cdrecord - scanbus command fails

[skyhawk]

I recently installed a CDRW drive to my Compaq Deskpro EN without doing a fresh install of the operating system (Mandriva 2007.0, kernel 2.6.17-5mdv). The original CDROM drive is now set as master (/dev/hdc)and the new CDRW drive is set as slave (/dev/hdd).

 

The new CDRW drive was immediately detected and recognized as /dev/hdd. A line was automatically added to /etc/fstab, which follows immediately below. My original CDROM drive, by the way, functions normally, just as it did before the CDRW drive installation.

 

   [me@mycomputer etc]$ cat fstab
  /dev/hda1 / ext3 defaults 1 1
  /dev/hda6 /home ext3 defaults 1 2
  /dev/hdc /mnt/cdrom auto ro,noauto,users,exec 0 0
  /dev/fd0 /mnt/floppy auto rw,noauto,users,sync 0 0
  /dev/hdd /mnt/cdrom2 auto rw,noauto,users,sync,exec 0 0
  none /proc proc defaults 0 0
  /dev/hda5 swap swap defaults 0 0

 

The CDRW drive responds to <eject /dev/hdd>. After this test, I installed CD-burning software: cdrecord, K3b, and xcdroast.

 

Running <cdrecord -scanbus> gives the following output:

 

   [root@mycomputer me]# cdrecord -scanbus
  Cdrecord-ProDVD-Clone 2.01.01a11 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2006 Jorg Schilling
  cdrecord: No such file or directory. Cannot open '/dev/pg*'. Cannot open SCSI driver.
  cdrecord: For possible targets try 'cdrecord -scanbus'.
  cdrecord: For possible transport specifiers try 'cdrecord dev=help'.

 

I have a printed copy of the article, titled "Installing Your ATAPI CDRW Drive in Linux" by Steve Litt, as one of my guides to CD-burning. This article, however, is not Madriva-specific, nor is it up-to-date. It does make reference to the <cdrecord -scanbus> command and what to do if the command fails. The article recommends editing the modules.conf and lilo.conf files as the next steps. Unfortunately, I do not have a modules.conf file, so I have reached a dead-end at this point. I do have a lilo.conf file, which reads as follows:

 

   [me@mycomputer etc]$ cat lilo.conf
  # File generated by DrakX/drakboot
  # WARNING: do not forget to run lilo after modifying this file

  default="linux"
  boot=/dev/hda
  map=/boot/map
  keytable=/boot/us.klt
  menu-scheme=wb:bw:wb:bw
  compact
  prompt
  nowarn
  timeout=100
  message=/boot/message
  image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux"
	root=/dev/hda1
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append=" resume=/dev/hda5 splash=silent"
	vga=0x31a
  image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="linux-nonfb"
	root=/dev/hda1
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append=" resume=/dev/hda5"
  image=/boot/vmlinuz
	label="failsafe"
	root=/dev/hda1
	initrd=/boot/initrd.img
	append=" failsafe resume=/dev/hda5"

 

From reading Steve Litt's article, I am led to believe that adding the appropriate line (or lines) to Mandriva's equivalent of modules.conf and editing the <append> line in lilo.conf will solve my problem. I need suggestions on precisely what course of action to follow. A general outline of what to do should be sufficient. Mandriva 2007.0 is my first Linux distribution, but the changeover from Windows 98 has not been too difficult. Thanks in advance.

 

I have current information concerning the actual procedure of burning CD's, so I do not anticipate any problems once I get past the device configuration stage.

[ianw1974]

I don't know Steve Litt's article, but if you could post the information exactly what you read we might be able to help you with it.

 

Yes, modules.conf doesn't exist, but you can probably put it in /etc/modprobe.conf instead. However, I would have expected you don't have to do any of this, since Mandriva 2007.0 should have it working immediately. Have you tried with K3B to see what this says? It's an app for CD/DVD burning. Whatever is in this old article may not even be relevant anymore - considering your drive was automatically detected perfectly fine.

[scarecrow]

Your problem has more to do with hardware terminology, and less with Linux.

You should swap your optical drives (that is- put the burner as master and the CD-ROM as slave), use their jumpers properly and not on "cable select" setting, and if your mainboard is not a very new one, substitute the 80-wire cable that connects your CD-ROM's with an oldfashioned 40-wire one.

After doing all that, you can run a 'cdrecord -scanbus' again (your burner will be /dev/hdc now, of course), and optionally you could check and correct the device's DMA status using the hdparm utility.

[ianw1974]

I have my burner as slave, and it doesn't have any problems :unsure:

[scarecrow]

I have my burner as slave, and it doesn't have any problems :unsure:

 

This isn't much of a problem on most modern chipsets, but with older ones (even Intel's i865) there were massive issues when hooking a harddisk as slave to a CD-ROM (its DMA would be reduced to the actual one of the master device), or hooking a burner as slave to a CD-ROM or tape device.

