1 This is mtools.info, produced by makeinfo version 6.5 from mtools.texi.
3 This manual is for Mtools (version 4.0.26, November 2020), which is a
4 collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate MS-DOS files.
6 Copyright (C) 2007, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Copyright
7 (C) 1996-2005,2007-2011,2013 Alain Knaff.
9 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
10 document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
11 Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
12 Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts,
13 and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in
14 the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
17 * Mtools: (mtools). Mtools: utilities to access DOS disks in Unix.
21 File: mtools.info, Node: Top, Next: Location, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir)
26 This is mtools' documentation.
43 Mtools is a collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate
44 MS-DOS files: read, write, and move around files on an MS-DOS file
45 system (typically a floppy disk). Where reasonable, each program
46 attempts to emulate the MS-DOS equivalent command. However, unnecessary
47 restrictions and oddities of DOS are not emulated. For instance, it is
48 possible to move subdirectories from one subdirectory to another.
50 Mtools is sufficient to give access to MS-DOS file systems. For
51 instance, commands such as 'mdir a:' work on the 'a:' floppy without any
52 preliminary mounting or initialization (assuming the default
53 '/etc/mtools.conf' works on your machine). With mtools, one can change
54 floppies too without unmounting and mounting.
56 This manual is for Mtools (version 4.0.26, November 2020), which is a
57 collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate MS-DOS files.
59 Copyright (C) 2007, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Copyright
60 (C) 1996-2005,2007-2011,2013 Alain Knaff.
62 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
63 document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
64 Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
65 Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts,
66 and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included in
67 the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
71 * Location:: Where to find mtools and early bug fixes
72 * Common features:: Common features of all mtools commands
73 * Configuration:: How to configure mtools for your environment
74 * Commands:: The available mtools commands
75 * Compiling mtools:: Architecture specific compilation flags
76 * Porting mtools:: Porting mtools to architectures which are not
79 * Command Index:: Command Index
80 * Variable Index:: Variable Index
81 * Concept Index:: Concept Index
84 File: mtools.info, Node: Location, Next: Common features, Prev: Top, Up: Top
89 Mtools can be found at the following places (and their mirrors):
90 http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.26.tar.gz
92 These patches are named 'mtools-'VERSION'-'DDMM'.taz', where version
93 stands for the base version, DD for the day and MM for the month. Due
94 to a lack of space, I usually leave only the most recent patch.
96 There is an mtools mailing list at info-mtools @ gnu.org . Please
97 send all bug reports to this list. You may subscribe to the list at
98 https://lists.gnu.org/mailman/listinfo/info-mtools. (N.B. Please remove
99 the spaces around the "@". I left them there in order to fool
100 spambots.) Announcements of new mtools versions will also be sent to
101 the list, in addition to the Linux announce newsgroups. The mailing
102 list is archived at http://lists.gnu.org/pipermail/info-mtools/
105 File: mtools.info, Node: Common features, Next: Configuration, Prev: Location, Up: Top
107 2 Common features of all mtools commands
108 ****************************************
112 * arguments:: What the command line parameters of mtools
114 * drive letters:: Which drives are defined by default
115 * directory:: Current working directory
116 * long names:: VFAT-style long filenames
117 * name clashes:: Name clash handling, and associated command
119 * case sensitivity:: Case sensitivity
120 * high capacity formats:: How to fit more data on your floppies
121 * exit codes:: Exit codes
122 * bugs:: Happens to everybody
125 File: mtools.info, Node: arguments, Next: drive letters, Prev: Common features, Up: Common features
127 2.1 Options and filenames
128 =========================
130 MS-DOS filenames are composed of a drive letter followed by a colon, a
131 subdirectory, and a filename. Only the filename part is mandatory, the
132 drive letter and the subdirectory are optional. Filenames without a
133 drive letter refer to Unix files. Subdirectory names can use either the
134 ''/'' or ''\'' separator. The use of the ''\'' separator or wildcards
135 requires the names to be enclosed in quotes to protect them from the
136 shell. However, wildcards in Unix filenames should not be enclosed in
137 quotes, because here we *want* the shell to expand them.
139 The regular expression "pattern matching" routines follow the
140 Unix-style rules. For example, ''*'' matches all MS-DOS files in lieu
141 of ''*.*''. The archive, hidden, read-only and system attribute bits
142 are ignored during pattern matching.
144 All options use the '-' (minus) as their first character, not '/' as
145 you'd expect in MS-DOS.
147 Most mtools commands allow multiple filename parameters, which
148 doesn't follow MS-DOS conventions, but which is more user-friendly.
150 Most mtools commands allow options that instruct them how to handle
151 file name clashes. *Note name clashes::, for more details on these.
152 All commands accept the '-V' flags which prints the version, and most
153 accept the '-v' flag, which switches on verbose mode. In verbose mode,
154 these commands print out the name of the MS-DOS files upon which they
155 act, unless stated otherwise. *Note Commands::, for a description of
156 the options which are specific to each command.
159 File: mtools.info, Node: drive letters, Next: directory, Prev: arguments, Up: Common features
164 The meaning of the drive letters depends on the target architectures.
165 However, on most target architectures, drive A is the first floppy
166 drive, drive B is the second floppy drive (if available), drive J is a
167 Jaz drive (if available), and drive Z is a Zip drive (if available). On
168 those systems where the device name is derived from the SCSI id, the Jaz
169 drive is assumed to be at SCSI target 4, and the Zip at SCSI target 5
170 (factory default settings). On Linux, both drives are assumed to be the
171 second drive on the SCSI bus (/dev/sdb). The default settings can be
172 changes using a configuration file (*note Configuration::).
174 The drive letter : (colon) has a special meaning. It is used to
175 access image files which are directly specified on the command line
176 using the '-i' options.
179 mcopy -i my-image-file.bin ::file1 ::file2 .
181 This copies 'file1' and 'file2' from the image file
182 ('my-image-file.bin') to the '/tmp' directory.
184 You can also supply an offset within the image file by including
185 '@@'OFFSET into the file name.
188 mcopy -i my-image-file.bin@@1M ::file1 ::file2 .
190 This looks for the image at the offset of 1M in the file, rather than
194 File: mtools.info, Node: directory, Next: long names, Prev: drive letters, Up: Common features
196 2.3 Current working directory
197 =============================
199 The 'mcd' command (*note mcd::) is used to establish the device and the
200 current working directory (relative to the MS-DOS file system),
201 otherwise the default is assumed to be 'A:/'. However, unlike MS-DOS,
202 there is only one working directory for all drives, and not one per
206 File: mtools.info, Node: long names, Next: name clashes, Prev: directory, Up: Common features
208 2.4 VFAT-style long file names
209 ==============================
211 This version of mtools supports VFAT style long filenames. If a Unix
212 filename is too long to fit in a short DOS name, it is stored as a VFAT
213 long name, and a companion short name is generated. This short name is
214 what you see when you examine the disk with a pre-7.0 version of DOS.
215 The following table shows some examples of short names:
217 Long name MS-DOS name Reason for the change
218 --------- ---------- ---------------------
219 thisisatest THISIS~1 filename too long
220 alain.knaff ALAIN~1.KNA extension too long
221 prn.txt PRN~1.TXT PRN is a device name
222 .abc ABC~1 null filename
223 hot+cold HOT_CO~1 illegal character
225 As you see, the following transformations happen to derive a short
227 * Illegal characters are replaced by underscores. The illegal
228 characters are ';+=[]',\"*\\<>/?:|'.
229 * Extra dots, which cannot be interpreted as a main name/extension
230 separator are removed
231 * A '~'N number is generated,
232 * The name is shortened so as to fit in the 8+3 limitation
234 The initial Unix-style file name (whether long or short) is also
235 called the "primary" name, and the derived short name is also called the
239 mcopy /etc/motd a:Reallylongname
240 Mtools creates a VFAT entry for Reallylongname, and uses REALLYLO as
241 a short name. Reallylongname is the primary name, and REALLYLO is the
243 mcopy /etc/motd a:motd
244 Motd fits into the DOS filename limits. Mtools doesn't need to
245 derivate another name. Motd is the primary name, and there is no
248 In a nutshell: The primary name is the long name, if one exists, or
249 the short name if there is no long name.
251 Although VFAT is much more flexible than FAT, there are still names
252 that are not acceptable, even in VFAT. There are still some illegal
253 characters left ('\"*\\<>/?:|'), and device names are still reserved.
255 Unix name Long name Reason for the change
256 --------- ---------- ---------------------
257 prn prn-1 PRN is a device name
258 ab:c ab_c-1 illegal character
260 As you see, the following transformations happen if a long name is
262 * Illegal characters are replaces by underscores,
263 * A '-'N number is generated,
266 File: mtools.info, Node: name clashes, Next: case sensitivity, Prev: long names, Up: Common features
271 When writing a file to disk, its long name or short name may collide
272 with an already existing file or directory. This may happen for all
273 commands which create new directory entries, such as 'mcopy', 'mmd',
274 'mren', 'mmove'. When a name clash happens, mtools asks you what it
275 should do. It offers several choices:
278 Overwrites the existing file. It is not possible to overwrite a
279 directory with a file.
281 Renames the newly created file. Mtools prompts for the new
284 Renames the newly created file. Mtools chooses a name by itself,
287 Gives up on this file, and moves on to the next (if any)
289 To chose one of these actions, type its first letter at the prompt.
290 If you use a lower case letter, the action only applies for this file
291 only, if you use an upper case letter, the action applies to all files,
292 and you won't be prompted again.
294 You may also chose actions (for all files) on the command line, when
298 Overwrites primary names by default.
300 Overwrites secondary names by default.
302 Renames primary name by default.
304 Renames secondary name by default.
306 Autorenames primary name by default.
308 Autorenames secondary name by default.
310 Skip primary name by default.
312 Skip secondary name by default.
314 Ask user what to do with primary name.
316 Ask user what to do with secondary name.
318 Note that for command line switches lower/upper differentiates
319 between primary/secondary name whereas for interactive choices,
320 lower/upper differentiates between just-this-time/always.
322 The primary name is the name as displayed in Windows 95 or Windows
323 NT: i.e. the long name if it exists, and the short name otherwise. The
324 secondary name is the "hidden" name, i.e. the short name if a long name
327 By default, the user is prompted if the primary name clashes, and the
328 secondary name is autorenamed.
330 If a name clash occurs in a Unix directory, mtools only asks whether
331 to overwrite the file, or to skip it.
334 File: mtools.info, Node: case sensitivity, Next: high capacity formats, Prev: name clashes, Up: Common features
336 2.6 Case sensitivity of the VFAT file system
337 ============================================
339 The VFAT file system is able to remember the case of the filenames.
340 However, filenames which differ only in case are not allowed to coexist
341 in the same directory. For example if you store a file called
342 LongFileName on a VFAT file system, mdir shows this file as
343 LongFileName, and not as Longfilename. However, if you then try to add
344 LongFilename to the same directory, it is refused, because case is
345 ignored for clash checks.
347 The VFAT file system allows you to store the case of a filename in
348 the attribute byte, if all letters of the filename are the same case,
349 and if all letters of the extension are the same case too. Mtools uses
350 this information when displaying the files, and also to generate the
351 Unix filename when mcopying to a Unix directory. This may have
352 unexpected results when applied to files written using an pre-7.0
353 version of DOS: Indeed, the old style filenames map to all upper case.
354 This is different from the behavior of the old version of mtools which
355 used to generate lower case Unix filenames.
358 File: mtools.info, Node: high capacity formats, Next: exit codes, Prev: case sensitivity, Up: Common features
360 2.7 high capacity formats
361 =========================
363 Mtools supports a number of formats which allow storage of more data on
364 disk than usual. Due to different operating system abilities, these
365 formats are not supported on all operating systems. Mtools recognizes
366 these formats transparently where supported.
368 In order to format these disks, you need to use an operating system
369 specific tool. For Linux, suitable floppy tools can be found in the
370 'fdutils' package at the following locations~:
371 http://www.fdutils.linux.lu/.
