1 This is mtools.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.11 from mtools.texi.
3 This manual is for Mtools (version 4.0.12, November 2009), 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) 1996-2005,2007-2009 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
14 in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
18 * Mtools: (mtools). Mtools: utilities to access DOS disks in Unix.
22 File: mtools.info, Node: Top, Next: Location, Prev: (dir), Up: (dir)
27 This is mtools' documentation.
32 Mtools is a collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate
33 MS-DOS files: read, write, and move around files on an MS-DOS
34 filesystem (typically a floppy disk). Where reasonable, each program
35 attempts to emulate the MS-DOS equivalent command. However, unnecessary
36 restrictions and oddities of DOS are not emulated. For instance, it is
37 possible to move subdirectories from one subdirectory to another.
39 Mtools is sufficient to give access to MS-DOS filesystems. For
40 instance, commands such as `mdir a:' work on the `a:' floppy without
41 any preliminary mounting or initialization (assuming the default
42 `/etc/mtools.conf' works on your machine). With mtools, one can change
43 floppies too without unmounting and mounting.
45 This manual is for Mtools (version 4.0.12, November 2009), which is
46 a collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate MS-DOS files.
48 Copyright (C) 2007, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc. Copyright
49 (C) 1996-2005,2007-2009 Alain Knaff.
51 Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
52 document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
53 Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
54 Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts,
55 and with no Back-Cover Texts. A copy of the license is included
56 in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".
60 * Location:: Where to find mtools and early bug fixes
61 * Common features:: Common features of all mtools commands
62 * Configuration:: How to configure mtools for your environment
63 * Commands:: The available mtools commands
64 * Compiling mtools:: Architecture specific compilation flags
65 * Porting mtools:: Porting mtools to architectures which are not
68 * Command Index:: Command Index
69 * Variable Index:: Variable Index
70 * Concept Index:: Concept Index
73 File: mtools.info, Node: Location, Next: Common features, Prev: Top, Up: Top
78 Mtools can be found at the following places (and their mirrors):
79 http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.12.tar.gz
80 http://mtools.linux.lu/mtools-4.0.12.tar.gz
81 ftp://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/mtools/mtools-4.0.12.tar.gz
82 ftp://ibiblio.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/disk-management/mtools-4.0.12.tar.gz
84 Before reporting a bug, make sure that it has not yet been fixed in
85 the Alpha patches which can be found at:
86 http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/
87 http://mtools.linux.lu/
88 ftp://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/mtools
90 These patches are named `mtools-'VERSION`-'DDMM`.taz', where version
91 stands for the base version, DD for the day and MM for the month. Due
92 to a lack of space, I usually leave only the most recent patch.
94 There is an mtools mailing list at mtools @ tux.org . Please send
95 all bug reports to this list. You may subscribe to the list by sending
96 a message with 'subscribe mtools @ tux.org' in its body to majordomo @
97 tux.org . (N.B. Please remove the spaces around the "@" both times. I
98 left them there in order to fool spambots.) Announcements of new
99 mtools versions will also be sent to the list, in addition to the linux
100 announce newsgroups. The mailing list is archived at
101 http://lists.gnu.org/pipermail/info-mtools/
104 File: mtools.info, Node: Common features, Next: Configuration, Prev: Location, Up: Top
106 2 Common features of all mtools commands
107 ****************************************
111 * arguments:: What the command line parameters of mtools
113 * drive letters:: Which drives are defined by default
114 * directory:: Current working directory
115 * long names:: VFAT-style long filenames
116 * name clashes:: Name clash handling, and associated command
118 * case sensitivity:: Case sensitivity
119 * high capacity formats:: How to fit more data on your floppies
120 * exit codes:: Exit codes
121 * bugs:: Happens to everybody
124 File: mtools.info, Node: arguments, Next: drive letters, Prev: Common features, Up: Common features
126 2.1 Options and filenames
127 =========================
129 MS-DOS filenames are composed of a drive letter followed by a colon, a
130 subdirectory, and a filename. Only the filename part is mandatory, the
131 drive letter and the subdirectory are optional. Filenames without a
132 drive letter refer to Unix files. Subdirectory names can use either the
133 '`/'' or '`\'' separator. The use of the '`\'' separator or wildcards
134 requires the names to be enclosed in quotes to protect them from the
135 shell. However, wildcards in Unix filenames should not be enclosed in
136 quotes, because here we *want* the shell to expand them.
138 The regular expression "pattern matching" routines follow the
139 Unix-style rules. For example, ``*'' matches all MS-DOS files in lieu
140 of ``*.*''. The archive, hidden, read-only and system attribute bits
141 are ignored during pattern matching.
143 All options use the `-' (minus) as their first character, not `/' as
144 you'd expect in MS-DOS.
146 Most mtools commands allow multiple filename parameters, which
147 doesn't follow MS-DOS conventions, but which is more user-friendly.
149 Most mtools commands allow options that instruct them how to handle
150 file name clashes. *Note name clashes::, for more details on these. All
151 commands accept the `-V' flags which prints the version, and most
152 accept the `-v' flag, which switches on verbose mode. In verbose mode,
153 these commands print out the name of the MS-DOS files upon which they
154 act, unless stated otherwise. *Note Commands::, for a description of
155 the options which are specific to each command.