Also the suggestion of a 40-wire cable is because the extra crosstalk provided by the 80-wire cable would create conflicts when using older chipsets and/or old BIOS revisions.

[skyhawk]

I don't know Steve Litt's article, but if you could post the information exactly what you read we might be able to help you with it.

 

Yes, modules.conf doesn't exist, but you can probably put it in /etc/modprobe.conf instead. However, I would have expected you don't have to do any of this, since Mandriva 2007.0 should have it working immediately. Have you tried with K3B to see what this says? It's an app for CD/DVD burning. Whatever is in this old article may not even be relevant anymore - considering your drive was automatically detected perfectly fine.

 

The URL for Steve Litt's article is:

 

Troubleshooters.com

 

My new (actually, not so new) CDRW drive is a Compaq/Philips CDD4801 CDR/RW. Its manufacture date is sometime in 2001, so it is not the latest or greatest. It is, however, a new unit, not used. The Compaq Deskpro EN was manufactured in 1999. It is a P3, 933MHz.

 

The new CDRW drive is recognized and setup correctly in the Compaq Deskpro EN's BIOS. I checked that first before going on to other things. I used an 80-wire cable, because that is how the original CDROM was connected, although I had to buy a new cable with master and slave connections.

 

I have not yet tried using K3b, but I will try it to see the results. It is very probable, though, that I will be using cdrecord at the CLI initially, mainly for my own education and troubleshooting purposes.

 

I used Steve Litt's article as a guide only because it was the best one I could locate. Documentation seems to be almost non-existent for installation of CDRW drives under Mandriva, particularly the latest kernels.

[scarecrow]

You can safely forget Steve's article... its way outdated.

A lot of things have changed at the newer 2.6.X kernel revisions in general, and 2.6.8, 2.6.15, 2.6.19 in particular.

You don't need any installation guide for an Atapi burner at ANY modern distro- just plug it, and power on, while paying attention to the master/slave issue as well as the connector type (since your mainboard IS an old one).

Other than that, you will have a very hard time finding a media dye type that this old recorder will be happy with- even when using its latest and most up-to-date firmware.

Edited September 30, 2007 by scarecrow

[AussieJohn]

I agree with Scarecrow in all aspects.

You are thinking of a problem it seems when one doesn't really exist.

 

Forget about your experience with Windows, it isn't relevant.

 

Just make certain that you do NOT use cable select. Use the links on the drives.

Make certain the burner is Master if you have both drives on the same cable. Most times this doesn't really cause a problem but it occurs often enough to be a pain in the b*m.

Do it just as Scarecrow says.

Also since you are adding a drive, go into the BIOS and be certain that the new drive has been set as activated. Linux will almost always detect a drive but if it isn't activated in the bios it can cause problems.

 

Cheers. John.

[skyhawk]

Thanks to all who responded. I agree that this 'problem' is not really a problem. I seem to be 'ok' with my master/slave connections and both drives are active in BIOS.

 

My new CDRW drive is recognized by K3b, and that program asked to change all permissions for /dev/hdd to 'root' (reason given: better security). I clicked on 'ok'. I proceeded with K3b setup with no apparent problems.

 

I ran xcdroast as 'root' and it scanned for CD/DVD-Writers and CD/DVD-reading devices. It found the following:

 

[ATA:1,0,0] COMPAQ CD-ROM-8484B 1.04

[ATA:1,1,0] PHILIPS CDD4801 CD-R/RW C2c7

 

As with K3b, I completed xcdroast configuration with no apparent problems.

 

So, the only problem I have experienced thus far is the 'cdrecord -scanbus' command failure, which does not need to be resolved. This thread can be tagged as 'solved'.

 

As a 'footnote' of sorts to this thread, here is a reply I received via Mandriva Club Forum concerning my CDRW drive configuration problem:

 

Here's your problem:

 

Cdrecord-ProDVD-Clone 2.01.01a11 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2006 Jorg Schilling

 

Uninstall your current cdrecord and install the Mandriva package of cdrecord. It may be the cdrecord fork called wodim that you need to install. I don't remember if Mandriva started using it with 2007 or 2007.1

 

That should be all you need to do.

 

I installed the cdrecord package that is contained on my Mandriva 2007.0 installation disc set. When I do a search of installable software, 'wodim' is not found. 'Wodim' is new to my lexicon; I will have to see if it really exists ... just a matter of my curiosity coming into play!

 

==================================================

[skyhawk]

I can provide some additional information as a final, closing note for this thread.