373 See the manual pages included in that package for further detail: Use
374 'superformat' to format all formats except XDF, and use 'xdfcopy' to
379 * more sectors:: Putting more sectors per track on the disk
380 * bigger sectors:: Use bigger sectors to save header space
381 * 2m:: Use a standard first track
382 * XDF:: OS/2's eXtended density format
385 File: mtools.info, Node: more sectors, Next: bigger sectors, Prev: high capacity formats, Up: high capacity formats
390 The oldest method of fitting more data on a disk is to use more sectors
391 and more cylinders. Although the standard format uses 80 cylinders and
392 18 sectors (on a 3 1/2 high density disk), it is possible to use up to
393 83 cylinders (on most drives) and up to 21 sectors. This method allows
394 to store up to 1743K on a 3 1/2 HD disk. However, 21 sector disks are
395 twice as slow as the standard 18 sector disks because the sectors are
396 packed so close together that we need to interleave them. This problem
397 doesn't exist for 20 sector formats.
399 These formats are supported by numerous DOS shareware utilities such
400 as 'fdformat' and 'vgacopy'. In his infinite hubris, Bill Gate$
401 believed that he invented this, and called it 'DMF disks', or 'Windows
402 formatted disks'. But in reality, it has already existed years before!
403 Mtools supports these formats on Linux, on SunOS and on the DELL Unix
407 File: mtools.info, Node: bigger sectors, Next: 2m, Prev: more sectors, Up: high capacity formats
412 By using bigger sectors it is possible to go beyond the capacity which
413 can be obtained by the standard 512-byte sectors. This is because of
414 the sector header. The sector header has the same size, regardless of
415 how many data bytes are in the sector. Thus, we save some space by
416 using _fewer_, but bigger sectors. For example, 1 sector of 4K only
417 takes up header space once, whereas 8 sectors of 512 bytes have also 8
418 headers, for the same amount of useful data.
420 This method permits storage of up to 1992K on a 3 1/2 HD disk.
422 Mtools supports these formats only on Linux.
425 File: mtools.info, Node: 2m, Next: XDF, Prev: bigger sectors, Up: high capacity formats
430 The 2m format was originally invented by Ciriaco Garcia de Celis. It
431 also uses bigger sectors than usual in order to fit more data on the
432 disk. However, it uses the standard format (18 sectors of 512 bytes
433 each) on the first cylinder, in order to make these disks easier to
434 handle by DOS. Indeed this method allows you to have a standard sized
435 boot sector, which contains a description of how the rest of the disk
438 However, the drawback of this is that the first cylinder can hold
439 less data than the others. Unfortunately, DOS can only handle disks
440 where each track contains the same amount of data. Thus 2m hides the
441 fact that the first track contains less data by using a "shadow FAT".
442 (Usually, DOS stores the FAT in two identical copies, for additional
443 safety. XDF stores only one copy, but tells DOS that it stores two.
444 Thus the space that would be taken up by the second FAT copy is saved.)
445 This also means that you should *never use a 2m disk to store anything
446 else than a DOS file system*.
448 Mtools supports these formats only on Linux.
451 File: mtools.info, Node: XDF, Prev: 2m, Up: high capacity formats
456 XDF is a high capacity format used by OS/2. It can hold 1840 K per
457 disk. That's lower than the best 2m formats, but its main advantage is
458 that it is fast: 600 milliseconds per track. That's faster than the 21
459 sector format, and almost as fast as the standard 18 sector format. In
460 order to access these disks, make sure mtools has been compiled with XDF
461 support, and set the 'use_xdf' variable for the drive in the
462 configuration file. *Note Compiling mtools::, and *note miscellaneous
463 variables::, for details on how to do this. Fast XDF access is only
464 available for Linux kernels which are more recent than 1.1.34.
466 Mtools supports this format only on Linux.
468 *Caution / Attention distributors*: If mtools is compiled on a Linux
469 kernel more recent than 1.3.34, it won't run on an older kernel.
470 However, if it has been compiled on an older kernel, it still runs on a
471 newer kernel, except that XDF access is slower. It is recommended that
472 distribution authors only include mtools binaries compiled on kernels
473 older than 1.3.34 until 2.0 comes out. When 2.0 will be out, mtools
474 binaries compiled on newer kernels may (and should) be distributed.
475 Mtools binaries compiled on kernels older than 1.3.34 won't run on any
479 File: mtools.info, Node: exit codes, Next: bugs, Prev: high capacity formats, Up: Common features
484 All the Mtools commands return 0 on success, 1 on utter failure, or 2 on
485 partial failure. All the Mtools commands perform a few sanity checks
486 before going ahead, to make sure that the disk is indeed an MS-DOS disk
487 (as opposed to, say an ext2 or MINIX disk). These checks may reject
488 partially corrupted disks, which might otherwise still be readable. To
489 avoid these checks, set the MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK environmental variable or
490 the corresponding configuration file variable (*note global variables::)
493 File: mtools.info, Node: bugs, Prev: exit codes, Up: Common features
498 An unfortunate side effect of not guessing the proper device (when
499 multiple disk capacities are supported) is an occasional error message
500 from the device driver. These can be safely ignored.
502 The fat checking code chokes on 1.72 Mb disks mformatted with
503 pre-2.0.7 mtools. Set the environmental variable
504 MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY (or the corresponding configuration file
505 variable, *note global variables::) to bypass the fat checking.
508 File: mtools.info, Node: Configuration, Next: Commands, Prev: Common features, Up: Top
510 3 How to configure mtools for your environment
511 **********************************************
515 * configuration file location::
518 * per drive variables::
520 * old style configuration::
525 This sections explains the syntax of the configurations files for
526 mtools. The configuration files are called '/etc/mtools.conf' and
527 '~/.mtoolsrc'. If the environmental variable 'MTOOLSRC' is set, its
528 contents is used as the filename for a third configuration file. These
529 configuration files describe the following items:
531 * Global configuration flags and variables
532 * Per drive flags and variables
536 * configuration file location:: Where mtools looks for its configuration files
537 * general syntax:: The layout of the configuration files
538 * default values:: Why you don't need a configuration file in most cases
539 * global variables:: Variables that are independent of the drive
540 * per drive variables:: Variables that are specific to a given drive
541 * parsing order:: Location of configuration files and parsing order
542 * old style configuration:: Backwards compatibility
545 File: mtools.info, Node: configuration file location, Next: general syntax, Prev: Configuration, Up: Configuration
547 3.2 Location of the configuration files
548 =======================================
550 '/etc/mtools.conf' is the system-wide configuration file, and
551 '~/.mtoolsrc' is the user's private configuration file.
553 On some systems, the system-wide configuration file is called
554 '/etc/default/mtools.conf' instead.
561 File: mtools.info, Node: general syntax, Next: default values, Prev: configuration file location, Up: Configuration
563 3.2.1 General configuration file syntax
564 ---------------------------------------
566 The configuration files is made up of sections. Each section starts
567 with a keyword identifying the section followed by a colon. Then follow
568 variable assignments and flags. Variable assignments take the following
571 Flags are lone keywords without an equal sign and value following
572 them. A section either ends at the end of the file or where the next
575 Lines starting with a hash ('#') are comments. Newline characters
576 are equivalent to whitespace (except where ending a comment). The
577 configuration file is case insensitive, except for item enclosed in
578 quotes (such as filenames).
581 File: mtools.info, Node: default values, Next: global variables, Prev: general syntax, Up: Configuration
586 For most platforms, mtools contains reasonable compiled-in defaults for
587 physical floppy drives. Thus, you usually don't need to bother with the
588 configuration file, if all you want to do with mtools is to access your
589 floppy drives. On the other hand, the configuration file is needed if
590 you also want to use mtools to access your hard disk partitions and
594 File: mtools.info, Node: global variables, Next: per drive variables, Prev: default values, Up: Configuration
599 Global flags may be set to 1 or to 0.
601 The following global flags are recognized:
604 If this is set to 1, mtools skips most of its sanity checks. This
605 is needed to read some Atari disks which have been made with the
606 earlier ROMs, and which would not be recognized otherwise.
607 'MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY'
608 If this is set to 1, mtools skips the fat size checks. Some disks
609 have a bigger FAT than they really need to. These are rejected if
610 this option is not set.
612 If this is set to 1, mtools displays all-upper-case short filenames
613 as lowercase. This has been done to allow a behavior which is
614 consistent with older versions of mtools which didn't know about
617 If this is set to 1, mtools won't generate VFAT entries for
618 filenames which are mixed-case, but otherwise legal dos filenames.
619 This is useful when working with DOS versions which can't grok VFAT
620 long names, such as FreeDOS.
622 In a wide directory, prints the short name with a dot instead of
623 spaces separating the basename and the extension.
624 'MTOOLS_NAME_NUMERIC_TAIL'
625 If this is set to one (default), generate numeric tails for all
626 long names (~1). If set to zero, only generate numeric tails if
627 otherwise a clash would have happened.
628 'MTOOLS_TWENTY_FOUR_HOUR_CLOCK'
629 If 1, uses the European notation for times (twenty four hour
630 clock), else uses the UK/US notation (am/pm)
631 'MTOOLS_LOCK_TIMEOUT'
632 How long, in seconds, to wait for a locked device to become free.
635 Example: Inserting the following line into your configuration file
636 instructs mtools to skip the sanity checks:
639 Global variables may also be set via the environment:
640 export MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK=1
642 Global string variables may be set to any value:
644 The format used for printing dates of files. By default, is
648 File: mtools.info, Node: per drive variables, Next: parsing order, Prev: global variables, Up: Configuration
650 3.5 Per drive flags and variables
651 =================================
655 * general information:: What a drive description looks like
656 * location information:: Where is the drive data physically stored
657 * geometry description:: Describes the physical characteristics of
659 * open flags:: Flags passed to the open system call when the
661 * miscellaneous variables:: Variables which don't fit in either category
662 * miscellaneous flags:: Switch variables, which can be enabled or disabled
663 * multiple descriptions:: How to supply several descriptions for a
664 drive, to be tried one after the other.
667 File: mtools.info, Node: general information, Next: location information, Prev: per drive variables, Up: per drive variables
669 3.5.1 General information
670 -------------------------
672 Per drive flags and values may be described in a drive section. A drive
673 section starts with 'drive' "DRIVELETTER" :
675 Then follow variable-value pairs and flags.
677 This is a sample drive description:
679 file="/dev/fd0" use_xdf=1
682 File: mtools.info, Node: location information, Next: geometry description, Prev: general information, Up: per drive variables
684 3.5.2 Location information
685 --------------------------
687 For each drive, you need to describe where its data is physically stored
688 (image file, physical device, partition, offset).
691 The name of the file or device holding the disk image. This is
692 mandatory. The file name should be enclosed in quotes.
695 Tells mtools to treat the drive as a partitioned device, and to use
696 the given partition. Only primary partitions are accessible using
697 this method, and they are numbered from 1 to 4. For logical
698 partitions, use the more general 'offset' variable. The
699 'partition' variable is intended for removable media such as
700 Syquest disks, ZIP drives, and magneto-optical disks. Although
701 traditional DOS sees Syquest disks and magneto-optical disks as
702 'giant floppy disks' which are unpartitioned, OS/2 and Windows NT
703 treat them like hard disks, i.e. partitioned devices. The
704 'partition' flag is also useful DOSEMU hdimages. It is not
705 recommended for hard disks for which direct access to partitions is
706 available through mounting.
709 Describes where in the file the MS-DOS file system starts. This is
710 useful for logical partitions in DOSEMU hdimages, and for ATARI ram
711 disks. By default, this is zero, meaning that the file system
712 starts right at the beginning of the device or file.
715 File: mtools.info, Node: geometry description, Next: open flags, Prev: location information, Up: per drive variables
717 3.5.3 Disk Geometry Configuration
718 ---------------------------------
720 Geometry information describes the physical characteristics about the
721 disk. Its has three purposes:
724 The geometry information is written into the boot sector of the
725 newly made disk. However, you may also describe the geometry
726 information on the command line. *Note mformat::, for details.
728 On some Unixes there are device nodes which only support one
729 physical geometry. For instance, you might need a different node
730 to access a disk as high density or as low density. The geometry
731 is compared to the actual geometry stored on the boot sector to
732 make sure that this device node is able to correctly read the disk.
733 If the geometry doesn't match, this drive entry fails, and the next
734 drive entry bearing the same drive letter is tried. *Note multiple
735 descriptions::, for more details on supplying several descriptions
736 for one drive letter.
738 If no geometry information is supplied in the configuration file,
739 all disks are accepted. On Linux (and on SPARC) there exist device
740 nodes with configurable geometry ('/dev/fd0', '/dev/fd1' etc), and
741 thus filtering is not needed (and ignored) for disk drives.
742 (Mtools still does do filtering on plain files (disk images) in
743 Linux: this is mainly intended for test purposes, as I don't have
744 access to a Unix which would actually need filtering).
746 If you do not need filtering, but want still a default geometry for
747 mformatting, you may switch off filtering using the 'mformat_only'
750 If you want filtering, you should supply the 'filter' flag. If you
751 supply a geometry, you must supply one of both flags.
754 On devices that support it (usually floppy devices), the geometry
755 information is also used to set the initial geometry. This initial
756 geometry is applied while reading the boot sector, which contains
757 the real geometry. If no geometry information is supplied in the
758 configuration file, or if the 'mformat_only' flag is supplied, no
759 initial configuration is done.
761 On Linux, initial geometry is not really needed, as the
762 configurable devices are able to auto-detect the disk type
763 accurately enough (for most common formats) to read the boot
766 Wrong geometry information may lead to very bizarre errors. That's
767 why I strongly recommend that you add the 'mformat_only' flag to your
768 drive description, unless you really need filtering or initial geometry.
770 The following geometry related variables are available:
774 The number of cylinders. ('cylinders' is the preferred form,
775 'tracks' is considered obsolete)
777 The number of heads (sides).
779 The number of sectors per track.
781 Example: the following drive section describes a 1.44M drive:
786 cylinders=80 heads=2 sectors=18
789 The following shorthand geometry descriptions are available:
792 high density 3 1/2 disk. Equivalent to: 'fat_bits=12 cylinders=80
795 high density 5 1/4 disk. Equivalent to: 'fat_bits=12 cylinders=80
798 double density 3 1/2 disk. Equivalent to: 'fat_bits=12
799 cylinders=80 heads=2 sectors=9'
801 double density 5 1/4 disk. Equivalent to: 'fat_bits=12
802 cylinders=40 heads=2 sectors=9'
804 The shorthand format descriptions may be amended. For example, '360k
805 sectors=8' describes a 320k disk and is equivalent to: 'fat_bits=12
806 cylinders=40 heads=2 sectors=8'
809 File: mtools.info, Node: open flags, Next: miscellaneous variables, Prev: geometry description, Up: per drive variables
814 Moreover, the following flags are available:
817 All i/o operations are done synchronously
819 The device or file is opened with the O_NDELAY flag. This is
820 needed on some non-Linux architectures.
822 The device or file is opened with the O_EXCL flag. On Linux, this
823 ensures exclusive access to the floppy drive. On most other
824 architectures, and for plain files it has no effect at all.
827 File: mtools.info, Node: miscellaneous variables, Next: miscellaneous flags, Prev: open flags, Up: per drive variables
829 3.5.5 General Purpose Drive Variables
830 -------------------------------------
832 The following general purpose drive variables are available. Depending
833 to their type, these variables can be set to a string (precmd) or an
837 The number of FAT bits. This may be 12 or 16. This is very rarely
838 needed, as it can almost always be deduced from information in the
839 boot sector. On the contrary, describing the number of fat bits
840 may actually be harmful if you get it wrong. You should only use
841 it if mtools gets the auto-detected number of fat bits wrong, or if
842 you want to mformat a disk with a weird number of fat bits.
844 Describes the DOS code page used for short filenames. This is a
845 number between 1 and 999. By default, code page 850 is used. The
846 reason for this is because this code page contains most of the
847 characters that are also available in ISO-Latin-1. You may also
848 specify a global code page for all drives by using the global
849 'default_codepage' parameter (outside of any drive description).
850 This parameters exists starting at version 4.0.0
852 On some variants of Solaris, it is necessary to call 'volcheck -v'
853 before opening a floppy device, in order for the system to notice
854 that there is indeed a disk in the drive. 'precmd="volcheck -v"'
855 in the drive clause establishes the desired behavior.
858 This parameter represents a default block size to be always used on
859 this device. All I/O is done with multiples of this block size,
860 independently of the sector size registered in the file system's
861 boot sector. This is useful for character devices whose sector
862 size is not 512, such as for example CD-ROM drives on Solaris.
864 Only the 'file' variable is mandatory. The other parameters may be
865 left out. In that case a default value or an auto-detected value is
869 File: mtools.info, Node: miscellaneous flags, Next: multiple descriptions, Prev: miscellaneous variables, Up: per drive variables
871 3.5.6 General Purpose Drive Flags
872 ---------------------------------
874 A flag can either be set to 1 (enabled) or 0 (disabled). If the value
875 is omitted, it is enabled. For example, 'scsi' is equivalent to
879 Instruct mtools to not use locking on this drive. This is needed
880 on systems with buggy locking semantics. However, enabling this
881 makes operation less safe in cases where several users may access
882 the same drive at the same time.
885 When set to 1, this option tells mtools to use raw SCSI I/O instead
886 of the standard read/write calls to access the device. Currently,
887 this is supported on HP-UX, Solaris and SunOS. This is needed
888 because on some architectures, such as SunOS or Solaris, PC media
889 can't be accessed using the 'read' and 'write' system calls,
890 because the OS expects them to contain a Sun specific "disk label".
892 As raw SCSI access always uses the whole device, you need to
893 specify the "partition" flag in addition
895 On some architectures, such as Solaris, mtools needs root
896 privileges to be able to use the 'scsi' option. Thus mtools should
897 be installed setuid root on Solaris if you want to access Zip/Jaz
898 drives. Thus, if the 'scsi' flag is given, 'privileged' is
899 automatically implied, unless explicitly disabled by 'privileged=0'
901 Mtools uses its root privileges to open the device, and to issue
902 the actual SCSI I/O calls. Moreover, root privileges are only used
903 for drives described in a system-wide configuration file such as
904 '/etc/mtools.conf', and not for those described in '~/.mtoolsrc' or
908 When set to 1, this instructs mtools to use its setuid and setgid
909 privileges for opening the given drive. This option is only valid
910 for drives described in the system-wide configuration files (such
911 as '/etc/mtools.conf', not '~/.mtoolsrc' or '$MTOOLSRC').
912 Obviously, this option is also a no op if mtools is not installed
913 setuid or setgid. This option is implied by 'scsi=1', but again
914 only for drives defined in system-wide configuration files.
915 Privileged may also be set explicitly to 0, in order to tell mtools
916 not to use its privileges for a given drive even if 'scsi=1' is
919 Mtools only needs to be installed setuid if you use the
920 'privileged' or 'scsi' drive variables. If you do not use these
921 options, mtools works perfectly well even when not installed setuid
926 Instructs mtools to interpret the device name as a vold identifier
927 rather than as a filename. The vold identifier is translated into
928 a real filename using the 'media_findname()' and
929 'media_oldaliases()' functions of the 'volmgt' library. This flag
930 is only available if you configured mtools with the
931 '--enable-new-vold' option before compilation.
935 Consider the media as a word-swapped Atari disk.
938 If this is set to a non-zero value, mtools also tries to access
939 this disk as an XDF disk. XDF is a high capacity format used by
940 OS/2. This is off by default. *Note XDF::, for more details.
942 Tells mtools to use the geometry for this drive only for
943 mformatting and not for filtering.
946 Tells mtools to use the geometry for this drive both for
947 mformatting and filtering.
950 Tells mtools to connect to floppyd (*note floppyd::).
953 File: mtools.info, Node: multiple descriptions, Prev: miscellaneous flags, Up: per drive variables
955 3.5.7 Supplying multiple descriptions for a drive
956 -------------------------------------------------
958 It is possible to supply multiple descriptions for a drive. In that
959 case, the descriptions are tried in order until one is found that fits.
960 Descriptions may fail for several reasons:
962 1. because the geometry is not appropriate,
963 2. because there is no disk in the drive,
964 3. or because of other problems.
966 Multiple definitions are useful when using physical devices which are
967 only able to support one single disk geometry. Example:
968 drive a: file="/dev/fd0H1440" 1.44m
969 drive a: file="/dev/fd0H720" 720k
971 This instructs mtools to use /dev/fd0H1440 for 1.44m (high density)
972 disks and /dev/fd0H720 for 720k (double density) disks. On Linux, this
973 feature is not really needed, as the /dev/fd0 device is able to handle
976 You may also use multiple drive descriptions to access both of your
977 physical drives through one drive letter:
979 drive z: file="/dev/fd0"
980 drive z: file="/dev/fd1"
982 With this description, 'mdir z:' accesses your first physical drive
983 if it contains a disk. If the first drive doesn't contain a disk,
984 mtools checks the second drive.
986 When using multiple configuration files, drive descriptions in the
987 files parsed last override descriptions for the same drive in earlier
988 files. In order to avoid this, use the 'drive+' or '+drive' keywords
989 instead of 'drive'. The first adds a description to the end of the list
990 (i.e. it will be tried last), and the first adds it to the start of the
994 File: mtools.info, Node: parsing order, Next: old style configuration, Prev: per drive variables, Up: Configuration
996 3.6 Location of configuration files and parsing order
997 =====================================================
999 The configuration files are parsed in the following order:
1000 1. compiled-in defaults
1001 2. '/etc/mtools.conf'
1003 4. '$MTOOLSRC' (file pointed by the 'MTOOLSRC' environmental variable)
1005 Options described in the later files override those described in the
1006 earlier files. Drives defined in earlier files persist if they are not
1007 overridden in the later files. For instance, drives A and B may be
1008 defined in '/etc/mtools.conf' and drives C and D may be defined in
1009 '~/.mtoolsrc' However, if '~/.mtoolsrc' also defines drive A, this new
1010 description would override the description of drive A in
1011 '/etc/mtools.conf' instead of adding to it. If you want to add a new
1012 description to a drive already described in an earlier file, you need to
1013 use either the '+drive' or 'drive+' keyword.
1016 File: mtools.info, Node: old style configuration, Prev: parsing order, Up: Configuration
1018 3.7 Backwards compatibility with old configuration file syntax
1019 ==============================================================
1021 The syntax described herein is new for version 'mtools-3.0'. The old
1022 line-oriented syntax is still supported. Each line beginning with a
1023 single letter is considered to be a drive description using the old
1024 syntax. Old style and new style drive sections may be mixed within the
1025 same configuration file, in order to make upgrading easier. Support for
1026 the old syntax will be phased out eventually, and in order to discourage
1027 its use, I purposefully omit its description here.
1030 File: mtools.info, Node: Commands, Next: Compiling mtools, Prev: Configuration, Up: Top
1035 This section describes the available mtools commands, and the command
1036 line parameters that each of them accepts. Options which are common to
1037 all mtools commands are not described here, *note arguments:: for a
1038 description of those.
1042 * floppyd:: floppy daemon to run on your X server box
1043 * floppyd_installtest:: small utility to check for the presence of floppyd
1044 * mattrib:: change MS-DOS file attribute flags
1045 * mbadblocks:: tests a floppy disk, and marks the bad blocks in the FAT
1046 * mcat:: same as cat. Only useful with floppyd.
1047 * mcd:: change MS-DOS directory
1048 * mclasserase:: erase memory card
1049 * mcopy:: copy MS-DOS files to/from Unix
1050 * mdel:: delete an MS-DOS file
1051 * mdeltree:: recursively delete an MS-DOS directory
1052 * mdir:: display an MS-DOS directory
1053 * mdu:: list space occupied by directory and its contents
1054 * mformat:: add an MS-DOS file system to a low-level formatted floppy disk
1055 * minfo:: get information about an MS-DOS file system.
1056 * mlabel:: make an MS-DOS volume label
1057 * mkmanifest:: makes a list of short name equivalents
1058 * mmd:: make an MS-DOS subdirectory
1059 * mmount:: mount an MS-DOS disk
1060 * mpartition:: create an MS-DOS as a partition
1061 * mrd:: remove an MS-DOS subdirectory
1062 * mmove:: move or rename an MS-DOS file or subdirectory
1063 * mren:: rename an existing MS-DOS file
1064 * mshortname:: shows the short name of a file
1065 * mshowfat:: shows the FAT map of a file
1066 * mtoolstest:: tests and displays the configuration
1067 * mtype:: display contents of an MS-DOS file
1068 * mzip:: zip disk specific commands
1071 File: mtools.info, Node: floppyd, Next: floppyd_installtest, Prev: Commands, Up: Commands
1076 'Floppyd' is used as a server to grant access to the floppy drive to
1077 clients running on a remote machine, just as an X server grants access
1078 to the display to remote clients. It has the following syntax:
1080 'floppyd' ['-d'] ['-l'] ['-s' PORT] ['-r' USER] ['-b' IPADDR] ['-x'
1081 DISPLAY] DEVICENAMES
1083 'floppyd' is always associated with an X server. It runs on the same
1084 machine as its X server, and listens on port 5703 and above.