158 File: mtools.info, Node: drive letters, Next: directory, Prev: arguments, Up: Common features
163 The meaning of the drive letters depends on the target architectures.
164 However, on most target architectures, drive A is the first floppy
165 drive, drive B is the second floppy drive (if available), drive J is a
166 Jaz drive (if available), and drive Z is a Zip drive (if available). On
167 those systems where the device name is derived from the SCSI id, the Jaz
168 drive is assumed to be at Scsi target 4, and the Zip at Scsi target 5
169 (factory default settings). On Linux, both drives are assumed to be the
170 second drive on the Scsi bus (/dev/sdb). The default settings can be
171 changes using a configuration file (*note Configuration::).
173 The drive letter : (colon) has a special meaning. It is used to
174 access image files which are directly specified on the command line
175 using the `-i' options.
178 mcopy -i my-image-file.bin ::file1 ::file2 .
180 This copies `file1' and `file2' from the image file
181 (`my-image-file.bin') to the `/tmp' directory.
183 You can also supply an offset within the image file by including
184 `@@'OFFSET into the file name.
187 mcopy -i my-image-file.bin@@1M ::file1 ::file2 .
189 This looks for the image at the offset of 1M in the file, rather than
193 File: mtools.info, Node: directory, Next: long names, Prev: drive letters, Up: Common features
195 2.3 Current working directory
196 =============================
198 The `mcd' command (*note mcd::) is used to establish the device and the
199 current working directory (relative to the MS-DOS filesystem),
200 otherwise the default is assumed to be `A:/'. However, unlike MS-DOS,
201 there is only one working directory for all drives, and not one per
205 File: mtools.info, Node: long names, Next: name clashes, Prev: directory, Up: Common features
207 2.4 VFAT-style long file names
208 ==============================
210 This version of mtools supports VFAT style long filenames. If a Unix
211 filename is too long to fit in a short DOS name, it is stored as a VFAT
212 long name, and a companion short name is generated. This short name is
213 what you see when you examine the disk with a pre-7.0 version of DOS.
214 The following table shows some examples of short names:
216 Long name MS-DOS name Reason for the change
217 --------- ---------- ---------------------
218 thisisatest THISIS~1 filename too long
219 alain.knaff ALAIN~1.KNA extension too long
220 prn.txt PRN~1.TXT PRN is a device name
221 .abc ABC~1 null filename
222 hot+cold HOT_CO~1 illegal character
224 As you see, the following transformations happen to derive a short
226 * Illegal characters are replaced by underscores. The illegal
227 characters are `;+=[]',\"*\\<>/?:|'.
229 * Extra dots, which cannot be interpreted as a main name/extension
230 separator are removed
232 * A `~'N number is generated,
234 * The name is shortened so as to fit in the 8+3 limitation
236 The initial Unix-style file name (whether long or short) is also
237 called the "primary" name, and the derived short name is also called the
241 mcopy /etc/motd a:Reallylongname
242 Mtools creates a VFAT entry for Reallylongname, and uses REALLYLO as
243 a short name. Reallylongname is the primary name, and REALLYLO is the
245 mcopy /etc/motd a:motd
246 Motd fits into the DOS filename limits. Mtools doesn't need to
247 derivate another name. Motd is the primary name, and there is no
250 In a nutshell: The primary name is the long name, if one exists, or
251 the short name if there is no long name.
253 Although VFAT is much more flexible than FAT, there are still names
254 that are not acceptable, even in VFAT. There are still some illegal
255 characters left (`\"*\\<>/?:|'), and device names are still reserved.
257 Unix name Long name Reason for the change
258 --------- ---------- ---------------------
259 prn prn-1 PRN is a device name
260 ab:c ab_c-1 illegal character
262 As you see, the following transformations happen if a long name is
264 * Illegal characters are replaces by underscores,
266 * A `-'N number is generated,
269 File: mtools.info, Node: name clashes, Next: case sensitivity, Prev: long names, Up: Common features
274 When writing a file to disk, its long name or short name may collide
275 with an already existing file or directory. This may happen for all
276 commands which create new directory entries, such as `mcopy', `mmd',
277 `mren', `mmove'. When a name clash happens, mtools asks you what it
278 should do. It offers several choices:
281 Overwrites the existing file. It is not possible to overwrite a
282 directory with a file.
285 Renames the newly created file. Mtools prompts for the new filename
288 Renames the newly created file. Mtools chooses a name by itself,
292 Gives up on this file, and moves on to the next (if any)
294 To chose one of these actions, type its first letter at the prompt.
295 If you use a lower case letter, the action only applies for this file
296 only, if you use an upper case letter, the action applies to all files,
297 and you won't be prompted again.
299 You may also chose actions (for all files) on the command line, when
303 Overwrites primary names by default.
306 Overwrites secondary names by default.
309 Renames primary name by default.
312 Renames secondary name by default.
315 Autorenames primary name by default.
318 Autorenames secondary name by default.
321 Skip primary name by default.
324 Skip secondary name by default.
327 Ask user what to do with primary name.
330 Ask user what to do with secondary name.
332 Note that for command line switches lower/upper differentiates
333 between primary/secondary name whereas for interactive choices,
334 lower/upper differentiates between just-this-time/always.
