Driver Question


Results 1 to 6 of 6

Thread: Driver Question

  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Posts
    1

    Driver Question

    Hello,
    I have never installed Linux at all.

    My question is: I have an HP a705w (walmart) computer.

    It has a 9in1 card reader in it.

    Does this take one driver for the whole device or 9 individual drivers?

    Thanks for any advice.

    N2L

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    2,978
    Have you tried to use it in Linux?

    What make you think a driver is needed for your card reader?

    Do you need one to use it in MS Windows?

    Not much an answer I know but I don't think one is needed, at least I never need to bother with it.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    boston, mass USA
    Posts
    1,878
    The reader I have doesn't need a driver. The devices just show up as USB/SCSI devices (/dev/sdX).

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Singapore
    Posts
    355
    most card readers works without special drivers, like happybunny siad, they just work
    Registered Linux User #388117

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Apr 2001
    Location
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Posts
    14,936
    The driver (usb-storage, to be specific) is included in pretty much every Linux kernel out there, and especially in distro kernels. (Distro kernels like to include everything under the sun, so they work on the most machines possible.)

    However, multi-card readers show up as a single USB device, and expose multiple disks to the SCSI system (USB storage is basically SCSI-over-USB) using separate LUNs (logical unit numbers). So if your distro's SCSI disk module wasn't built with the "scan all LUNs on each SCSI device" option turned on, then you'll have to set the proper option dynamically before you'll be able to see any more than the first device in the multi-card reader. To set this option, you should be able to (as root) echo 16 >/sys/module/scsi_mod/parameters/max_luns and then re-plug the device. If that doesn't work, echo the same thing to max_report_luns as well (in that same directory), and replug the device again.

    If you want to make it automatic, you'll have to set your distro up to provide max_luns=16 or max_report_luns=16 when it loads the scsi_mod module (generally this is done in some file under /etc/modprobe.d, or in /etc/modprobe.conf itself: add options scsi_mod max_luns=16 to the proper file).

    I should note that every distro kernel I've ever seen does have this option turned on, so it should work fine. But if you built a kernel yourself, and didn't include this option at compile time (like I did), you'll only see one sdX device until you either set the option dynamically, or unload/reload the scsi_mod module, or reconfigure and rebuild the kernel.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jun 2004
    Location
    Newcastle upon Tyne
    Posts
    2,978
    The curiosity finally got hold of me so I dug out my 56 in1 card reader out, connected to the 1st USB port and tried to insert one memory card at a time in this order

    XD 32Mb recognized as sde1

    SD HC card 8Gb recognized as sdc1

    Compact flash 32Mb recognized as sdd1

    Memory stick Pro Duo 8Gb seen as sdf1

    Then I switched on my 500Gb external hard disk into a eSata port and it was given the device name sdg1.

    Finally inserting my 16Gb USB pen drive in a 2nd USB port had sdh1 to sdh8 shown up.

    At this point I thought in for a penny in for a pound so I dug up yet another card reader and had it connected to the 3rd USB port.

    A 2nd 128Mb compact flash card shown up sdj1

    A 2nd 32Mb XD card showed up as sdk1

    Lastly I plugged a 4Gb mini SD card in to get it recognized as sdi1.

    Here is the fdisk -l output
    Code:
    root@saikee-desktop:~# fdisk -l
    
    Disk /dev/sda: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
    255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0xbe153241
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sda1               1       12158    97659103+  17  Hidden HPFS/NTFS
    /dev/sda2   *       12159       24316    97659135    7  HPFS/NTFS
    /dev/sda3           24317       36598    98655165    5  Extended
    /dev/sda4           36599       60801   194410597+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda5           24317       24438      979933+  82  Linux swap / Solaris
    /dev/sda6           24439       25654     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda7           25655       26870     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda8           26871       28086     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda9           28087       29302     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda10          29303       30518     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda11          30519       31734     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda12          31735       32950     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda13          32951       34166     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda14          34167       35382     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sda15          35383       36598     9767488+  83  Linux
    