1086 4.1.1 Authentication
1087 --------------------
1089 'floppyd' authenticates remote clients using the 'Xauthority' protocol.
1090 Xhost authentication is not supported. Each floppyd is associated with
1091 an X server. When a remote client attempts to connect to floppyd, it
1092 sends floppyd the X authority record corresponding to floppyd's X
1093 server. Floppyd in turn then tries to open up a connection to the X
1094 server in order to verify the authenticity of the xauth record. If the
1095 connection to the X server succeeds, the client is granted access.
1098 *Caution*: In order to make authentication work correctly, the local
1099 host should *not* be listed in the 'xhost' list of allowed hosts.
1100 Indeed, hosts listed in 'xhost' do not need a correct 'Xauthority'
1101 cookie to connect to the X server. As 'floppyd' runs on the same host
1102 as the X server, all its probe connection would succeed even for clients
1103 who supplied a bad cookie. This means that your floppy drive would be
1104 open to the world, i.e. a huge security hole. If your X server does
1105 not allow you to remove 'localhost:0' and ':0' from the 'xhost' list,
1106 you can prevent floppyd from probing those display names with the '-l'
1109 4.1.2 Command line options
1110 --------------------------
1113 Daemon mode. Floppyd runs its own server loop. Do not supply this
1114 if you start floppyd from 'inetd.conf'
1116 Port number for daemon mode. Default is 5703 + DISPLAYNUMBER.
1117 This flag implies daemon mode. For example, for display
1118 'hitchhiker:5', the port would be 5708.
1120 Bind address (for multi homed hosts). This flag implies daemon
1123 Run the server under as the given user
1125 X display to use for authentication. By default, this is taken
1126 from the 'DISPLAY' variable. If neither the 'x' attribute is
1127 present nor 'DISPLAY' is set, floppyd uses ':0.0'.
1129 DEVICENAMES is a list of device nodes to be opened. Default is
1130 '/dev/fd0'. Multiple devices are only supported on mtools versions
1133 4.1.3 Connecting to floppyd
1134 ---------------------------
1136 In order to use floppyd, add the flag 'remote' to the device description
1137 in your '~/.mtoolsrc' file. If the flag 'remote' is given, the 'file'
1138 parameter of the device description is taken to be a remote address.
1139 It's format is the following:
1140 HOSTNAME':'DISPLAYNUMBER['/'[BASEPORT]['/'DRIVE]]. When using this
1141 entry, mtools connects to port BASEPORT+DISPLAYNUMBER at HOSTNAME. By
1142 default BASEPORT is 5703. The drive parameter is to distinguish among
1143 multiple drives associated with a single display (only mtools versions
1144 more recent than 3.9.11)
1149 The following starts a floppy daemon giving access to '/dev/fd0',
1150 listening on the default port 5703, tied to the default X servers:
1154 Each of the following starts a floppy daemon giving access to
1155 '/dev/fd1', tied to the :1 local X servers, and listening on port 5704.
1156 We assume that the local host is named 'hitchhiker'.
1159 floppyd -d -x :1 -p 5704 /dev/fd0
1161 If you want to start floppyd by 'inetd' instead of running it as a
1162 daemon, insert the following lines into '/etc/services':
1164 floppyd-0 5703/tcp # floppy daemon for X server :0
1165 floppyd-1 5704/tcp # floppy daemon for X server :1
1167 And insert the following into '/etc/inetd.conf' (assuming that you
1168 have defined a user named floppy in your '/etc/passwd'):
1171 floppyd-0 stream tcp wait floppy /usr/sbin/floppyd floppyd /dev/fd0
1172 floppyd-1 stream tcp wait floppy /usr/sbin/floppyd floppyd -x :1 /dev/fd0
1174 Note that you need to supply the X display names for the second
1175 floppyd. This is because the port is opened by inetd.conf, and hence
1176 floppyd cannot know its number to interfere the display number.
1178 On the client side, insert the following into your '~/.mtoolsrc' to
1179 define a drive letter accessing floppy drive in your X terminal:
1180 drive x: file="$DISPLAY" remote
1182 If your X terminal has more than one drive, you may access the
1183 additional drives as follows:
1184 drive y: file="$DISPLAY//1" remote
1185 drive z: file="$DISPLAY//2" remote
1188 File: mtools.info, Node: floppyd_installtest, Next: mattrib, Prev: floppyd, Up: Commands
1190 4.2 Floppyd_installtest
1191 =======================
1193 'Floppyd_installtest' is used to check for the presence of a running
1194 floppyd daemon. This is useful, if you have a small front-end script to
1195 mtools, which decides whether to use floppyd or not.
1197 'floppyd_installtest' ['-f'] Connect-String
1199 If the '-f' option is specified, 'floppyd_installtest' does a full
1200 X-Cookie authentication and complains if this does not work.
1202 The connect-String has the format described in the floppyd-section:
1203 HOSTNAME':'DISPLAYNUMBER['/'BASEPORT]
1206 File: mtools.info, Node: mattrib, Next: mbadblocks, Prev: floppyd_installtest, Up: Commands
1211 'Mattrib' is used to change MS-DOS file attribute flags. It has the
1214 'mattrib' ['-a|+a'] ['-h|+h'] ['-r|+r'] ['-s|+s'] ['-/'] ['-p']
1215 ['-X'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES ... ]
1217 'Mattrib' adds attribute flags to an MS-DOS file (with the ''+''
1218 operator) or remove attribute flags (with the ''-'' operator).
1220 'Mattrib' supports the following attribute bits:
1223 Archive bit. Used by some backup programs to indicate a new file.
1225 Read-only bit. Used to indicate a read-only file. Files with this
1226 bit set cannot be erased by 'DEL' nor modified.
1228 System bit. Used by MS-DOS to indicate a operating system file.
1230 Hidden bit. Used to make files hidden from 'DIR'.
1232 'Mattrib' supports the following command line flags:
1234 Recursive. Recursively list the attributes of the files in the
1237 Concise. Prints the attributes without any whitespace padding. If
1238 neither the "/" option is given, nor the MSDOSFILE contains a
1239 wildcard, and there is only one MS-DOS file parameter on the
1240 command line, only the attribute is printed, and not the filename.
1241 This option is convenient for scripts
1243 Replay mode. Outputs a series of 'mformat' commands that will
1244 reproduce the current situation, starting from a situation as left
1245 by untarring the MS-DOS file system. Commands are only output for
1246 attribute settings that differ from the default (archive bit set
1247 for files, unset for directories). This option is intended to be
1248 used in addition to tar. The 'readonly' attribute is not taken
1249 into account, as tar can set that one itself.
1252 File: mtools.info, Node: mbadblocks, Next: mcat, Prev: mattrib, Up: Commands
1257 The 'mbadblocks' command is used to mark some clusters on an MS-DOS
1258 filesystem bad. It has the following syntax:
1260 'mbadblocks' ['-s' SECTORLIST|'-c' CLUSTERLIST|-w] DRIVE':'
1262 If no command line flags are supplied, 'Mbadblocks' scans an MS-DOS
1263 filesystem for bad blocks by simply trying to read them and flag them if
1264 read fails. All blocks that are unused are scanned, and if detected bad
1265 are marked as such in the FAT.
1267 This command is intended to be used right after 'mformat'. It is not
1268 intended to salvage data from bad disks.
1270 4.4.1 Command line options
1271 --------------------------
1274 Use a list of bad clusters, rather than scanning for bad clusters
1277 Use a list of bad sectors (counted from beginning of filesystem),
1278 rather than trying for bad clusters itself.
1280 Write a random pattern to each cluster, then read it back and flag
1281 cluster as bad if mismatch. Only free clusters are tested in such
1282 a way, so any file data is preserved.
1287 'Mbadblocks' should (but doesn't yet :-( ) also try to salvage bad
1288 blocks which are in use by reading them repeatedly, and then mark them
1292 File: mtools.info, Node: mcat, Next: mcd, Prev: mbadblocks, Up: Commands
1297 The 'mcat' command is used to copy an entire disk image from or to the
1298 floppy device. It uses the following syntax:
1300 'mcat' ['-w'] DRIVE':'
1302 'Mcat' performs the same task as the Unix 'cat' command. It is
1303 included into the mtools package, since 'cat' cannot access remote
1304 floppy devices offered by the mtools floppy daemon. Now it is possible
1305 to create boot floppies remotely.
1307 The default operation is reading. The output is written to stdout.
1309 If the '-w' option is specified, mcat reads a disk-image from stdin
1310 and writes it to the given device. *Use this carefully!* Because of
1311 the low-level nature of this command, it will happily destroy any data
1312 written before on the disk without warning!
1315 File: mtools.info, Node: mcd, Next: mclasserase, Prev: mcat, Up: Commands
1320 The 'mcd' command is used to change the mtools working directory on the
1321 MS-DOS disk. It uses the following syntax:
1323 mcd [MSDOSDIRECTORY]
1325 Without arguments, 'mcd' reports the current device and working
1326 directory. Otherwise, 'mcd' changes the current device and current
1327 working directory relative to an MS-DOS file system.
1329 The environmental variable 'MCWD' may be used to locate the file
1330 where the device and current working directory information is stored.
1331 The default is '$HOME/.mcwd'. Information in this file is ignored if
1332 the file is more than 6 hours old.
1334 'Mcd' returns 0 on success or 1 on failure.
1336 Unlike MS-DOS versions of 'CD', 'mcd' can be used to change to
1337 another device. It may be wise to remove old '.mcwd' files at logout.
1340 File: mtools.info, Node: mclasserase, Next: mcopy, Prev: mcd, Up: Commands
1345 The 'mclasserase' command is used to wipe memory cards by overwriting it
1346 three times: first with '0xff', then with '0x00', then with '0xff'
1347 again. The command uses the following syntax:
1349 mclasserase [-d] MSDOSDRIVE
1351 MS-DOS drive is optional, if none is specified, use 'A:'. If more
1352 than one drive are specified, all but the last are ignored.
1354 'Mclasserase' accepts the following command line options:
1357 Stop after each erase cycle, for testing purposes
1361 'Mclasserase' returns 0 on success or -1 on failure.
1364 File: mtools.info, Node: mcopy, Next: mdel, Prev: mclasserase, Up: Commands
1369 The 'mcopy' command is used to copy MS-DOS files to and from Unix. It
1370 uses the following syntax:
1372 mcopy [-bspanvmQT] [-D CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
1373 mcopy [-bspanvmQT] [-D CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE [ SOURCEFILES... ] TARGETDIRECTORY
1374 mcopy [-tnvm] MSDOSSOURCEFILE
1376 'Mcopy' copies the specified file to the named file, or copies
1377 multiple files to the named directory. The source and target can be
1378 either MS-DOS or Unix files.
1380 The use of a drive letter designation on the MS-DOS files, 'a:' for
1381 example, determines the direction of the transfer. A missing drive
1382 designation implies a Unix file whose path starts in the current
1383 directory. If a source drive letter is specified with no attached file
1384 name (e.g. 'mcopy a: .'), all files are copied from that drive.
1386 If only a single, MS-DOS source parameter is provided (e.g. "mcopy
1387 a:foo.exe"), an implied destination of the current directory (''.'') is
1390 A filename of ''-'' means standard input or standard output,
1391 depending on its position on the command line.
1393 'Mcopy' accepts the following command line options:
1396 Text file transfer. Mcopy translates incoming carriage return/line
1397 feeds to line feeds when copying from MS-DOS to Unix, and
1398 vice-versa when copying from Unix to MS-DOS.
1400 Batch mode. Optimized for huge recursive copies, but less secure
1401 if a crash happens during the copy.
1403 Recursive copy. Also copies directories and their contents
1405 Preserves the attributes of the copied files
1407 When mcopying multiple files, quits as soon as one copy fails (for
1408 example due to lacking storage space on the target disk)
1410 Text (ASCII) file transfer. 'ASCII' translates incoming carriage
1411 return/line feeds to line feeds.
1413 Text (ASCII) file transfer with character set conversion. Differs
1414 from '-a' in the 'ASCII' also translates incoming PC-8 characters
1415 to ISO-8859-1 equivalents as far as possible. When reading DOS
1416 files, untranslatable characters are replaced by ''#''; when
1417 writing DOS files, untranslatable characters are replaced by ''.''.
1419 No confirmation when overwriting Unix files. 'ASCII' doesn't warn
1420 the user when overwriting an existing Unix file. If the target
1421 file already exists, and the '-n' option is not in effect, 'mcopy'
1422 asks whether to overwrite the file or to rename the new file (see
1423 *note name clashes::) for details). In order to switch off
1424 confirmation for DOS files, use '-o'.
1426 Preserve the file modification time.
1428 Verbose. Displays the name of each file as it is copied.
1433 Unlike MS-DOS, the '+' operator (append) from MS-DOS is not supported.
1434 However, you may use 'mtype' to produce the same effect:
1435 mtype a:file1 a:file2 a:file3 >unixfile
1436 mtype a:file1 a:file2 a:file3 | mcopy - a:msdosfile
1439 File: mtools.info, Node: mdel, Next: mdeltree, Prev: mcopy, Up: Commands
1444 The 'mdel' command is used to delete an MS-DOS file. Its syntax is:
1446 'mdel' ['-v'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES ... ]
1448 'Mdel' deletes files on an MS-DOS file system.
1450 'Mdel' asks for verification prior to removing a read-only file.
1453 File: mtools.info, Node: mdeltree, Next: mdir, Prev: mdel, Up: Commands
1458 The 'mdeltree' command is used to delete an MS-DOS file. Its syntax is:
1460 'mdeltree' ['-v'] MSDOSDIRECTORY [MSDOSDIRECTORIES...]
1462 'Mdeltree' removes a directory and all the files and subdirectories
1463 it contains from an MS-DOS file system. An error occurs if the
1464 directory to be removed does not exist.
1467 File: mtools.info, Node: mdir, Next: mdu, Prev: mdeltree, Up: Commands
1472 The 'mdir' command is used to display an MS-DOS directory. Its syntax
1475 'mdir' ['-/'] ['-f'] ['-w'] ['-a'] ['-b'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES...]
1477 'Mdir' displays the contents of MS-DOS directories, or the entries
1478 for some MS-DOS files.
1480 'Mdir' supports the following command line options:
1483 Recursive output, just like MS-DOS' '-s' option
1485 Wide output. With this option, 'mdir' prints the filenames across
1486 the page without displaying the file size or creation date.
1488 Also list hidden files.
1490 Fast. Do not try to find out free space. On larger disks, finding
1491 out the amount of free space takes up some non trivial amount of
1492 time, as the whole FAT must be read in and scanned. The '-f' flag
1493 bypasses this step. This flag is not needed on FAT32 file systems,
1494 which store the size explicitly.
1496 Concise listing. Lists each directory name or filename, one per
1497 line (including the filename extension). This switch displays no
1498 heading information and no summary. Only a newline separated list
1499 of pathnames is displayed.
1501 An error occurs if a component of the path is not a directory.
1504 File: mtools.info, Node: mdu, Next: mformat, Prev: mdir, Up: Commands
1509 'Mdu' is used to list the space occupied by a directory, its
1510 subdirectories and its files. It is similar to the 'du' command on
1511 Unix. The unit used are clusters. Use the minfo command to find out
1514 'mdu' ['-a'] [ MSDOSFILES ... ]
1517 All files. List also the space occupied for individual files.
1519 Only list the total space, don't give details for each
1523 File: mtools.info, Node: mformat, Next: mkmanifest, Prev: mdu, Up: Commands
1528 The 'mformat' command is used to add an MS-DOS file system to a
1529 low-level formatted diskette. Its syntax is:
1531 'mformat' ['-t' CYLINDERS|'-T' TOT_SECTORS] ['-h' HEADS] ['-s' SECTORS]
1532 ['-f' SIZE] ['-1'] ['-4'] ['-8']
1534 ['-F'] ['-S' SIZECODE]
1535 ['-M' SOFTWARE_SECTOR_SIZE]
1536 ['-N' SERIAL_NUMBER] ['-a']
1537 ['-C'] ['-H' HIDDEN_SECTORS] ['-I' FSVERSION]
1538 ['-r' ROOT_SECTORS] ['-L' FAT_LEN]
1539 ['-B' BOOT_SECTOR] ['-k']
1540 ['-m' MEDIA_DESCRIPTOR]
1542 ['-R' NB_RESERVED_SECTORS]
1543 ['-c' CLUSTERS_PER_SECTOR]
1545 ['-X'] ['-2' SECTORS_ON_TRACK_0] ['-3']
1546 ['-0' RATE_ON_TRACK_0] ['-A' RATE_ON_OTHER_TRACKS]
1549 'Mformat' adds a minimal MS-DOS file system (boot sector, FAT, and
1550 root directory) to a diskette that has already been formatted by a Unix
1553 The following options are supported: (The S, 2, 1 and M options may
1554 not exist if this copy of mtools has been compiled without the USE_2M
1557 The following options are the same as for MS-DOS's format command:
1560 Specifies the volume label. A volume label identifies the disk and
1561 can be a maximum of 11 characters. If you omit the -v switch,
1562 mformat will assign no label to the disk.
1564 Specifies the size of the DOS file system to format. Only a
1565 certain number of predefined sizes are supported by this flag; for
1566 others use the -h/-t/-s flags. The following sizes are supported:
1568 160K, single-sided, 8 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1571 160K, single-sided, 9 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1574 320K, double-sided, 8 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1577 360K, double-sided, 9 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1580 720K, double-sided, 9 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for 3
1583 1200K, double-sided, 15 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for 5
1586 1440K, double-sided, 18 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for 3
1589 2880K, double-sided, 36 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for 3
1593 Specifies the number of tracks on the disk.
1595 Specifies the number of total sectors on the disk. Only one of
1596 these 2 options may be specified (tracks or total sectors)
1598 The number of heads (sides).
1600 Specifies the number of sectors per track. If the 2m option is
1601 given, number of 512-byte sector equivalents on generic tracks
1602 (i.e. not head 0 track 0). If the 2m option is not given, number
1603 of physical sectors per track (which may be bigger than 512 bytes).
1606 Formats a single side (equivalent to -h 1)
1609 Formats a 360K double-sided disk (equivalent to -f 360). When used
1610 together with -the 1 switch, this switch formats a 180K disk
1613 Formats a disk with 8 sectors per track.
1615 MS-DOS format's 'q', 'u' and 'b' options are not supported, and 's'
1616 has a different meaning.
1618 The following options are specific to mtools:
1621 Format the partition as FAT32.
1624 The size code. The size of the sector is 2 ^ (sizecode + 7).
1626 formats the disk as an XDF disk. *Note XDF::, for more details.
1627 The disk has first to be low-level formatted using the xdfcopy
1628 utility included in the fdutils package. XDF disks are used for
1629 instance for OS/2 install disks.
1631 2m format. The parameter to this option describes the number of
1632 sectors on track 0, head 0. This option is recommended for sectors
1635 don't use a 2m format, even if the current geometry of the disk is
1638 Data transfer rate on track 0
1640 Data transfer rate on tracks other than 0
1642 software sector size. This parameter describes the sector size in
1643 bytes used by the MS-DOS file system. By default it is the
1644 physical sector size.
1646 Uses the requested serial number, instead of generating one
1649 If this option is given, an Atari style serial number is generated.
1650 Ataris store their serial number in the OEM label.
1652 creates the disk image file to install the MS-DOS file system on
1653 it. Obviously, this is useless on physical devices such as
1654 floppies and hard disk partitions, but is interesting for image
1657 number of hidden sectors. This parameter is useful for formatting
1658 hard disk partition, which are not aligned on track boundaries
1659 (i.e. first head of first track doesn't belong to the partition,
1660 but contains a partition table). In that case the number of hidden
1661 sectors is in general the number of sectors per cylinder. This is
1664 Sets the fsVersion id when formatting a FAT32 drive. In order to
1665 find this out, run minfo on an existing FAT32 drive, and mail me
1666 about it, so I can include the correct value in future versions of
1669 Sets the size of a cluster (in sectors). If this cluster size
1670 would generate a FAT that too big for its number of bits, mtools
1671 automatically increases the cluster size, until the FAT is small
1672 enough. If no cluster size is specified explicitly, mtools uses a
1673 default value as described in section "Number of sectors per
1676 Sets the number of FAT copies. Default is 2. This setting can
1677 also be specified using the 'MTOOLS_NFATS' environment variable.
1679 Sets the size of the root directory (in sectors). Only applicable
1680 to 12 and 16 bit FATs. This setting can also be specified using
1681 the 'MTOOLS_DIR_LEN' environment variable.
1683 Sets the length of the FAT.
1685 Use the boot sector stored in the given file or device, instead of
1686 using its own. Only the geometry fields are updated to match the
1687 target disks parameters.
1689 Keep the existing boot sector as much as possible. Only the
1690 geometry fields and other similar file system data are updated to
1691 match the target disks parameters.
1693 Sets the sector number where the backup of the boot sector should
1694 be stored (only relevant on FAT32).
1696 Sets the number of reserved sectors for this filesystem. This must
1697 be at least 1 for non-FAT32 disks, and at least 3 for FAT disks (in
1698 order to accommodate the boot sector, the info sector and the
1699 backup boot sector).
1702 Use a non-standard media descriptor byte for this disk. The media
1703 descriptor is stored at position 21 of the boot sector, and as
1704 first byte in each FAT copy. Using this option may confuse DOS or
1705 older mtools version, and may make the disk unreadable. Only use
1706 if you know what you are doing.
1708 To format a diskette at a density other than the default, you must
1709 supply (at least) those command line parameters that are different from
1712 'Mformat' returns 0 on success or 1 on failure.
1714 It doesn't record bad block information to the Fat, use 'mbadblocks'
1717 4.13.1 Number of sectors per cluster
1718 ------------------------------------
1720 If the user indicates no cluster size, mformat figures out a default
1723 For FAT32 it uses the following table to determine the number of
1724 sectors per cluster, depending on the total number of sectors on the
1727 more than 32*1024*1024*2: 64 sectors
1728 between 16*1024*1024*2 and 32*1024*1024*2: 32 sectors
1729 between 8*1024*1024*2 and 16*1024*1024*2: 16 sectors
1730 between 260*1024*2 and 81024*1024*2: 1 sectors
1732 This is derived from information on page 20 of Microsoft's
1733 'fatgen103' document, which currently can be found at the following
1736 'https://staff.washington.edu/dittrich/misc/fatgen103.pdf'
1738 For FAT12 and FAT16, mformat uses an iterative approach, where it
1739 starts with a set value, which it doubles until it is able to fill up
1740 the disk using that cluster size and a number of cluster less than the
1743 The starting value is 1 for disks with one head or less than 2000
1744 sectors, and 2 for disks with more than one head, and more than 2000
1747 The number of sectors per cluster cannot go beyond 128.
1750 File: mtools.info, Node: mkmanifest, Next: minfo, Prev: mformat, Up: Commands
1755 The 'mkmanifest' command is used to create a shell script (packing list)
1756 to restore Unix filenames. Its syntax is:
1758 'mkmanifest' [ FILES ]
1760 'Mkmanifest' creates a shell script that aids in the restoration of
1761 Unix filenames that got clobbered by the MS-DOS filename restrictions.
1762 MS-DOS filenames are restricted to 8 character names, 3 character
1763 extensions, upper case only, no device names, and no illegal characters.
1765 The mkmanifest program is compatible with the methods used in 'pcomm,
1766 arc,' and 'mtools' to change perfectly good Unix filenames to fit the
1767 MS-DOS restrictions. This command is only useful if the target system
1768 which will read the diskette cannot handle VFAT long names.
1773 You want to copy the following Unix files to a MS-DOS diskette (using
1774 the 'mcopy' command).
1783 'ASCII' converts the names to:
1793 mkmanifest very_long_name 2.many.dots illegal: good.c prn.dev Capital >manifest
1794 would produce the following:
1795 mv very_lon very_long_name
1796 mv 2xmany.dot 2.many.dots
1797 mv illegalx illegal:
1801 Notice that "good.c" did not require any conversion, so it did not
1802 appear in the output.
1804 Suppose I've copied these files from the diskette to another Unix
1805 system, and I now want the files back to their original names. If the
1806 file "manifest" (the output captured above) was sent along with those
1807 files, it could be used to convert the filenames.
1812 The short names generated by 'mkmanifest' follow the old convention
1813 (from mtools-2.0.7) and not the one from Windows 95 and mtools-3.0.
1816 File: mtools.info, Node: minfo, Next: mlabel, Prev: mkmanifest, Up: Commands
1821 The 'minfo' command prints the parameters of a MS-DOS file system, such
1822 as number of sectors, heads and cylinders. It also prints an mformat
1823 command line which can be used to create a similar MS-DOS file system on
1824 another media. However, this doesn't work with 2m or XDF media, and
1825 with MS-DOS 1.0 file systems
1828 Minfo supports the following option:
1830 Prints a hexdump of the boot sector, in addition to the other
1834 File: mtools.info, Node: mlabel, Next: mmd, Prev: minfo, Up: Commands
1839 The 'mlabel' command adds a volume label to a disk. Its syntax is:
1840 'mlabel' ['-vcsn'] ['-N' SERIAL] DRIVE:[NEW_LABEL]
1842 'Mlabel' displays the current volume label, if present. If NEW_LABEL
1843 is not given, and if neither the 'c' nor the 's' options are set, it
1844 prompts the user for a new volume label. To delete an existing volume
1845 label, press return at the prompt.
1847 The label is limited to 11 single-byte characters, e.g.
1850 Reasonable care is taken to create a valid MS-DOS volume label. If
1851 an invalid label is specified, 'mlabel' changes the label (and displays
1852 the new label if the verbose mode is set). 'Mlabel' returns 0 on
1853 success or 1 on failure.
1855 Mlabel supports the following options:
1857 Clears an existing label, without prompting the user
1859 Shows the existing label, without prompting the user.
1861 Assigns a new (random) serial number to the disk
1863 Sets the supplied serial number. The serial number should be
1864 supplied as an 8 digit hexadecimal number, without spaces
1867 File: mtools.info, Node: mmd, Next: mmount, Prev: mlabel, Up: Commands
1872 The 'mmd' command is used to make an MS-DOS subdirectory. Its syntax
1875 'mmd' ['-D' CLASH_OPTION] MSDOSDIRECTORY [ MSDOSDIRECTORIES... ]
1877 'Mmd' makes a new directory on an MS-DOS file system. An error
1878 occurs if the directory already exists.
1881 File: mtools.info, Node: mmount, Next: mmove, Prev: mmd, Up: Commands
1886 The 'mmount' command is used to mount an MS-DOS disk. It is only
1887 available on Linux, as it is only useful if the OS kernel allows
1888 configuration of the disk geometry. Its syntax is:
1890 'mmount' MSDOSDRIVE [MOUNTARGS]
1892 'Mmount' reads the boot sector of an MS-DOS disk, configures the
1893 drive geometry, and finally mounts it passing 'mountargs' to 'mount. '
1894 If no mount arguments are specified, the name of the device is used. If
1895 the disk is write protected, it is automatically mounted read only.
1898 File: mtools.info, Node: mmove, Next: mpartition, Prev: mmount, Up: Commands
1903 The 'mmove' command is used to move or rename an existing MS-DOS file or
1905 'mmove' ['-v'] ['-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
1906 'mmove' ['-v'] ['-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE [ SOURCEFILES... ] TARGETDIRECTORY
1907 'Mmove' moves or renames an existing MS-DOS file or subdirectory.
1908 Unlike the MS-DOS version of 'MOVE', 'mmove' is able to move
1909 subdirectories. Files or directories can only be moved within one file
1910 system. Data cannot be moved from MS-DOS to Unix or vice-versa. If you
1911 omit the drive letter from the target file or directory, the same letter
1912 as for the source is assumed. If you omit the drive letter from all
1913 parameters, drive a: is assumed by default.
1916 File: mtools.info, Node: mpartition, Next: mrd, Prev: mmove, Up: Commands
1921 The 'mpartition' command is used to create MS-DOS file systems as
1922 partitions. This is intended to be used on non-Linux systems, i.e.
1923 systems where fdisk and easy access to SCSI devices are not available.
1924 This command only works on drives whose partition variable is set.
1926 'mpartition' '-p' DRIVE
1927 'mpartition' '-r' DRIVE
1928 'mpartition' '-I' ['-B' BOOTSECTOR] DRIVE
1929 'mpartition' '-a' DRIVE
1930 'mpartition' '-d' DRIVE
1931 'mpartition' '-c' ['-s' SECTORS] ['-h' HEADS]
1932 ['-t' CYLINDERS] ['-v' ['-T' TYPE] ['-b'
1933 BEGIN] ['-l' length] ['-f']
1936 Mpartition supports the following operations:
1939 Prints a command line to recreate the partition for the drive.
1940 Nothing is printed if the partition for the drive is not defined,
1941 or an inconsistency has been detected. If verbose ('-v') is also
1942 set, prints the current partition table.
1944 Removes the partition described by DRIVE.
1946 Initializes the partition table, and removes all partitions.
1948 Creates the partition described by DRIVE.
1950 "Activates" the partition, i.e. makes it bootable. Only one
1951 partition can be bootable at a time.
1953 "Deactivates" the partition, i.e. makes it unbootable.
1955 If no operation is given, the current settings are printed.
1957 For partition creations, the following options are available:
1959 The number of sectors per track of the partition (which is also the
1960 number of sectors per track for the whole drive).
1962 The number of heads of the partition (which is also the number of
1963 heads for the whole drive). By default, the geometry information
1964 (number of sectors and heads) is figured out from neighboring
1965 partition table entries, or guessed from the size.
1967 The number of cylinders of the partition (not the number of
1968 cylinders of the whole drive.
1970 The starting offset of the partition, expressed in sectors. If
1971 begin is not given, 'mpartition' lets the partition begin at the
1972 start of the disk (partition number 1), or immediately after the
1973 end of the previous partition.
1975 The size (length) of the partition, expressed in sectors. If end
1976 is not given, 'mpartition' figures out the size from the number of
1977 sectors, heads and cylinders. If these are not given either, it
1978 gives the partition the biggest possible size, considering disk
1979 size and start of the next partition.
1981 The following option is available for all operation which modify the
1984 Usually, before writing back any changes to the partition,
1985 mpartition performs certain consistency checks, such as checking
1986 for overlaps and proper alignment of the partitions. If any of
1987 these checks fails, the partition table is not changed. The '-f'
1988 allows you to override these safeguards.
1990 The following options are available for all operations:
1992 Together with '-p' prints the partition table as it is now (no
1993 change operation), or as it is after it is modified.
1995 If the verbosity flag is given twice, 'mpartition' will print out a
1996 hexdump of the partition table when reading it from and writing it
1999 The following option is available for partition table initialization:
2001 Reads the template master boot record from file BOOTSECTOR.
2003 4.20.1 Choice of partition type
2004 -------------------------------
2006 Mpartition proceeds as follows to pick a type for the partition:
2008 - FAT32 partitions are assigned type 0x0C ("'Win95 FAT32, LBA'")
2010 - For all others, if the partition fits entirely within the first
2011 65536 sectors of the disk, assign 0x01 ("'DOS FAT12, CHS'") for
2012 FAT12 partition and 0x04 ("'DOS FAT16, CHS'") for FAT16 partitions
2014 - If not covered by the above, assign 0x06 ("'DOS BIG FAT16 CHS'") if
2015 partition fits entirely within the first 1024 cylinders (CHS mode)
2017 - All remaining cases get 0x0E ("'Win95 BIG FAT16, LBA'")
2019 If number of fat bits is not known (not specified in drive's
2020 definition), then FAT12 is assumed for all drives with less than 4096
2021 sectors, and FAT16 for those with more than 4096 sectors.
2023 This corresponds more or less to the definitions outlined at
2024 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Partition_type#List_of_partition_IDs' and
2025 'https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/previous-versions/windows/it-pro/windows-2000-server/cc977219(v=technet.10)',
2026 with two notable differences:
2028 - If fat bits are unknown, the reference documents consider drives
2029 with less than 32680 sectors to be FAT12. Mtools uses 4096 sectors
2030 as the cutoff point, as older versions of DOS only support FAT12 on
2031 disks with less than 4096 sectors (and these older versions are the
2032 ones which would be most likely to use FAT12 in the first place).
2034 - The reference documents use a 8GB (wikipedia) or a 4GB (Microsoft)
2035 cutoff between 0x06 ('DOS BIG FAT16 CHS') and 0x0E. Mtools uses
2036 1024 cylinders. This is because any partition beyond 1024
2037 cylinders must be LBA and cannot be CHS. 8GB works out to be the
2038 biggest capacity which can be represented as CHS (63 sectors, 255
2039 heads and 1024 cylinders). 4GB is the capacity limit for windows
2040 2000, so it makes sense that a documentation for windows 2000 would
2041 specify this as the upper limit for any partition type.
2044 File: mtools.info, Node: mrd, Next: mren, Prev: mpartition, Up: Commands
2049 The 'mrd' command is used to remove an MS-DOS subdirectory. Its syntax
2052 'mrd' ['-v'] MSDOSDIRECTORY [ MSDOSDIRECTORIES... ]
2054 'Mrd' removes a directory from an MS-DOS file system. An error
2055 occurs if the directory does not exist or is not empty.
2058 File: mtools.info, Node: mren, Next: mshortname, Prev: mrd, Up: Commands
2063 The 'mren' command is used to rename or move an existing MS-DOS file or
2064 subdirectory. Its syntax is:
2066 'mren' ['-voOsSrRA'] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
2068 'Mren' renames an existing file on an MS-DOS file system.
2070 In verbose mode, 'Mren' displays the new filename if the name
2071 supplied is invalid.
2073 If the first syntax is used (only one source file), and if the target
2074 name doesn't contain any slashes or colons, the file (or subdirectory)
2075 is renamed in the same directory, instead of being moved to the current
2076 'mcd' directory as would be the case with 'mmove'. Unlike the MS-DOS
2077 version of 'REN', 'mren' can be used to rename directories.
2080 File: mtools.info, Node: mshortname, Next: mshowfat, Prev: mren, Up: Commands
2085 The 'mshortname' command is used to display the short name of a file.
2090 The shortname is displayed as it is stored in raw format on disk,
2091 without any character set conversion.
2094 File: mtools.info, Node: mshowfat, Next: mtoolstest, Prev: mshortname, Up: Commands
2099 The 'mshowfat' command is used to display the FAT entries for a file.
2102 'mshowfat' ['-o' OFFSET] FILES
2104 If no offset is given, a list of all clusters occupied by the file is
2105 printed. If an offset is given, only the number of the cluster
2106 containing that offset is printed.
2109 File: mtools.info, Node: mtoolstest, Next: mtype, Prev: mshowfat, Up: Commands
2114 The 'mtoolstest' command is used to tests the mtools configuration
2115 files. To invoke it, just type 'mtoolstest' without any arguments.
2116 'Mtoolstest' reads the mtools configuration files, and prints the
2117 cumulative configuration to 'stdout'. The output can be used as a
2118 configuration file itself (although you might want to remove redundant
2119 clauses). You may use this program to convert old-style configuration
2120 files into new style configuration files.
2123 File: mtools.info, Node: mtype, Next: mzip, Prev: mtoolstest, Up: Commands
2128 The 'mtype' command is used to display contents of an MS-DOS file. Its
2131 'mtype' ['-ts'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES... ]
2133 'Mtype' displays the specified MS-DOS file on the screen.
2135 In addition to the standard options, 'Mtype' allows the following
2136 command line options:
2139 Text file viewing. 'Mtype' translates incoming carriage
2140 return/line feeds to line feeds.
2142 'Mtype' strips the high bit from the data.