336 The primary name is the name as displayed in Windows 95 or Windows
337 NT: i.e. the long name if it exists, and the short name otherwise. The
338 secondary name is the "hidden" name, i.e. the short name if a long name
341 By default, the user is prompted if the primary name clashes, and the
342 secondary name is autorenamed.
344 If a name clash occurs in a Unix directory, mtools only asks whether
345 to overwrite the file, or to skip it.
348 File: mtools.info, Node: case sensitivity, Next: high capacity formats, Prev: name clashes, Up: Common features
350 2.6 Case sensitivity of the VFAT filesystem
351 ===========================================
353 The VFAT filesystem is able to remember the case of the filenames.
354 However, filenames which differ only in case are not allowed to coexist
355 in the same directory. For example if you store a file called
356 LongFileName on a VFAT filesystem, mdir shows this file as LongFileName,
357 and not as Longfilename. However, if you then try to add LongFilename to
358 the same directory, it is refused, because case is ignored for clash
361 The VFAT filesystem allows to store the case of a filename in the
362 attribute byte, if all letters of the filename are the same case, and if
363 all letters of the extension are the same case too. Mtools uses this
364 information when displaying the files, and also to generate the Unix
365 filename when mcopying to a Unix directory. This may have unexpected
366 results when applied to files written using an pre-7.0 version of DOS:
367 Indeed, the old style filenames map to all upper case. This is different
368 from the behavior of the old version of mtools which used to generate
369 lower case Unix filenames.
372 File: mtools.info, Node: high capacity formats, Next: exit codes, Prev: case sensitivity, Up: Common features
374 2.7 high capacity formats
375 =========================
377 Mtools supports a number of formats which allow to store more data on
378 disk as usual. Due to different operating system abilities, these
379 formats are not supported on all OS'es. Mtools recognizes these formats
380 transparently where supported.
382 In order to format these disks, you need to use an operating system
383 specific tool. For Linux, suitable floppy tools can be found in the
384 `fdutils' package at the following locations~:
385 `ftp://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/fdutils/'.
386 `ftp://ibiblio.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/disk-management/fdutils-*'
388 See the manpages included in that package for further detail: Use
389 `superformat' to format all formats except XDF, and use `xdfcopy' to
394 * more sectors:: Putting more sectors per track on the disk
395 * bigger sectors:: Use bigger sectors to save header space
396 * 2m:: Use a standard first track
397 * XDF:: OS/2's eXtended density format
400 File: mtools.info, Node: more sectors, Next: bigger sectors, Prev: high capacity formats, Up: high capacity formats
405 The oldest method of fitting more data on a disk is to use more sectors
406 and more cylinders. Although the standard format uses 80 cylinders and
407 18 sectors (on a 3 1/2 high density disk), it is possible to use up to
408 83 cylinders (on most drives) and up to 21 sectors. This method allows
409 to store up to 1743K on a 3 1/2 HD disk. However, 21 sector disks are
410 twice as slow as the standard 18 sector disks because the sectors are
411 packed so close together that we need to interleave them. This problem
412 doesn't exist for 20 sector formats.
414 These formats are supported by numerous DOS shareware utilities such
415 as `fdformat' and `vgacopy'. In his infinite hybris, Bill Gate$
416 believed that he invented this, and called it `DMF disks', or `Windows
417 formatted disks'. But in reality, it has already existed years before!
418 Mtools supports these formats on Linux, on SunOs and on the DELL Unix
422 File: mtools.info, Node: bigger sectors, Next: 2m, Prev: more sectors, Up: high capacity formats
427 By using bigger sectors it is possible to go beyond the capacity which
428 can be obtained by the standard 512-byte sectors. This is because of the
429 sector header. The sector header has the same size, regardless of how
430 many data bytes are in the sector. Thus, we save some space by using
431 _fewer_, but bigger sectors. For example, 1 sector of 4K only takes up
432 header space once, whereas 8 sectors of 512 bytes have also 8 headers,
433 for the same amount of useful data.
435 This method allows to store up to 1992K on a 3 1/2 HD disk.
437 Mtools supports these formats only on Linux.
440 File: mtools.info, Node: 2m, Next: XDF, Prev: bigger sectors, Up: high capacity formats
445 The 2m format was originally invented by Ciriaco Garcia de Celis. It
446 also uses bigger sectors than usual in order to fit more data on the
447 disk. However, it uses the standard format (18 sectors of 512 bytes
448 each) on the first cylinder, in order to make these disks easyer to
449 handle by DOS. Indeed this method allows to have a standard sized
450 bootsector, which contains a description of how the rest of the disk
453 However, the drawback of this is that the first cylinder can hold
454 less data than the others. Unfortunately, DOS can only handle disks
455 where each track contains the same amount of data. Thus 2m hides the
456 fact that the first track contains less data by using a "shadow FAT".
457 (Usually, DOS stores the FAT in two identical copies, for additional
458 safety. XDF stores only one copy, and it tells DOS that it stores two.
