CDs will not mount automatically for users

spiritu · #1 21st June 2006, 06:22 PM

Hello--

I'm trying to get an FC5 box ready for use by a regular user. I've installed it only a Sony VAIO PCG-GRT170 laptop, and it works great, except for a few major hiccoughs. The most major is that regular users can't mount CDs. I can't find any resolution to the problem that doesn't resort to using "mount" and "unmount" from the shell. Apparently the Fedora folks, in their loving wisdom, blessed us with a new way of mounting CDs called "gnome-mount", which apparently is Swedish for "don't mount any CDs".

The error message I get when attempting to use the graphical user interface to mount CDs is: "Cannot mount volume". To reproduce this error:
While logged in as a regular, non-privileged user, place a CDROM into your CDROM drive. Double-click on the "Computer" icon.
Double-click on your CDROM drive's icon.
Watch in awe as it fails to work.

If yours actually does work, please let me know. If you have any idea how to fix this problem, please let me know.

Thanks!

stoat · #2 22nd June 2006, 12:39 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by spiritu

If yours actually does work, please let me know.

Mine works. I have been using Gnome all the way back to Red Hat 7 and it has always worked. It automounts placing an icon on the Desktop and opens a Nautilus browsing window with the CD contents. I know this didn't help. But you did ask. I hope you figure it out.

weinerdogus · #3 22nd June 2006, 12:39 AM

I had the same problem. the solution is to enable autofs. use man autofs for the configuration paraneters
try to configure it, its not that hard. if you run into a snag, come back and we can help you more.
hth

majoros · #4 5th July 2006, 08:24 AM

I have just the same problem. Can't mount. Autofs is started, and I thought it was configured (although it isn't out of the box, which looks strange to me). I should note that my users do login via ldap.

Is there any _real_ documentation somewhere? That's a real problem with Linux. :-(

weinerdogus · #5 5th July 2006, 11:05 PM

This may not help you but I just reinstalled FC5 because of a printing problem and cd's mount ok "out of the box". Just pop in a cd and up pops the icon on the desktop ready to go.

BanditRider · #6 6th July 2006, 01:49 PM

Look at System - Preferences - Removable Drives and Media

spiritu · #7 7th July 2006, 06:27 PM

I've checked all of the common settings, I've made sure autofs is running, I've made sure the preferences are set correctly, including the one you just mentioned.

I'm ready to ditch FC5 at my business because this makes things very, very difficult when trying to explain that it just can't load CDROMs/flash drives/etc..., and that the support forums don't have much in the way of suggestions other than to check the most basic of things.

Is there something else I can try? This happens on all 5 of the machines I've installed this on. The machines are a Dell Dimension L667r, a Dell Dimension XPS T700r, a Compaq SR1020NX, a Sony VAIO laptop, and a Dell Poweredge 400SC.

I'm going to try the reinstall, but it happens on all 5 machines, so I'm guessing it's not just one particular machine.

spiritu · #8 7th July 2006, 06:28 PM

I should also mention that I'm logging in via NIS, but that this problem happens for local users I've created as well.

Alukardian · #9 9th July 2006, 03:39 AM

is the haldeamon service running? for somereason on my box it will only auto mount with it running.

vaDell · #10 9th July 2006, 06:37 AM

I installed FC4 2 days ago and I too was suprised that I couldn't mount the cdrom. I was mostly trying from the command line with the old standard commands I used in my RH9 laptop where I couldn't afford to run Gnome. I Saw a few threads including this one today that led me to a solution.

As mentioned above in prev post, Gnome> Desktop> Preferences> Removable Drives & Media got me to a selection window and on "multimedia" tab I had start cdrom if audio or digital picture picture checked. I unchecked them but I didn't expect any change...

Then I went to Applications> System Tools> Disk Management> User Mount Tool and tried the "mount" cdrom and durn if the "mount" button didn't change to "unmount". I went to xterm and checked with `mount` then tried an `ls` nothing, `su ls` - nothing, then opened gedit and went to open a file to jot down some lovely comments about this and there it was, the cdrom in the "Open File" window. Opened new xterm `ls` worked.

This is all as "user". Feel kinda lame using the gui stuff and don't understand what is going on behind the scenes, (yet) but it works. Now can anyone clue me in on how to mount cdrom from the command line? What are you going to do if x gets fubar? Hmmmm? gui stuff... Sorry to go on so, thanks for the hints, +vaDell

jim · #11 9th July 2006, 07:16 AM

look in the /media directory

vaDell · #12 12th July 2006, 08:32 PM

> look in the /media directory

??? yes .. I have /cdrom /floppy and /usbdisk (when it's plugged in,.. that works well)
And no my problem is not resolved... thanks

I must restate my earlier statement of cdrom success in FC4.
I rebooted after having the cd-rom mounting so nicely and now I can't get squat.

Tried the things I did before. I got an audio cd to play once, at least gnomes "cdplayer" showed signs of it playing. I have no sound so I couldn't tell if it was tracking right. I have not been able to get that to work again either. Baffling....

My RedHat9 has no problem with cdrom , I even have an external cd recorder that worked fine on an old laptop with rh9. I'm seeing more and more that this problem is in FC3 and 5 as well.

Why has this been so tuff to resolve? Is it the transition to udev?

Is it more related to Fedora or is it more the 2.6 kernel evolution in general?

Might I write a udev rule that might straighten this out?

Has anyone seen a good how-to on this cdrom issue?
+Howard

vaDell · #13 14th July 2006, 04:28 PM

I am now having SUCCESS mounting cdrom in FC4!-
auto or manual, root or user, data or audio all are working well

I just edit the grub kernel boot line to include- ide=nodma

I am using the original fstab line:
/dev/hdc /media/cdrom auto pamconsole,exec,noauto,managed 0 0

and after mounting `mount` shows:
/dev/hdc on /media/cdrom type iso9660 (ro,nosuid,nodev,_netdev,user=vaDell)

But I think this udevinfo looks far too incomplete:
-----
# udevinfo -a -p /block/hdc
device '/sys/block/hdc' has major:minor 22:0
looking at class device '/sys/block/hdc':
SUBSYSTEM=="block"
SYSFS{dev}=="22:0"
SYSFS{range}=="1"
SYSFS{removable}=="1"
SYSFS{size}=="625952"
SYSFS{stat}==" 2 0 16 21788 0 0 0 0 0 21788 21788"

follow the "device"-link to the physical device:
couldn't open device directory
-----
Shouldn't it show a lot more than that? Oh well it works for now...
Thanks!

wpyung · #14 19th July 2006, 03:22 PM

This seems to be the same issue as
http://gnomesupport.org/forums/viewtopic.php?t=11077

Local users whether root or other can mount removable media from Gnome

Users authenticated via the network e.g. Ldap, get the message
cannot mount volume

Is there a workaround for FC5 ?

vaDell · #15 20th July 2006, 12:03 AM

I don't think this will help with the network - cdrom problem, but I found a nice article which explains the dma issue and some solutions at:
http://www.excore.com/technologies/linux/rhl71dma

I have added this line at the end of my /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit :
/sbin/hdparm -d0 /dev/hdc

Now on reboot I see "hdc: DMA disabled" scroll by and I can play an audio or mount a data cd ok on the console and in Gnome as user.

Now I don't have to remember to boot with ide=nodma and I think dma is still availabele for other devices instead of being totally disabled.
Movin' On, +vaDell