    Disk /dev/sdb: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
    255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x38c16d97
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdb1               1       15808   126977728+  15  Unknown
    /dev/sdb2           15809       29184   107442720   15  Unknown
    /dev/sdb3           29185       42560   107442720   15  Unknown
    /dev/sdb4           42561       60801   146520832+   5  Extended
    /dev/sdb5           42561       43776     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb6           43777       44992     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb7           44993       46208     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb8           46209       47424     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb9           47425       48640     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb10          48641       49856     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb11          49857       51072     9767488+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb12          51073       53504    19535008+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb13          53505       55936    19535008+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb14  *       55937       58368    19535008+  83  Linux
    /dev/sdb15          58369       60801    19543041   83  Linux
    
    Disk /dev/sdc: 8017 MB, 8017936384 bytes
    202 heads, 59 sectors/track, 1313 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 11918 * 512 = 6102016 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdc1               1        1314     7825920    b  W95 FAT32
    
    Disk /dev/sdd: 32 MB, 32505856 bytes
    4 heads, 32 sectors/track, 496 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 128 * 512 = 65536 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdd1   *           1         495       31664    4  FAT16 <32M
    
    Disk /dev/sde: 32 MB, 32768000 bytes
    8 heads, 16 sectors/track, 500 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 128 * 512 = 65536 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sde1   *           1         500       31982+   1  FAT12
    
    Disk /dev/sdf: 8143 MB, 8143241216 bytes
    256 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1002 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 15872 * 512 = 8126464 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdf1   *           1        1002     7951814    c  W95 FAT32 (LBA)
    
    Disk /dev/sdg: 500.1 GB, 500107862016 bytes
    255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 60801 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x5a03cdb2
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdg1               1       60801   488384001    7  HPFS/NTFS
    
    Disk /dev/sdh: 16.3 GB, 16357785600 bytes
    64 heads, 32 sectors/track, 15600 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 2048 * 512 = 1048576 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x0004b902
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdh1               1       15600    15974384    5  Extended
    /dev/sdh5               1        4768     4882400   83  Linux
    /dev/sdh6            4769        9536     4882416   83  Linux
    /dev/sdh7            9537       14304     4882416   83  Linux
    /dev/sdh8           14305       15600     1327088   82  Linux swap / Solaris
    
    Disk /dev/sdi: 4024 MB, 4024958976 bytes
    110 heads, 45 sectors/track, 1588 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 4950 * 512 = 2534400 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdi1               2        1589     3926528    b  W95 FAT32
    
    Disk /dev/sdj: 128 MB, 128450560 bytes
    8 heads, 32 sectors/track, 980 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 256 * 512 = 131072 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdj1               1         979      125296    6  FAT16
    
    Disk /dev/sdk: 32 MB, 32768000 bytes
    8 heads, 16 sectors/track, 500 cylinders
    Units = cylinders of 128 * 512 = 65536 bytes
    Disk identifier: 0x00000000
    
       Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
    /dev/sdk1   *           1         500       31982+   1  FAT12
    root@saikee-desktop:~#
    The distro is a Ubuntu. I used 2 card readers, 1 eSata port and 3 USB ports altogether. Whenever I plug any compact flash, SD, XD, memory stick, eSata hard disk, USB pen drive, etc , etc the kernel detected it immediately and could report in "fdisk" for each of the 9 devices.

    I never have to bother with a driver.
    Linux user started Jun 2004 - No. 361921
    Using a Linux live CD to clone XP
    To install Linux and keep Windows MBR untouched
    Adding extra Linux & Doing it in a lazy way
    A Grub menu booting 100+ systems & A "Howto" to install and boot 145 systems
    Just cloning tips Just booting tips A collection of booting tips

    Judge asked Linux "You are being charged murdering Windoze by stabbing its heart with a weapon, what was it?" Replied Linux "A Live CD"

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •