On Sat, Sep 13, 2008 at 12:40:40AM -0400, Paul M Foster wrote:
> On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 10:37:09PM -0400, Bob Stia wrote:
>
> > On Friday 12 September 2008 12:49:33 am Paul M Foster wrote:
> > > On Wed, Sep 10, 2008 at 04:37:06AM -0400, Bob Stia wrote:
> > > > Hello Sluggers,
> > > >
> > > > Something wierd. Decided to install SuSE 11.0 with KDE4 to check it out
> > > > and keeping my workhorse SuSE10.3. (different hard drives) Now when I
> > > > boot up 10.3 I do not have any usb recognition, my sound chip is not even
> > > > seen, and the printer is not recognized.
> > > >
> > > > A look at the boot log or dmesg makes no mention of the usb devices.
> > > > There is a line in fstab for usb. Following:
> > > >
> > > > usbfs /proc/bus/usb usbfs noauto
> > > > 0 0
> > > >
> > > > Nothing of usb to be seen in /proc/bus either.
> > >
> > > Well, that's sure a bug. The second field of the fstab file is supposed
> > > to be the mount point. But you don't mount devices in the /proc
> > > filesystem. It should be /dev, not /proc. Unless you mistyped....
> > >
> > Thanks Paul,
> >
> > Not sure how that could be a bug. This was a working reliable system. Unless
> > the fstab was rewritten somehow. No, I didn't mistype that was a copy
> > directly from fstab. I certainly believe what you are saying but I can't
> > recall ever seeing it mounted as /dev
> >
> > What does it say in your fstab?
>
> Well, I don't normally have anything hanging off a USB port, so nothing
> in fstab about it. However, I do have an external backup that I hook up
> periodically off of a USB port. The drive shows up as /dev/sde1.
> However, wonder of wonders, when I look at /etc/mtab, sure enough, it
> shows usbfs mounted on /proc/bus/usb. I must have missed something
> somewhere. As far as I know, the FHS is clear about this, and Debian
> typically doesn't stray far from standards like this. Very peculiar.
>
A little research turns up that usbfs is apparently a sort of "virtual"
item which exposes data about the USB controllers and devices connected
to them. I suppose as a consequence of its function, it's mounted at
/proc/bus/usb or somewhere similar in the /proc virtual filesystem.
Actual devices, once mounted, mount somewhere in the /dev hierarchy. The
reasons why are probably lost in the history of the kernel. No doubt
this was the most expedient solution to some problem or another.
Paul
-- Paul M. Foster----------------------------------------------------------------------- This list is provided as an unmoderated internet service by Networked Knowledge Systems (NKS). Views and opinions expressed in messages posted are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the official policy or position of NKS or any of its employees.
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