Cybook 3 can't be mounted on Linux machine

[sweh]

I've searched around and haven't spotted anyone else with this issue. It maybe my Linux build that's broken, but...

Firmware build 538

Works fine with Windows XP; I can see the SD slot and the inbuilt flash, and can copy files around etc etc.

But... if I plug it into a RedHat Enterprise Linux 4 machine or a CentOS 4.5 machine then the kernel detects the device, creates a single /dev/sd* entry and... I can't access it.

eg

usb 1-5: new high speed USB device using address 10
scsi14 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
  Vendor: Bookeen   Model: Cybook Gen3  -SD  Rev: 1.00
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
SCSI device sdg: 4131840 512-byte hdwr sectors (2116 MB)
sdg: Write Protect is off
sdg: Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
sdg: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sdg: 4131840 512-byte hdwr sectors (2116 MB)
sdg: Write Protect is off
sdg: Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
sdg: assuming drive cache: write through
 sdg: sdg1
Attached scsi removable disk sdg at scsi14, channel 0, id 0, lun 0
USB Mass Storage device found at 10

Now /dev/sdg1 is the SD slot on the Cybook. I can mount it, see the files etc. But the internal flash doesn't appear to become visible so I can't modify the files there.

Am I doing something wrong? Thanks!

[tompe]

Is it an old kernel?

I get an sda1 and an sdb1 (internal).

[sweh]

RedHat (and thus CentOS) use their own naming conventions. The current RedHat/Centos4 kernel is 2.6.9-67.0.4.ELsmp which means it was originally based on a 2.6.9 kernel, but they've backported a lot of fixes from later versions. (This version numbering issue is the biggest problem with RedHat based systems; we can't actually tell what kernel features are present!)

[tompe]

I would test with a late Knoppix DVD or a puppy image or something similar.

Maybe also try to turn the Cybook on when the cable is plugged in.

[sweh]

OK, a newer kernel (CentOS 5.1) found both devices. And that provided the clue. The Cybook looks like a Realtek card reader at the USB level. The usb-storage layer presents each memory device as a seperate LUN. The SD slot is LUN 0, the internal flash is LUN 1.

And there's the gotcha; older RedHat kernels are configured to only probe LUN 0 on SCSI devices.

http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_79_4067.shtm

So I tried the "scsi add-single-device" hack and the second LUN was detected.

USB Mass Storage device found at 12
  Vendor: Bookeen   Model: Cybook Gen3  -FD  Rev: 1.00
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
SCSI device sdh: 128000 512-byte hdwr sectors (66 MB)
sdh: Write Protect is off
sdh: Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
sdh: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sdh: 128000 512-byte hdwr sectors (66 MB)
sdh: Write Protect is off
sdh: Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
sdh: assuming drive cache: write through
 sdh: sdh1
Attached scsi removable disk sdh at scsi16, channel 0, id 0, lun 1

I'll have to test the "permanent" fix as documented at http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_85_5583.shtm to ensure it doesn't break any of my SATA and real USB disks.

Yay!

[delphidb96]

Originally Posted by sweh

OK, a newer kernel (CentOS 5.1) found both devices. And that provided the clue. The Cybook looks like a Realtek card reader at the USB level. The usb-storage layer presents each memory device as a seperate LUN. The SD slot is LUN 0, the internal flash is LUN 1.

And there's the gotcha; older RedHat kernels are configured to only probe LUN 0 on SCSI devices.

http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_79_4067.shtm

So I tried the "scsi add-single-device" hack and the second LUN was detected.

USB Mass Storage device found at 12
  Vendor: Bookeen   Model: Cybook Gen3  -FD  Rev: 1.00
  Type:   Direct-Access                      ANSI SCSI revision: 02
SCSI device sdh: 128000 512-byte hdwr sectors (66 MB)
sdh: Write Protect is off
sdh: Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
sdh: assuming drive cache: write through
SCSI device sdh: 128000 512-byte hdwr sectors (66 MB)
sdh: Write Protect is off
sdh: Mode Sense: 03 00 00 00
sdh: assuming drive cache: write through
 sdh: sdh1
Attached scsi removable disk sdh at scsi16, channel 0, id 0, lun 1

I'll have to test the "permanent" fix as documented at http://kbase.redhat.com/faq/FAQ_85_5583.shtm to ensure it doesn't break any of my SATA and real USB disks.

Yay!

Don't forget that under both Linux and Windows, the type of USB port used can cause problems. For most users the Cybook MUST be attached to one of the lower-numbered MAIN USB ports on the motherboard. Attaching through a hub can cause problems. Attaching to a USB port that comes off a secondary jumper expansion on the motherboard can cause problems. Attaching to a newer version of a USB port can cause problems. Attaching via a multiple media card reader can cause problems (Those 9-in-1 media drives are what I'm talking about, whether built in or external.). IOW, it's very, VERY touchy about just what USB port it's attached to.

Derek

[sweh]

Fortunately I haven't had any USB hardware issues; my Cybook has been detected in 6 machines from a P4-1.8Ghz USB1 (via a Belkin hub) all the way up to a quad core duo USB2. And now I know about the multi-LUN issue, the Linux machines will talk to it properly as well :-)