Managing Removable Media (Tasks)

The following guidelines and procedures are described in this section:

• Removable Media Considerations

• How to Load Removable Media

• How to Format a Diskette (rmformat)

• How to Create a File System on Removable Media

• How to Create a File System on a DVD-RAM

• How to Check a File System on Removable Media

• How to Repair Bad Blocks on Removable Media

• Applying Read or Write Protection and Password Protection to Removable Media

• How to Enable or Disable Write Protection on Removable Media

• How to Enable or Disable Read or Write Protection and Set a Password on Removable Media

Removable Media Considerations

Keep the following considerations in mind when working with diskettes:

• File system formats in Oracle Solaris consist of the basic “bit” formatting, in addition to the structure to support an Oracle Solaris file system. A complete format for a DOS file system consists of the basic “bit” formatting in addition the structure to support either an MS-DOS or an NEC-DOS file system. The procedures required to prepare a media for each type of file system are different. Therefore, before you format a diskette, consider which procedure to follow. For more information, see Managing Removable Media (Tasks).

  • For information on removable media names, see Using Removable Media Names.

  • Diskettes that are not named (that is, they have no “label”) are assigned the default name of unnamed_floppy.

  • Diskettes that are not named (that is, they have no “label”) are assigned the default name of floppy.

  An Oracle Solaris system can format the following file system types:

  • ZFS or UFS

  • MS-DOS or NEC-DOS (PCFS)

  • UDFS

  On an Oracle Solaris system (either SPARC or x86), you can format diskettes with the following densities.

  Diskette Size Diskette Density Capacity 3.5” High density (HD) 1.44 MB 3.5” Double density (DD) 720 KB

  By default, the diskette drive formats a diskette to a like density. This default means that a 1.44 MB drive attempts to format a diskette for 1.44 MB, regardless of whether the diskette is, in fact, a 1.44 MB diskette, unless you instruct it otherwise. In other words, a diskette can be formatted to its capacity or lower, and a drive can format to its capacity or lower.

Formatting Diskettes

You can use the rmformat command to format and perform other management tasks on removable media. File systems are mounted automatically. So, you might have to unmount media before you can format it, if the media contains an existing file system.

The rmformat command has three formatting options:

• quick – This option formats diskettes without certification or with limited certification of certain tracks on the media.

• long – This option completely formats diskettes. For some devices, the use of this option might include the certification of the whole media by the drive.

• force – This option formats completely without user confirmation. For diskettes with a password-protection mechanism, this option clears the password before formatting. This feature is useful when a password is forgotten. On diskettes without password protection, this option forces a long format.

How to Load Removable Media

For information about removable media hardware considerations, see Removable Media Considerations.

1. Insert the media.
2. Ensure that the media is formatted.

   If you aren't sure, insert the media and check the status messages in the system console window, as described in Step 3. If you need to format the media, go to How to Format a Diskette (rmformat).

3. (Optional) Notify volume management if you are using a legacy, non-USB diskette device.

   $ volcheck -v

   Two status messages are possible:

   media was found

   Volume management detected the media and will attempt to mount it in the directory described in Using Removable Media Names.

   If the media is formatted properly, no error messages appear in the console.

   If the media is not formatted, the “media was found” message is still displayed. However, error messages similar to the following appear in the system console window:

   fd0: unformatted diskette or no diskette in the drive

   fd0: read failed (40 1 0)

   fd0: bad format

   You must format the media before volume management can mount it. For more information, see How to Format a Diskette (rmformat).

   no media was found

   Volume management did not detect the media. Ensure that the media is inserted properly, and run volcheck again. If unsuccessful, check the media, which could be damaged. You can also try to mount the media manually.

4. Verify that the media was mounted by listing its contents.

   For example, do the following for a diskette:

   $ ls /media/floppy
   lost+found myfiles

How to Format a Diskette (rmformat)

You can use the rmformat command to format a diskette. By default, this command creates two partitions on the media: partition 0 and partition 2 (the whole media).

1. Verify that removable media service is running. If so, you can use the shorter nickname for the device name.

   # svcs hal dbus rmvolmgr
   STATE          STIME    FMRI
   online         Apr_09   svc:/system/dbus:default
   online         Apr_09   svc:/system/hal:default
   online         Apr_09   svc:/system/filesystem/rmvolmgr:default

   For information on restarting removable media services, see How to Disable or Enable Removable Media Services. For information on identifying media device names, see Using Removable Media Names.

2. Format the diskette.

   $ rmformat -F [ quick | long | force ] device-name

   See Formatting Diskettes for more information on rmformat formatting options.

   If the rmformat output indicates bad blocks, see How to Repair Bad Blocks on Removable Media.

3. (Optional) Label the diskette with an 8-character label.

   $ rmformat -b label device-name

   For information on creating a DOS label, see mkfs_pcfs(1M).

Example 1-1 Formatting a Diskette

This example shows how to format a diskette.

$ rmformat -F quick /dev/rdiskette
Formatting will erase all the data on disk.
Do you want to continue? (y/n) y
.........................................................................

How to Create a File System on Removable Media

1. (Optional) Format a diskette, if necessary.

   To format a USB diskette, use syntax similar to the following:

   $ rmformat -F long /dev/rdsk/c11t0d0p0

2. (Optional) Create an alternate Solaris partition table.

   $ rmformat -s slice-file device-name

   A sample slice file appears similar to the following:

   slices: 0 = 0, 30MB, "wm", "home" : 
                 1 = 30MB, 51MB : 
                 2 = 0, 94MB, "wm", "backup" : 
                 6 = 81MB, 13MB

3. Become superuser.
4. Determine the appropriate file system type and select one of the following:

   • Create a PCFS file system. For example:

     # mkfs -F pcfs -o nofdisk,size=9800 /dev/rdsk/c11t0d0p0

   • Create a UDFS file system. For example:

     # mkfs -F udfs /dev/rdsk/c0t1d0p0

How to Create a File System on a DVD-RAM

Use this procedure to create a file system on a DVD-RAM.

1. Become superuser.
2. Create a file system on the DVD-RAM device.

   For example, create a UDFS file system, as follows:

   # mkfs -F udfs /dev/rdsk/c0t0d0s2

3. Mount the file system.

   For example, mount a UDFS file system, as follows:

   # mount -F udfs /dev/dsk/c0t0d0s2 /mnt

4. Verify that you can read or write to the file system.
5. When finished, eject the DVD-RAM.

How to Check a File System on Removable Media

1. Become superuser.
2. Identify the file system type and select one of the following:
   • Check a UDFS file system, as follows:

     # fsck -F udfs device-name

   • Check a PCFS file system, as follows:

     # fsck -F pcfs device-name

Example 1-2 Checking a PCFS File System on Removable Media

The following example shows how check the consistency of a PCFS file system on media.

# fsck -F pcfs /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2
** /dev/rdsk/c0t4d0s2
** Scanning file system meta-data
** Correcting any meta-data discrepancies
1457664 bytes.
0 bytes in bad sectors.
0 bytes in 0 directories.
0 bytes in 0 files.
1457664 bytes free.
512 bytes per allocation unit.
2847 total allocation units.
2847 available allocation units.

How to Repair Bad Blocks on Removable Media

You can only use the rmformat command to verify, analyze, and repair bad sectors that are found during verification if the drive supports bad block management. Most USB memory sticks do not support bad block management.

If the drive supports bad block management, a best effort is made to rectify the bad block. If the bad block cannot be rectified despite the best effort mechanism, a message indicates the failure to repair the media.

1. Repair bad blocks on removable media.

   $ rmformat -c block-numbers device-name

   Supply the block number in decimal, octal, or hexadecimal format from a previous rmformat session.

2. Verify the media.

   $ rmformat -V read device-name

Applying Read or Write Protection and Password Protection to Removable Media

You can apply read protection or write protection, and set a password, on removable media that support this feature.

How to Enable or Disable Write Protection on Removable Media

1. Determine whether you want to enable or disable write protection and select one of the following:
   • Enable write protection.

     $ rmformat -w enable device-name

   • Disable write protection.

     $ rmformat -w disable device-name

2. Verify whether the media's write protection is enabled or disabled.

   $ rmformat -p device-name

How to Enable or Disable Read or Write Protection and Set a Password on Removable Media

You can apply a password with a maximum of 32 characters for removable media that support this feature.

You will receive a warning message if you attempt to apply a password on media that does not support this feature.

1. Determine whether you want to enable or disable read protection or write protection and set a password. Select one of the following:
   • Enable read protection or write protection.

     $ rmformat -W enable device-name
     Please enter password (32 chars maximum): xxx
     Please reenter password:

     $ rmformat -R enable device-name
     Please enter password (32 chars maximum): xxx
     Please reenter password:

   • Disable read protection or write protection and remove the password.

     $ rmformat -W disable device-name
     Please enter password (32 chars maximum): xxx

     $ rmformat -R disable device-name
     Please enter password (32 chars maximum): xxx

2. Verify whether the media's read protection or write protection is enabled or disabled.

   $ rmformat -p device-name