2144 The 'mcd' command may be used to establish the device and the current
2145 working directory (relative to MS-DOS), otherwise the default is 'A:/'.
2147 'Mtype' returns 0 on success, 1 on utter failure, or 2 on partial
2150 Unlike the MS-DOS version of 'TYPE', 'mtype' allows multiple
2154 File: mtools.info, Node: mzip, Prev: mtype, Up: Commands
2159 The 'mzip' command is used to issue ZIP disk specific commands on Linux,
2160 Solaris or HP-UX. Its syntax is:
2164 'Mzip' allows the following command line options:
2169 Force eject even if the disk is mounted (must be given in addition
2172 Write protect the disk.
2174 Remove write protection.
2176 Password write protect.
2180 Temporarily unprotect the disk until it is ejected. The disk
2181 becomes writable, and reverts back to its old state when ejected.
2185 To remove the password, set it to one of the password-less modes '-r'
2186 or '-w': mzip will then ask you for the password, and unlock the disk.
2187 If you have forgotten the password, you can get rid of it by low-level
2188 formatting the disk (using your SCSI adapter's BIOS setup).
2190 The ZipTools disk shipped with the drive is also password protected.
2191 On MS-DOS or on a Mac, this password is automatically removed once the
2192 ZipTools have been installed. From various articles posted to Usenet, I
2193 learned that the password for the tools disk is 'APlaceForYourStuff'(1).
2194 Mzip knows about this password, and tries it first, before prompting you
2195 for a password. Thus 'mzip -w z:' unlocks the tools disk(2). The tools
2196 disk is formatted in a special way so as to be usable both in a PC and
2197 in a Mac. On a PC, the Mac file system appears as a hidden file named
2198 'partishn.mac'. You may erase it to reclaim the 50 Megs of space taken
2199 up by the Mac file system.
2204 This command is a big kludge. A proper implementation would take a
2205 rework of significant parts of mtools, but unfortunately I don't have
2206 the time for this right now. The main downside of this implementation
2207 is that it is inefficient on some architectures (several successive
2208 calls to mtools, which defeats mtools' caching).
2210 ---------- Footnotes ----------
2212 (1) To see the articles, search for 'APlaceForYourStuff' using Google
2215 (2) I didn't know about this yet when I bought my own Zip drive.
2216 Thus I ended up reformatting my tools disk, and hence I haven't had the
2217 opportunity to test the password yet. If anybody still has their tools
2218 disk with the original password, could you try it out? Thanks in
2222 File: mtools.info, Node: Compiling mtools, Next: Porting mtools, Prev: Commands, Up: Top
2224 5 Architecture specific compilation flags
2225 *****************************************
2227 To compile mtools, first invoke './configure' before 'make'. In
2228 addition to the standard 'autoconfigure' flags, there are two
2229 architecture specific flags available.
2231 './configure --enable-xdf'
2232 './configure --disable-xdf'
2233 Enables support for XDF disks. This is on by default. *Note
2235 './configure --enable-vold'
2236 './configure --disable-vold'
2237 Enables support for vold on Solaris. When used in conjunction with
2238 vold, mtools should use different device nodes than for direct
2241 './configure --enable-new-vold'
2242 './configure --disable-new-vold'
2243 Enables new support for vold on Solaris. This is supposed to work
2244 more smoothly than the old support.
2246 './configure --enable-floppyd'
2247 './configure --disable-floppyd'
2248 Enables support for floppyd. By default, floppyd support is
2249 enabled as long as the necessary X includes and libraries are
2253 File: mtools.info, Node: Porting mtools, Next: Command Index, Prev: Compiling mtools, Up: Top
2255 6 Porting mtools to architectures which are not supported yet
2256 *************************************************************
2258 This chapter is only interesting for those who want to port mtools to an
2259 architecture which is not yet supported. For most common systems,
2260 default drives are already defined. If you want to add default drives
2261 for a still unsupported system, run configuration.guess, to see which
2262 identification autoconf uses for that system. This identification is of
2263 the form cpu-vendor-os (for example sparc-sun-sunos). The cpu and the
2264 OS parts are passed to the compiler as preprocessor flags. The OS part
2265 is passed to the compiler in three forms.
2266 1. The complete OS name, with dots replaced by underscores. SCO3.2v2
2267 would yield sco3_2v2
2268 2. The base OS name. SCO3.2v2 would yield Sco
2269 3. The base OS name plus its major version. SCO3.2v2 would yield Sco3
2271 All three versions are passed, if they are different.
2273 To define the devices, use the entries for the systems that are
2274 already present as templates. In general, they have the following form:
2276 #if (defined (my_cpu) && defined(my_os))
2277 #define predefined_devices
2278 struct device devices[] = {
2279 { "/dev/first_drive", 'drive_letter', drive_description},
2281 { "/dev/last_drive", 'drive_letter', drive_description}
2286 "/dev/first_drive" is the name of the device or image file
2287 representing the drive. Drive_letter is a letter ranging from a to z
2288 giving access to the drive. Drive_description describes the type of the
2291 extra density (2.88M) 3 1/2 disk
2293 high density 3 1/2 disk
2295 double density 3 1/2 disk
2297 high density 5 1/4 disk
2299 double density 5 1/4 disk
2301 8 sector double density 5 1/4 disk
2303 single sided double density 5 1/4 disk
2305 single sided 8 sector double density 5 1/4 disk
2307 generic floppy drive (12 bit FAT)
2309 generic hard disk (16 bit FAT)
2311 generic device (all parameters match)
2313 generic ZIP drive using normal access. This uses partition 4.
2314 'Flags' are any special flags to be passed to open.
2316 generic ZIP drive using raw SCSI access. This uses partition 4.
2317 'Flags' are any special flags to be passed to open.
2319 the remote drive used for floppyd. Unlike the other items, this
2320 macro also includes the file name ($DISPLAY) and the drive letter
2323 Entries may be described in more detail:
2324 fat_bits,open_flags,cylinders,heads,sectors,DEF_ARG
2325 or, if you need to describe an offset (file system doesn't start at
2326 beginning of file system)
2327 fat_bits, open_flags, cylinders, heads, sectors, offset, DEF_ARG0
2330 is either 12, 16 or 0. 0 means that the device accepts both types
2333 may include flags such as O_NDELAY, or O_RDONLY, which might be
2334 necessary to open the device. 0 means no special flags are needed.
2335 'cylinders,heads,sectors'
2336 describe the geometry of the disk. If cylinders is 0, the heads
2337 and sectors parameters are ignored, and the drive accepts any
2340 is used if the DOS file system doesn't begin at the start of the
2341 device or image file. This is mostly useful for Atari Ram disks
2342 (which contain their device driver at the beginning of the file) or
2343 for DOS emulator images (which may represent a partitioned device.
2345 Definition of defaults in the devices file should only be done if
2346 these same devices are found on a large number of hosts of this type.
2347 In that case, could you also let me know about your new definitions, so
2348 that I can include them into the next release. For purely local file, I
2349 recommend that you use the '/etc/mtools.conf' and '~/.mtoolsrc'
2350 configuration files.
2352 However, the devices files also allows you to supply geometry setting
2353 routines. These are necessary if you want to access high capacity
2356 Two routines should be supplied:
2358 1. Reading the current parameters
2359 static inline int get_parameters(int fd, struct generic_floppy_struct *floppy)
2361 This probes the current configured geometry, and return it in the
2362 structure generic_floppy_struct (which must also be declared). Fd
2363 is an open file descriptor for the device, and buf is an already
2364 filled in stat structure, which may be useful. This routine should
2365 return 1 if the probing fails, and 0 otherwise.
2367 2. Setting new parameters
2368 static inline int set_parameters(int fd, struct generic_floppy_struct *floppy)
2370 This configures the geometry contained in floppy on the file
2371 descriptor fd. Buf is the result of a stat call (already filled
2372 in). This should return 1 if the new geometry cannot be
2373 configured, and 0 otherwise.
2375 A certain number of preprocessor macros should also be supplied:
2378 refers to the track field in the floppy structure
2380 refers to the heads field in the floppy structure
2382 refers to the sectors per track field in the floppy structure
2383 'SECTORS_PER_DISK(floppy)'
2384 refers to the sectors per disk field in the floppy structure (if
2385 applicable, otherwise leave undefined)
2388 major number of the floppy device, when viewed as a block device
2391 major number of the floppy device, when viewed as a character
2392 device (a.k.a. "raw" device, used for fsck) (leave this undefined,
2393 if your OS doesn't have raw devices)
2395 For the truly high capacity formats (XDF, 2m, etc), there is no clean
2396 and documented interface yet.
2399 File: mtools.info, Node: Command Index, Next: Variable Index, Prev: Porting mtools, Up: Top
2405 File: mtools.info, Node: Variable Index, Next: Concept Index, Prev: Command Index, Up: Top
2413 * cylinders: geometry description. (line 60)
2414 * drive: general information. (line 6)
2415 * exclusive: open flags. (line 6)
2416 * fat_bits: miscellaneous variables.
2418 * file: location information. (line 10)
2419 * filter: miscellaneous flags. (line 78)
2420 * heads: geometry description. (line 63)
2421 * mformat_only: miscellaneous flags. (line 74)
2422 * MTOOLSRC: Configuration. (line 18)
2423 * MTOOLS_DOTTED_DIR: global variables. (line 6)
2424 * MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY: global variables. (line 6)
2425 * MTOOLS_LOCK_TIMEOUT: global variables. (line 6)
2426 * MTOOLS_LOWER_CASE: global variables. (line 6)
2427 * MTOOLS_NAME_NUMERIC_TAIL: global variables. (line 6)
2428 * MTOOLS_NO_VFAT: global variables. (line 6)
2429 * MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK: global variables. (line 6)
2430 * MTOOLS_TWENTY_FOUR_HOUR_CLOCK: global variables. (line 6)
2431 * nodelay: open flags. (line 6)
2432 * sectors: geometry description. (line 65)
2433 * sync: open flags. (line 6)
2434 * tracks: geometry description. (line 60)
2435 * use_xdf: miscellaneous flags. (line 70)
2438 File: mtools.info, Node: Concept Index, Prev: Variable Index, Up: Top
2447 * ALPHA patches: Location. (line 6)
2448 * APlaceForYourStuff: mzip. (line 6)
2449 * Archive bit: mattrib. (line 6)
2450 * Atari: miscellaneous flags. (line 66)
2451 * Atari Ram disk: location information. (line 28)
2452 * Backwards compatibility: old style configuration.
2454 * Bad blocks: mbadblocks. (line 6)
2455 * bigger sectors: bigger sectors. (line 6)
2456 * blocksize: miscellaneous variables.
2458 * bugs: Location. (line 6)
2459 * Case sensitivity: case sensitivity. (line 6)
2460 * Changing file attributes: mattrib. (line 6)
2461 * character devices: miscellaneous variables.
2463 * Checking configuration file: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2464 * Clusters of a file: mshowfat. (line 6)
2465 * Command list: Commands. (line 6)
2466 * Compile time configuration: Compiling mtools. (line 6)
2467 * Compiled-in defaults: Porting mtools. (line 6)
2468 * Concatenating MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2469 * Configuration file: default values. (line 6)
2470 * Configuration file name: configuration file location.
2472 * Configuration file name (parsing order): parsing order. (line 6)
2473 * Configuration file parsing order: parsing order. (line 6)
2474 * Configuration file syntax: general syntax. (line 6)
2475 * Configuration file, old syntax: old style configuration.