 

I was able to get useful output from the 'cdrecord -scanbus' command as follows:

 

[me@mycomputer ~]$ cdrecord -scanbus dev=ATA:1,0,0
Cdrecord-ProDVD-Clone 2.01.01a11 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2006 Joerg Schilling
scsidev: 'ATA:1,0,0'
devname: 'ATA'
scsibus: 1 target: 0 lun: 0
Warning: Using badly designed ATAPI via /dev/hd* interface.
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.27
Using libscg version 'schily-0.8'.
scsibus1:
	1,0,0   100) 'COMPAQ  ' 'CD-ROM CRD-8484B' '1.04' Removable CD-ROM
	1,1,0   101) *
	1,2,0   102) *
	1,3,0   103) *
	1,4,0   104) *
	1,5,0   105) *
	1,6,0   106) *
	1,7,0   107) *

 

for the CDROM drive ... and ...

 

[me@mycomputer ~]$ cdrecord -scanbus dev=ATA:1,1,0
Cdrecord-ProDVD-Clone 2.01.01a11 (i686-pc-linux-gnu) Copyright (C) 1995-2006 Joerg Schilling
scsidev: 'ATA:1,1,0'
devname: 'ATA'
scsibus: 1 target: 1 lun: 0
Warning: Using badly designed ATAPI via /dev/hd* interface.
Linux sg driver version: 3.5.27
Using libscg version 'schily-0.8'.
scsibus1:
	1,0,0   100) *
	1,1,0   101) 'PHILIPS ' 'CDD4801 CD-R/RW ' 'C2c7' Removable CD-ROM
	1,2,0   102) *
	1,3,0   103) *
	1,4,0   104) *
	1,5,0   105) *
	1,6,0   106) *
	1,7,0   107) *

 

for the CDRW drive.

 

I interprete the lines, 'Warning: Using badly designed ATAPI via /dev/hd* interface', as meaning all SCSI devices are well designed and all ATAPI devices are "badly designed", in the humble opinion of cdrecord's author. I do not interprete this to mean that ONLY MY Compaq CDROM and CDRW are 'badly designed.'

 

Adding 'dev=help' to the command line gives the following output:

 

[me@mycomputer ~]$ cdrecord dev=help
Supported SCSI transports for this platform:

Transport name:		 sg
Transport descr.:	   Generic transport independent SCSI
Transp. layer ind.:
Target specifier:	   bus,target,lun
Target example:		 1,2,0
SCSI Bus scanning:	  supported
Open via UNIX device:   not supported

Transport name:		 pg
Transport descr.:	   SCSI transport for ATAPI over Parallel Port
Transp. layer ind.:
Target specifier:	   bus,target,lun
Target example:		 1,2,0
SCSI Bus scanning:	  supported
Open via UNIX device:   not supported

Transport name:		 ATA
Transport descr.:	   ATA Packet specific SCSI transport
Transp. layer ind.:	 ATAPI:
Target specifier:	   bus,target,lun
Target example:		 ATAPI:1,2,0
SCSI Bus scanning:	  supported
Open via UNIX device:   not supported

Transport name:		 ATA
Transport descr.:	   ATA Packet specific SCSI transport using sg interface
Transp. layer ind.:	 ATA:
Target specifier:	   bus,target,lun
Target example:		 1,2,0
SCSI Bus scanning:	  supported
Open via UNIX device:   not supported

Transport name:		 RSCSI
Transport descr.:	   Remote SCSI
Transp. layer ind.:	 REMOTE:
Target specifier:	   rscsi@host:bus,target,lun
Target example:		 REMOTE:rscsi@host:1,2,0
SCSI Bus scanning:	  supported
Open via UNIX device:   not supported

 

Thus, it is confirmed that the Mandriva 'gurus' at MandrivaUsers Forum once again provided completely valid advice. My CDRW drive is properly installed and is fully recognized by Mandriva 2007.0, but the hardware is out-of-date with respect to the cdrecord software, which is why the '-scanbus' option does not return output without adding the 'dev=' parameter. This deficiency, however, should not prevent my CDRW drive from burning CD's using cdrecord, or its GUI counterpart, xcdroast.

 

I also want to add that there is such a thing as the 'wodim' program, but it does not seem to be available as an RPM package. It is available for Debian Linux and seems to be primarily designed for DVD burning.

[scarecrow]

First, Cdrecord-ProDVD-Clone needs an unlocking serial to work at its full potential (available freely at Shilly's ftp).

 

Second, of course there's wodim in Mandriva, as well as in pretty much any modern distro!

You are just looking for it in the wrong place- it's a part of the cdrkit package. Compared to Cdrecord-ProDVD-Clone it has better hardware support and its not needing a serial to unlock... but still for full DVD functionality it does need the presence of the dvd+rw-tools package.

Edited October 2, 2007 by scarecrow