In general, you probably won't need to use mknod, it's used to make device special files if they do not already exist, and chances are that /dev/sd[a-h] [0-9] or so already exist. All you will need to do is mount the devices. After plugging in say a USB memory stick (assume it's the only usb storage device and the only "scsi" device"), at the command line you would use: mount /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb Where /dev/sda1 is the first partition of the first scsi device (your memory stick here), and /mnt/usb is where in the filesystem you want the device to be mounted. Automout is a bit trickier, but in essence you will need to add a line similar to /etc/fstab: /dev/sda1 /mnt/usb auto defaults 0 0 Then you will need to configure your choice of automount daemons to automatically mount the appropriate usb device when it is made available. This might help you: http://www.tldp.org/HOWTO/html_single/Flash-Memory-HOWTO/ Cheers, ~J On Tuesday 12 September 2006 09:15, Cyprian Troyer wrote: > My current hurdle in getting my Slackware linux installation is that I'm > too dense to figure out all the details of mounting the filesystem of a > USB mass storage device (memory card or multi-card reader) to my > filesytem. I understand from the man pages of mknod and fstab that in > order for the mount to be automatic, there must be an entry in > /etc/fstab with all the appropriate switches and options. I also > understand that mknod is the recommended way to update /etc/fstab. What > I am missing is a coherent description of how the whole process should > proceed. > I know that my USB bus is working, and that the devices are being > detected, since the lsusb command returns information on the bus and the > devices as I plug and unplug them. Also, lsmod is showing that the > appropriate modules are being called by kmod. > Am I correct in thinking that the first argument of mknod should be an > arbitrary name for the device, such as /dev/cdrom or dev/hda, which is > up to me to choose? (Generally, not specifically for USB.) Or do the > names of the block special device nodes have to conform to the list in > /usr/src/Documentation/devices.txt? In the linux-usb.org info I read > that USB storage is treated as a scsi drive, and therefore usb memory > cards are configured as /sda1, /sda2... This is exactly what I am > seeing with my ubuntu live CD installs, but they are using something > different in the etc/fstab. According to my understanding of > /usr/src/Documentation/devices.txt, the major and minor numbers for > /sda1, /sda2 should be 8 and 0. But this doesn't work, probably because > I am not getting the other arguments to mknod correct. > Does the mount point (directory) referenced by mknod need to exist > before the mknod command is called, or does mknod create it? When I > tried using an existing directory as the argument for the mount point, > mknod returned an error telling me that the directory exists. > I think I've just absorbed too much disparate information too quickly > lately, and none of it is settling in together. > > Thanks, > Cyprian. > > > > --- http://USFamily.Net/dialup.html - $8.25/mo! -- > http://www.usfamily.net/dsl.html - $19.99/mo! --- > > > _______________________________________________ > TCLUG Mailing List - Minneapolis/St. Paul, Minnesota > tclug-list at mn-linux.org > http://mailman.mn-linux.org/mailman/listinfo/tclug-list -- Jonathan Kline <jonathan.kline at isaidno.net>