2477 * Configuration files: Configuration. (line 18)
2478 * Configuration of disk geometry: geometry description. (line 6)
2479 * Copying an entire disk image: mcat. (line 9)
2480 * Copying MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2481 * CR/LF conversions: mcopy. (line 6)
2482 * Creating a directory: mmd. (line 6)
2483 * Current working directory: directory. (line 6)
2484 * Current working directory (changing the): mcd. (line 6)
2485 * Default configuration: default values. (line 6)
2486 * Default directory: directory. (line 6)
2487 * Default directory (changing the): mcd. (line 6)
2488 * Default values: default values. (line 6)
2489 * Deleting a directory: mrd. (line 6)
2490 * deleting an MS-DOS directory recursively: mdeltree. (line 6)
2491 * deleting MS-DOS files: mdel. (line 6)
2492 * Description of disk geometry: geometry description. (line 6)
2493 * diffs: Location. (line 6)
2494 * Directory: directory. (line 6)
2495 * Directory (changing): mcd. (line 6)
2496 * Directory creation: mmd. (line 6)
2497 * Directory listing: mdir. (line 6)
2498 * Directory removing: mrd. (line 6)
2499 * disable locking: miscellaneous flags. (line 11)
2500 * Disk Geometry: geometry description. (line 6)
2501 * Disk image: mcat. (line 9)
2502 * Disk label: mlabel. (line 6)
2503 * DMF disks: more sectors. (line 6)
2504 * DOSEMU hard disk image: location information. (line 14)
2505 * Drive configuration: per drive variables. (line 6)
2506 * Drive configuration, example: general information. (line 6)
2507 * Drive description: per drive variables. (line 6)
2508 * Drive description, example: general information. (line 6)
2509 * Drive independent configuration variables: global variables. (line 6)
2511 * Duplicate file names: name clashes. (line 6)
2512 * Ejecting a Zip/Jaz disk: mzip. (line 6)
2513 * Environmental variables: global variables. (line 6)
2514 * Erasing a directory: mrd. (line 6)
2515 * erasing an MS-DOS directory recursively: mdeltree. (line 6)
2516 * erasing MS-DOS files: mdel. (line 6)
2517 * exclusive access to a drive: open flags. (line 6)
2518 * Executing commands before opening the device: miscellaneous variables.
2520 * Fat: mshowfat. (line 6)
2521 * fdformat: more sectors. (line 6)
2522 * File name of device node: location information. (line 10)
2523 * File system creation: mformat. (line 6)
2524 * Filenames: arguments. (line 6)
2525 * floppyd: floppyd. (line 6)
2526 * Floppyd cat: mcat. (line 9)
2527 * floppyd_installtest: floppyd_installtest. (line 6)
2528 * Format of disk: geometry description. (line 6)
2529 * Formats, high capacity: high capacity formats.
2531 * Formatting disks: mformat. (line 6)
2532 * FreeDOS: global variables. (line 6)
2533 * getting parameters of a MS-DOS file system: minfo. (line 6)
2534 * Global configuration variables: global variables. (line 6)
2535 * Hdimage: location information. (line 6)
2536 * Hidden files: mattrib. (line 6)
2537 * High capacity formats: high capacity formats.
2539 * High capacity formats, mounting: mmount. (line 6)
2540 * High density disk: geometry description. (line 6)
2541 * Image file: location information. (line 10)
2542 * Initializing disks: mformat. (line 6)
2543 * Jaz disk (utilities): mzip. (line 6)
2544 * Jaz disks (partitioning them): mpartition. (line 6)
2545 * Jaz disks (partitions): location information. (line 14)
2546 * Jaz disks (raw SCSI access): miscellaneous flags. (line 17)
2547 * Labeling a disk: mlabel. (line 6)
2548 * Linux enhancements (High Capacity Formats): high capacity formats.
2550 * Linux enhancements (mmount): mmount. (line 6)
2551 * List of available commands: Commands. (line 6)
2552 * Listing a directory: mdir. (line 6)
2553 * Listing space occupied by directories and files: mdu. (line 6)
2554 * Location of configuration files: configuration file location.
2556 * Location of configuration files (parsing order): parsing order.
2558 * locking (disabling it): miscellaneous flags. (line 11)
2559 * Long file name: long names. (line 6)
2560 * Low density disk: geometry description. (line 6)
2561 * Magneto-optical disks: location information. (line 14)
2562 * mailing list: Location. (line 6)
2563 * Making a directory: mmd. (line 6)
2564 * Marking blocks as bad: mbadblocks. (line 6)
2565 * mattrib: mattrib. (line 6)
2566 * mbadblocks: mbadblocks. (line 6)
2567 * mcat: mcat. (line 9)
2568 * mcd: mcd. (line 6)
2569 * mcd (introduction): directory. (line 6)
2570 * mclasserase: mclasserase. (line 6)
2571 * mcopy: mcopy. (line 6)
2572 * Mcwd file: mcd. (line 6)
2573 * mdel: mdel. (line 6)
2574 * mdeltree: mdeltree. (line 6)
2575 * mdir: mdir. (line 6)
2576 * mdu: mdu. (line 6)
2577 * Memory Card: mclasserase. (line 6)
2578 * mformat: mformat. (line 6)
2579 * mformat (geometry used for): geometry description. (line 6)
2580 * mformat parameters: minfo. (line 6)
2581 * minfo: minfo. (line 6)
2582 * mkmanifest: mkmanifest. (line 6)
2583 * mlabel: mlabel. (line 6)
2584 * mmd: mmd. (line 6)
2585 * mmount: mmount. (line 6)
2586 * mmove: mmove. (line 6)
2587 * Mounting a disk: mmount. (line 6)
2588 * Moving files (mmove): mmove. (line 6)
2589 * Moving files (mren): mren. (line 6)
2590 * mpartition: mpartition. (line 6)
2591 * mrd: mrd. (line 6)
2592 * mren: mren. (line 6)
2593 * mshortname: mshortname. (line 6)
2594 * mshowfat: mshowfat. (line 6)
2595 * mtoolstest: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2596 * mzip: mzip. (line 6)
2597 * Name clashes: name clashes. (line 6)
2598 * Name of configuration files: configuration file location.
2600 * Name of configuration files (parsing order): parsing order. (line 6)
2601 * Name of device node: location information. (line 10)
2602 * Occupation of space by directories and files: mdu. (line 6)
2603 * Odd formats: high capacity formats.
2605 * Old configuration file syntax: old style configuration.
2607 * open flags: open flags. (line 6)
2608 * Options: arguments. (line 6)
2609 * OS/2 (layout of removable media): location information. (line 14)
2610 * OS/2 (XDF disks): XDF. (line 6)
2611 * Overwriting files: name clashes. (line 6)
2612 * packing list: mkmanifest. (line 6)
2613 * Parsing order: parsing order. (line 6)
2614 * Partitioned image file: location information. (line 14)
2615 * partitions (creating): mpartition. (line 6)
2616 * password protected Zip disks: mzip. (line 6)
2617 * patches: Location. (line 6)
2618 * Physically erase: mclasserase. (line 6)
2619 * plain floppy: device xxx busy: miscellaneous flags. (line 11)
2620 * Porting: Porting mtools. (line 6)
2621 * Primary file name (long names): long names. (line 6)
2622 * Primary file name (name clashes): name clashes. (line 6)
2623 * Ram disk: location information. (line 28)
2624 * raw device: miscellaneous variables.
2626 * Read errors: mbadblocks. (line 6)
2627 * Read-only files (changing the attribute): mattrib. (line 6)
2628 * Read-only files (listing them): mdir. (line 6)
2629 * Reading MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2630 * recursively removing an MS-DOS directory: mdeltree. (line 6)
2631 * remote floppy access: floppyd. (line 6)
2632 * remote floppy access <1>: floppyd_installtest. (line 6)
2633 * Removable media: location information. (line 14)
2634 * Removing a directory: mrd. (line 6)
2635 * removing an MS-DOS directory recursively: mdeltree. (line 6)
2636 * removing MS-DOS files: mdel. (line 6)
2637 * Renaming files (mmove): mmove. (line 6)
2638 * Renaming files (mren): mren. (line 6)
2639 * SCSI devices: miscellaneous flags. (line 17)
2640 * Secondary file name (long names): long names. (line 6)
2641 * Secondary file name (name clashes): name clashes. (line 6)
2642 * setgid installation: miscellaneous flags. (line 40)
2643 * setuid installation: miscellaneous flags. (line 40)
2644 * setuid installation (needed for raw SCSI I/O): miscellaneous flags.
2646 * Solaris (compile time configuration of vold): Compiling mtools.
2648 * Solaris (Raw access to SCSI devices such as Zip & Jaz): miscellaneous flags.
2650 * Solaris (volcheck): miscellaneous variables.
2652 * Solaris (vold): miscellaneous flags. (line 57)
2653 * Space occupied by directories and files: mdu. (line 6)
2654 * Special formats: high capacity formats.
2656 * Subdirectory creation: mmd. (line 6)
2657 * Subdirectory removing: mrd. (line 6)
2658 * SunOS (Raw access to SCSI devices such as Zip & Jaz): miscellaneous flags.
2660 * synchronous writing: open flags. (line 6)
2661 * Syntax of the configuration file: general syntax. (line 6)
2662 * Syquest disks: location information. (line 14)
2663 * Syquest disks (raw SCSI access): miscellaneous flags. (line 17)
2664 * System files: mattrib. (line 6)
2665 * Testing configuration file for correctness: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2666 * Text files: mcopy. (line 6)
2667 * Tools disk (Zip and Jaz drives): mzip. (line 6)
2668 * Verifying configuration file: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2669 * VFAT-style file names: long names. (line 6)
2670 * vgacopy: more sectors. (line 6)
2671 * Vold (compile time configuration): Compiling mtools. (line 6)
2672 * Vold (mediamgr): miscellaneous flags. (line 57)
2673 * Weird formats: high capacity formats.
2675 * Windows 95 (DMF disks): more sectors. (line 6)
2676 * Windows 95-style file names: long names. (line 6)
2677 * Windows NT (layout of removable media): location information.
2679 * Wordswapped: miscellaneous flags. (line 66)
2680 * Working directory: directory. (line 6)
2681 * Working directory <1>: mcd. (line 6)
2682 * Write protecting a Zip/Jaz disk: mzip. (line 6)
2683 * Writing MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2684 * X terminal: floppyd. (line 6)
2685 * X terminal <1>: floppyd_installtest. (line 6)
2686 * XDF disks: XDF. (line 6)
2687 * XDF disks (compile time configuration): Compiling mtools. (line 6)
2688 * XDF disks (how to configure): miscellaneous flags. (line 70)
2689 * Zip disk (utilities): mzip. (line 6)
2690 * Zip disks (partitioning them): mpartition. (line 6)
2691 * Zip disks (partitions): location information. (line 14)
2692 * Zip disks (raw SCSI access): miscellaneous flags. (line 17)
2693 * ZipTools disk: mzip. (line 6)
2699 Node: Location
\7f3129
2700 Node: Common features
\7f4067
2701 Node: arguments
\7f4831
2702 Node: drive letters
\7f6492
2703 Node: directory
\7f7846
2704 Node: long names
\7f8292
2705 Node: name clashes
\7f10838
2706 Node: case sensitivity
\7f13122
2707 Node: high capacity formats
\7f14359
2708 Node: more sectors
\7f15404
2709 Node: bigger sectors
\7f16459
2712 Node: exit codes
\7f19717
2714 Node: Configuration
\7f20888
2715 Node: configuration file location
\7f22177
2716 Node: general syntax
\7f22630
2717 Node: default values
\7f23461
2718 Node: global variables
\7f23989
2719 Node: per drive variables
\7f26182
2720 Node: general information
\7f27017
2721 Node: location information
\7f27459
2722 Node: geometry description
\7f28988
2723 Node: open flags
\7f32849
2724 Node: miscellaneous variables
\7f33449
2725 Node: miscellaneous flags
\7f35525
2726 Node: multiple descriptions
\7f39155
2727 Node: parsing order
\7f40829
2728 Node: old style configuration
\7f41860
2729 Node: Commands
\7f42559
2730 Node: floppyd
\7f44481
2731 Node: floppyd_installtest
\7f49274
2732 Node: mattrib
\7f49905
2733 Node: mbadblocks
\7f51700
2736 Node: mclasserase
\7f54669
2739 Node: mdeltree
\7f58702
2742 Node: mformat
\7f60903
2743 Node: mkmanifest
\7f69414
2745 Node: mlabel
\7f71958
2747 Node: mmount
\7f73460
2749 Node: mpartition
\7f74868
2752 Node: mshortname
\7f81501
2753 Node: mshowfat
\7f81831
2754 Node: mtoolstest
\7f82240
2757 Ref: mzip-Footnote-1
\7f85688
2758 Ref: mzip-Footnote-2
\7f85769
2759 Node: Compiling mtools
\7f86056
2760 Node: Porting mtools
\7f87155
2761 Node: Command Index
\7f93063
2762 Node: Variable Index
\7f93191
2763 Node: Concept Index
\7f95014
projects / platform / upstream / mtools.git / blob