load hdd if there's not any hdd, and also will load if there is?

---------- Post added at 08:13 PM ---------- Previous post was at 09:57 AM ----------

Well.... the "noauto" way was promising, but failed.

OS starts without or with hdd (which is good) but I can't mount it in any way (even mounting from usb-tray icon) - it says that I don't have permission to mount. (even mount-a doesn't help).

---------- Post added at 08:33 PM ---------- Previous post was at 08:13 PM ----------

New idea is that - there's "removable devices" option in system settings.
So the devices are auto-mounted after being plugged in, but how to setup the fstab, so it always be in certain path?

[Chilly Willy]

Note that when using FSTAB, you have to use UMASK for the permissions (non-linux anyway - I.E. NTFS, which most ext. HD's are) or it won't work.

[jpollard]

Might also have to specify "user" so that users can mount as well.

[DBelton]

ummm.. any reason why you are specifying "user" and "users" in your mount options?

It's possible that is what is causing the issue.

with "user" only one user can mount and umount the filesystem the user id is written to mtab when mounted so it knows what user can umount it.

with "users" any user can mount an umount the filesystem. User "A" could mount, and then user "B" could umount.

It's possible those 2 options are causing a conflict someplace and causing the issues. Try using either one or the other, but not both.

[GrizzlyBear]

ummm.. any reason why you are specifying "user" and "users" in your mount options?

It's possible that is what is causing the issue.

with "user" only one user can mount and umount the filesystem the user id is written to mtab when mounted so it knows what user can umount it.

with "users" any user can mount an umount the filesystem. User "A" could mount, and then user "B" could umount.

It's possible those 2 options are causing a conflict someplace and causing the issues. Try using either one or the other, but not both.

Well the "user" thing - I have to admit - these are scraps from Kubuntu forum and previous fstab config (which I've found and worked on Kubuntu 9.10)..

I'll try "noauto" and only "users" without "user" and give my answer

p.s. THX very much for thoughts - they're really helpfull!

[jpollard]

"user" is the option to allow users to mount the filesystem (man fstab)

"owner" allows the device owner to mount...

Normally, there is only one "owner", but many "user"s.

noauto disables the mount -a for that specific filesystem as "mount -a" is what is used by the system to mount all filesystems.

[GrizzlyBear]

Deleting "user" phrase, and switching to "noauto" didn't help.
System is starting without usb-hdd, but after plug-in I can't mount it even with root privileges (sudo mount-a).

But this is I think way to faaar. I delete this hdd from fstab, and I think the best option is to use this "removable devices" from "system settings". I've checked "auto-mount after login" and "auto-mount after plug-in".

Hdd is really mounted after login so I have to check only, what's the situation without having it plugged-in during start, and plug-in it after being logged-in -> if it mount itself.

p.s. It's true I Think what Chilly Willy said before (didn't check it, cause I'm not big expert with umask).

Note that when using FSTAB, you have to use UMASK for the permissions (non-linux anyway - I.E. NTFS, which most ext. HD's are) or it won't work.

[GrizzlyBear]

OK - the "removable devices" in "system settings" works like charm.

usb-hdd mounts every time:
- being plugged-in after log-in
- being plugged-in during start of OS
- OS is starting without any problems (with or without hdd-usb)

The name of partitions are the name of folders in /media (instead of /mnt when i had them before).
So till i don't change the name of partition i can have everything connected and make all shortcuts i want.

Using FSTAB was the only way i knew before (for auto-mounting), but now it's nice that somebody thought of the removable devices and made that v. useful option.

Thanks very much for help and replies!
Case closed