459 Thus the same that would be taken up by the second FAT copy is saved.)
460 This also means that your should *never use a 2m disk to store anything
463 Mtools supports these format only on Linux.
466 File: mtools.info, Node: XDF, Prev: 2m, Up: high capacity formats
471 XDF is a high capacity format used by OS/2. It can hold 1840 K per
472 disk. That's lower than the best 2m formats, but its main advantage is
473 that it is fast: 600 milliseconds per track. That's faster than the 21
474 sector format, and almost as fast as the standard 18 sector format. In
475 order to access these disks, make sure mtools has been compiled with XDF
476 support, and set the `use_xdf' variable for the drive in the
477 configuration file. *Note Compiling mtools::, and *note misc
478 variables::, for details on how to do this. Fast XDF access is only
479 available for Linux kernels which are more recent than 1.1.34.
481 Mtools supports this format only on Linux.
483 *Caution / Attention distributors*: If mtools is compiled on a Linux
484 kernel more recent than 1.3.34, it won't run on an older kernel.
485 However, if it has been compiled on an older kernel, it still runs on a
486 newer kernel, except that XDF access is slower. It is recommended that
487 distribution authors only include mtools binaries compiled on kernels
488 older than 1.3.34 until 2.0 comes out. When 2.0 will be out, mtools
489 binaries compiled on newer kernels may (and should) be distributed.
490 Mtools binaries compiled on kernels older than 1.3.34 won't run on any
494 File: mtools.info, Node: exit codes, Next: bugs, Prev: high capacity formats, Up: Common features
499 All the Mtools commands return 0 on success, 1 on utter failure, or 2
500 on partial failure. All the Mtools commands perform a few sanity
501 checks before going ahead, to make sure that the disk is indeed an
502 MS-DOS disk (as opposed to, say an ext2 or minix disk). These checks
503 may reject partially corrupted disks, which might otherwise still be
504 readable. To avoid these checks, set the MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK
505 environmental variable or the corresponding configuration file variable
506 (*note global variables::)
509 File: mtools.info, Node: bugs, Prev: exit codes, Up: Common features
514 An unfortunate side effect of not guessing the proper device (when
515 multiple disk capacities are supported) is an occasional error message
516 from the device driver. These can be safely ignored.
518 The fat checking code chokes on 1.72 Mb disks mformatted with
519 pre-2.0.7 mtools. Set the environmental variable
520 MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY (or the corresponding configuration file
521 variable, *note global variables::) to bypass the fat checking.
524 File: mtools.info, Node: Configuration, Next: Commands, Prev: Common features, Up: Top
526 3 How to configure mtools for your environment
527 **********************************************
532 This sections explains the syntax of the configurations files for
533 mtools. The configuration files are called `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf'
534 and `~/.mtoolsrc'. If the environmental variable `MTOOLSRC' is set, its
535 contents is used as the filename for a third configuration file. These
536 configuration files describe the following items:
538 * Global configuration flags and variables
540 * Per drive flags and variables
544 * config file location:: Where mtools looks for its configuration files
545 * general syntax:: The layout of the configuration files
546 * default values:: Why you don't need a config file in most cases
547 * global variables:: Variables that are independent of the drive
548 * per drive variables:: Variables that are specific to a given drive
549 * parsing order:: Location of configuration files and parsing order
550 * old style config:: Backwards compatibility
553 File: mtools.info, Node: config file location, Next: general syntax, Prev: Configuration, Up: Configuration
555 3.2 Location of the configuration files
556 =======================================
558 `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf' is the system-wide configuration file, and
559 `~/.mtoolsrc' is the user's private configuration file.
561 On some systems, the system-wide configuration file is called
562 `/etc/default/mtools.conf' instead.
565 File: mtools.info, Node: general syntax, Next: default values, Prev: config file location, Up: Configuration
567 3.2.1 General configuration file syntax
568 ---------------------------------------
570 The configuration files is made up of sections. Each section starts
571 with a keyword identifying the section followed by a colon. Then
572 follow variable assignments and flags. Variable assignments take the
575 Flags are lone keywords without an equal sign and value following
576 them. A section either ends at the end of the file or where the next
579 Lines starting with a hash (`#') are comments. Newline characters
580 are equivalent to whitespace (except where ending a comment). The
581 configuration file is case insensitive, except for item enclosed in
582 quotes (such as filenames).
585 File: mtools.info, Node: default values, Next: global variables, Prev: general syntax, Up: Configuration
590 For most platforms, mtools contains reasonable compiled-in defaults for
591 physical floppy drives. Thus, you usually don't need to bother with the
592 configuration file, if all you want to do with mtools is to access your
593 floppy drives. On the other hand, the configuration file is needed if
594 you also want to use mtools to access your hard disk partitions and
598 File: mtools.info, Node: global variables, Next: per drive variables, Prev: default values, Up: Configuration
603 Global flags may be set to 1 or to 0.
605 The following global flags are recognized:
608 If this is set to 1, mtools skips most of its sanity checks. This
609 is needed to read some Atari disks which have been made with the
610 earlier ROMs, and which would not be recognized otherwise.
612 `MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY'
613 If this is set to 1, mtools skips the fat size checks. Some disks
614 have a bigger FAT than they really need to. These are rejected if
615 this option is not set.
618 If this is set to 1, mtools displays all-upper-case short
619 filenames as lowercase. This has been done to allow a behavior
620 which is consistent with older versions of mtools which didn't
621 know about the case bits.
624 If this is set to 1, mtools won't generate VFAT entries for
625 filenames which are mixed-case, but otherwise legal dos filenames.
626 This is useful when working with DOS versions which can't grok
627 VFAT longnames, such as FreeDos.
630 In a wide directory, prints the short name with a dot instead of
631 spaces separating the basename and the extension.
633 `MTOOLS_NAME_NUMERIC_TAIL'
634 If this is set to one (default), generate numeric tails for all
635 long names (~1). If set to zero, only generate numeric tails if
636 otherwise a clash would have happened.
638 `MTOOLS_TWENTY_FOUR_HOUR_CLOCK'
639 If 1, uses the European notation for times (twenty four hour
640 clock), else uses the UK/US notation (am/pm)
642 Example: Inserting the following line into your configuration file
643 instructs mtools to skip the sanity checks:
646 Global variables may also be set via the environment:
647 export MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK=1
649 Global string variables may be set to any value:
651 The format used for printing dates of files. By default, is
655 File: mtools.info, Node: per drive variables, Next: parsing order, Prev: global variables, Up: Configuration
657 3.5 Per drive flags and variables
658 =================================
662 * general information:: What a drive description looks like
663 * location information:: Where is the drive data physically stored
664 * geometry description:: Describes the physical characteristics of
666 * open flags:: Flags passed to the open system call when the
668 * misc variables:: Variables which don't fit in either category
669 * misc flags:: Switch variables, which can be enabled or disabled
670 * multiple descriptions:: How to supply several descriptions for a
671 drive, to be tried one after the other.
674 File: mtools.info, Node: general information, Next: location information, Prev: per drive variables, Up: per drive variables
676 3.5.1 General information
677 -------------------------
679 Per drive flags and values may be described in a drive section. A drive
680 section starts with `drive' "DRIVELETTER" :
682 Then follow variable-value pairs and flags.
684 This is a sample drive description:
686 file="/dev/fd0" use_xdf=1
689 File: mtools.info, Node: location information, Next: geometry description, Prev: general information, Up: per drive variables
691 3.5.2 Location information
692 --------------------------
694 For each drive, you need to describe where its data is physically
695 stored (imag file, physical device, partition, offset).
698 The name of the file or device holding the disk image. This is
699 mandatory. The file name should be enclosed in quotes.
702 Tells mtools to treat the drive as a partitioned device, and to
703 use the given partition. Only primary partitions are accessible
704 using this method, and they are numbered from 1 to 4. For logical
705 partitions, use the more general `offset' variable. The
706 `partition' variable is intended for removable media such as
707 Syquests, ZIP drives, and magneto-optical disks. Although
708 traditional DOS sees Syquests and magneto-optical disks as `giant
709 floppy disks' which are unpartitioned, OS/2 and Windows NT treat
710 them like hard disks, i.e. partioned devices. The `partition' flag
711 is also useful DOSEMU hdimages. It is not recommended for hard
712 disks for which direct access to partitions is available through
716 Describes where in the file the MS-DOS filesystem starts. This is
717 useful for logical partitions in DOSEMU hdimages, and for ATARI
718 ram disks. By default, this is zero, meaning that the filesystem
719 starts right at the beginning of the device or file.
722 File: mtools.info, Node: geometry description, Next: open flags, Prev: location information, Up: per drive variables
724 3.5.3 Disk Geometry Configuration
725 ---------------------------------
727 Geometry information describes the physical characteristics about the
728 disk. Its has three purposes:
731 The geometry information is written into the boot sector of the
732 newly made disk. However, you may also describe the geometry
733 information on the command line. *Note mformat::, for details.
736 On some Unices there are device nodes which only support one
737 physical geometry. For instance, you might need a different node
738 to access a disk as high density or as low density. The geometry
739 is compared to the actual geometry stored on the boot sector to
740 make sure that this device node is able to correctly read the
741 disk. If the geometry doesn't match, this drive entry fails, and
742 the next drive entry bearing the same drive letter is tried. *Note
743 multiple descriptions::, for more details on supplying several
744 descriptions for one drive letter.
746 If no geometry information is supplied in the configuration file,
747 all disks are accepted. On Linux (and on Sparc) there exist device
748 nodes with configurable geometry (`/dev/fd0', `/dev/fd1' etc), and
749 thus filtering is not needed (and ignored) for disk drives.
750 (Mtools still does do filtering on plain files (disk images) in
751 Linux: this is mainly intended for test purposes, as I don't have
752 access to a Unix which would actually need filtering).
754 If you do not need filtering, but want still a default geometry for
755 mformatting, you may switch off filtering using the `mformat_only'
758 If you want filtering, you should supply the `filter' flag. If you
759 supply a geometry, you must supply one of both flags.
762 On devices that support it (usually floppy devices), the geometry
763 information is also used to set the initial geometry. This initial
764 geometry is applied while reading the boot sector, which contains
765 the real geometry. If no geometry information is supplied in the
766 configuration file, or if the `mformat_only' flag is supplied, no
767 initial configuration is done.
769 On Linux, initial geometry is not really needed, as the
770 configurable devices are able to auto-detect the disk type
771 accurately enough (for most common formats) to read the boot
774 Wrong geometry information may lead to very bizarre errors. That's
775 why I strongly recommend that you add the `mformat_only' flag to your
776 drive description, unless you really need filtering or initial geometry.
778 The following geometry related variables are available:
782 The number of cylinders. (`cylinders' is the preferred form,
783 `tracks' is considered obsolete)
786 The number of heads (sides).
789 The number of sectors per track.
791 Example: the following drive section describes a 1.44M drive:
796 cylinders=80 heads=2 sectors=18
799 The following shorthand geometry descriptions are available:
802 high density 3 1/2 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12 cylinders=80
806 high density 5 1/4 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12 cylinders=80
810 double density 3 1/2 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12
811 cylinders=80 heads=2 sectors=9'
814 double density 5 1/4 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12
815 cylinders=40 heads=2 sectors=9'
817 The shorthand format descriptions may be amended. For example, `360k
818 sectors=8' describes a 320k disk and is equivalent to: `fat_bits=12
819 cylinders=40 heads=2 sectors=8'
822 File: mtools.info, Node: open flags, Next: misc variables, Prev: geometry description, Up: per drive variables
827 Moreover, the following flags are available:
830 All i/o operations are done synchronously
833 The device or file is opened with the O_NDELAY flag. This is
834 needed on some non-Linux architectures.
837 The device or file is opened with the O_EXCL flag. On Linux, this
838 ensures exclusive access to the floppy drive. On most other
839 architectures, and for plain files it has no effect at all.
842 File: mtools.info, Node: misc variables, Next: misc flags, Prev: open flags, Up: per drive variables
844 3.5.5 General Purpose Drive Variables
845 -------------------------------------
847 The following general purpose drive variables are available. Depending
848 to their type, these variables can be set to a string (precmd) or an
852 The number of FAT bits. This may be 12 or 16. This is very rarely
853 needed, as it can almost always be deduced from information in the
854 boot sector. On the contrary, describing the number of fat bits may
855 actually be harmful if you get it wrong. You should only use it if
856 mtools gets the autodetected number of fat bits wrong, or if you
857 want to mformat a disk with a weird number of fat bits.
860 Describes the DOS codepage used for short filenames. This is a
861 number between 1 and 999. By default, codepage 850 is used. The
862 reason for this is because this codepage contains most of the
863 characters that are also available in ISO-Latin-1. You may also
864 specify a global codepage for all drives by using the global
865 `default_codepage' parameter (outside of any drive description).
866 This parameters exists starting at version 4.0.0
869 On some variants of Solaris, it is necessary to call 'volcheck -v'
870 before opening a floppy device, in order for the system to notice
871 that there is indeed a disk in the drive. `precmd="volcheck -v"'
872 in the drive clause establishes the desired behavior.
875 This parameter represents a default block size to be always used
876 on this device. All I/O is done with multiples of this block size,
877 independantly of the sector size registered in the filesystem's
878 boot sector. This is useful for character devices whose sector
879 size is not 512, such as for example CD Rom drives on Solaris.
882 Only the `file' variable is mandatory. The other parameters may be
883 left out. In that case a default value or an autodetected value is used.
886 File: mtools.info, Node: misc flags, Next: multiple descriptions, Prev: misc variables, Up: per drive variables
888 3.5.6 General Purpose Drive Flags
889 ---------------------------------
891 A flag can either be set to 1 (enabled) or 0 (disabled). If the value is
892 ommitted, it is enabled. For example, `scsi' is equivalent to `scsi=1'
895 Instruct mtools to not use locking on this drive. This is needed
896 on systems with buggy locking semantics. However, enabling this
897 makes operation less safe in cases where several users may access
898 the same drive at the same time.
901 When set to 1, this option tells mtools to use raw SCSI I/O
902 instead of the standard read/write calls to access the device.
903 Currently, this is supported on HP/UX, Solaris and SunOs. This is
904 needed because on some architectures, such as SunOs or Solaris, PC
905 media can't be accessed using the `read' and `write' syscalls,
906 because the OS expects them to contain a Sun specific "disk label".
908 As raw Scsi access always uses the whole device, you need to
909 specify the "partition" flag in addition
911 On some architectures, such as Solaris, mtools needs root
912 privileges to be able to use the `scsi' option. Thus mtools
913 should be installed set uid root on Solaris if you want to access
914 Zip/Jaz drives. Thus, if the `scsi' flag is given, `privileged'
915 is automatically implied, unless explicitly disabled by
918 Mtools uses its root privileges to open the device, and to issue
919 the actual SCSI I/O calls. Moreover, root privileges are only
920 used for drives described in a system-wide configuration file such
921 as `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf', and not for those described in
922 `~/.mtoolsrc' or `$MTOOLSRC'.
925 When set to 1, this instructs mtools to use its set-uid and set-gid
926 privileges for opening the given drive. This option is only valid
927 for drives described in the system-wide configuration files (such
928 as `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf', not `~/.mtoolsrc' or
929 `$MTOOLSRC'). Obviously, this option is also a no op if mtools is
930 not installed setuid or setgid. This option is implied by
931 'scsi=1', but again only for drives defined in system-wide
932 configuration files. Privileged may also be set explicitely to 0,
933 in order to tell mtools not to use its privileges for a given
934 drive even if `scsi=1' is set.
936 Mtools only needs to be installed setuid if you use the
937 `privileged' or `scsi' drive variables. If you do not use these
938 options, mtools works perfectly well even when not installed
942 Instructs mtools to interpret the device name as a vold identifier
943 rather than as a filename. The vold identifier is translated into
944 a real filename using the `media_findname()' and
945 `media_oldaliases()' functions of the `volmgt' library. This flag
946 is only available if you configured mtools with the
947 `--enable-new-vold' option before compilation.
950 Consider the media as a word-swapped Atari disk.
953 If this is set to a non-zero value, mtools also tries to access
954 this disk as an XDF disk. XDF is a high capacity format used by
955 OS/2. This is off by default. *Note XDF::, for more details.
958 Tells mtools to use the geometry for this drive only for
959 mformatting and not for filtering.
962 Tells mtools to use the geometry for this drive both for
963 mformatting and filtering.
966 Tells mtools to connect to floppyd (*note floppyd::).
969 File: mtools.info, Node: multiple descriptions, Prev: misc flags, Up: per drive variables
971 3.5.7 Supplying multiple descriptions for a drive
972 -------------------------------------------------
974 It is possible to supply multiple descriptions for a drive. In that
975 case, the descriptions are tried in order until one is found that fits.
976 Descriptions may fail for several reasons:
978 1. because the geometry is not appropriate,
980 2. because there is no disk in the drive,
982 3. or because of other problems.
984 Multiple definitions are useful when using physical devices which are
985 only able to support one single disk geometry. Example:
986 drive a: file="/dev/fd0H1440" 1.44m
987 drive a: file="/dev/fd0H720" 720k
989 This instructs mtools to use /dev/fd0H1440 for 1.44m (high density)
990 disks and /dev/fd0H720 for 720k (double density) disks. On Linux, this
991 feature is not really needed, as the /dev/fd0 device is able to handle
994 You may also use multiple drive descriptions to access both of your
995 physical drives through one drive letter:
997 drive z: file="/dev/fd0"
998 drive z: file="/dev/fd1"
1000 With this description, `mdir z:' accesses your first physical drive
1001 if it contains a disk. If the first drive doesn't contain a disk,
1002 mtools checks the second drive.
1004 When using multiple configuration files, drive descriptions in the
1005 files parsed last override descriptions for the same drive in earlier
1006 files. In order to avoid this, use the `drive+' or `+drive' keywords
1007 instead of `drive'. The first adds a description to the end of the list
1008 (i.e. it will be tried last), and the first adds it to the start of the
1012 File: mtools.info, Node: parsing order, Next: old style config, Prev: per drive variables, Up: Configuration
1014 3.6 Location of configuration files and parsing order
1015 =====================================================
1017 The configuration files are parsed in the following order:
1018 1. compiled-in defaults
1020 2. `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf'
1022 3. `/etc/mtools' This is for backwards compatibility only, and is
1023 only parsed if `mtools.conf' doesn't exist.
1027 5. `$MTOOLSRC' (file pointed by the `MTOOLSRC' environmental variable)
1029 Options described in the later files override those described in the
1030 earlier files. Drives defined in earlier files persist if they are not
1031 overridden in the later files. For instance, drives A and B may be
1032 defined in `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf' and drives C and D may be
1033 defined in `~/.mtoolsrc' However, if `~/.mtoolsrc' also defines drive
1034 A, this new description would override the description of drive A in
1035 `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf' instead of adding to it. If you want to
1036 add a new description to a drive already described in an earlier file,
1037 you need to use either the `+drive' or `drive+' keyword.
1040 File: mtools.info, Node: old style config, Prev: parsing order, Up: Configuration
1042 3.7 Backwards compatibility with old configuration file syntax
1043 ==============================================================
1045 The syntax described herein is new for version `mtools-3.0'. The old
1046 line-oriented syntax is still supported. Each line beginning with a
1047 single letter is considered to be a drive description using the old
1048 syntax. Old style and new style drive sections may be mixed within the
1049 same configuration file, in order to make upgrading easier. Support for
1050 the old syntax will be phased out eventually, and in order to discourage
1051 its use, I purposefully omit its description here.
1054 File: mtools.info, Node: Commands, Next: Compiling mtools, Prev: Configuration, Up: Top
1059 This section describes the available mtools commands, and the command
1060 line parameters that each of them accepts. Options which are common to
1061 all mtools commands are not described here, *note arguments:: for a
1062 description of those.
1066 * floppyd:: floppy daemon to run on your X server box
1067 * floppyd_installtest:: small utility to check for the presence of floppyd
1068 * mattrib:: change MS-DOS file attribute flags
1069 * mbadblocks:: tests a floppy disk, and marks the bad blocks in the FAT
1070 * mcat:: same as cat. Only usefull with floppyd.
1071 * mcd:: change MS-DOS directory
1072 * mclasserase:: erase memory card
1073 * mcopy:: copy MS-DOS files to/from Unix
1074 * mdel:: delete an MS-DOS file
1075 * mdeltree:: recursively delete an MS-DOS directory
1076 * mdir:: display an MS-DOS directory
1077 * mdu:: list space occupied by directory and its contents
1078 * mformat:: add an MS-DOS filesystem to a low-level formatted floppy disk
1079 * minfo:: get information about an MS-DOS filesystem.
1080 * mlabel:: make an MS-DOS volume label
1081 * mkmanifest:: makes a list of short name equivalents
1082 * mmd:: make an MS-DOS subdirectory
1083 * mmount:: mount an MS-DOS disk
1084 * mpartition:: create an MS-DOS as a partition
1085 * mrd:: remove an MS-DOS subdirectory
1086 * mmove:: move or rename an MS-DOS file or subdirectory
1087 * mren:: rename an existing MS-DOS file
1088 * mshowfat:: shows the FAT map of a file
1089 * mtoolstest:: tests and displays the configuration
1090 * mtype:: display contents of an MS-DOS file
1091 * mzip:: zip disk specific commands
1094 File: mtools.info, Node: floppyd, Next: floppyd_installtest, Prev: Commands, Up: Commands
1099 `Floppyd' is used as a server to grant access to the floppy drive to
1100 clients running on a remote machine, just as an X server grants access
1101 to the display to remote clients. It has the following syntax:
1103 `floppyd' [`-d'] [`-l'] [`-s' PORT] [`-r' USER] [`-b' IPADDR] [`-x'
1104 DISPLAY] DEVICENAMES
1106 `floppyd' is always associated with an X server. It runs on the
1107 same machine as its X server, and listens on port 5703 and above.
1109 4.1.1 Authentication
1110 --------------------
1112 `floppyd' authenticates remote clients using the `Xauthority' protocol.
1113 Xhost authentication is not supported. Each floppyd is associated with
1114 an X server. When a remote client attempts to connect to floppyd, it
1115 sends floppyd the X authority record corresponding to floppyd's X
1116 server. Floppyd in turn then tries to open up a connection to the X
1117 server in order to verify the authenticity of the xauth record. If the
1118 connection to the X server succeeds, the client is granted access.
1121 *Caution*: In order to make authentication work correctly, the local
1122 host should *not* be listed in the `xhost' list of allowed hosts.
1123 Indeed, hosts listed in `xhost' do not need a correct `Xauthority'
1124 cookie to connect to the X server. As `floppyd' runs on the same host
1125 as the X server, all its probe connection would succeed even for
1126 clients who supplied a bad cookie. This means that your floppy drive
1127 would be open to the world, i.e. a huge security hole. If your X
1128 server does not allow you to remove `localhost:0' and `:0' from the
1129 `xhost' list, you can prevent floppyd from probing those display names
1130 with the `-l' option.
1132 4.1.2 Command line options
1133 --------------------------
1136 Daemon mode. Floppyd runs its own server loop. Do not supply this
1137 if you start floppyd from `inetd.conf'
1140 Port number for deamon mode. Default is 5703 + DISPLAYNUMBER.
1141 This flag implies daemon mode. For example, for display
1142 `hitchhiker:5', the port would be 5708.
1145 Bind address (for multihomed hosts). This flag implies daemon mode
1148 Run the server under as the given user
1151 X display to use for authentication. By default, this is taken
1152 from the `DISPLAY' variable. If neither the `x' attribute is
1153 present nor `DISPLAY' is set, floppyd uses `:0.0'.
1155 DEVICENAMES is a list of device nodes to be opened. Default is
1156 `/dev/fd0'. Multiple devices are only supported on mtools versions
1159 4.1.3 Connecting to floppyd
1160 ---------------------------
1162 In order to use floppyd, add the flag `remote' to the device
1163 description in your `~/.mtoolsrc' file. If the flag `remote' is given,
1164 the `file' parameter of the device description is taken to be a remote
1165 address. It's format is the following:
1166 HOSTNAME`:'DISPLAYNUMBER[`/'[BASEPORT][`/'DRIVE]]. When using this
1167 entry, mtools connects to port BASEPORT+DISPLAYNUMBER at HOSTNAME. By
1168 default BASEPORT is 5703. The drive parameter is to distinguish among
1169 multiple drives associated with a single display (only mtools versions
1170 more recent than 3.9.11)
1175 The following starts a floppy daemon giving access to `/dev/fd0',
1176 listening on the default port 5703, tied to the default X servers:
1180 Each of the following starts a floppy daemon giving access to
1181 `/dev/fd1', tied to the :1 local X servers, and listening on port 5704.
1182 We assume that the local host is named `hitchhiker'.
1185 floppyd -d -x :1 -p 5704 /dev/fd0
1187 If you want to start floppyd by `inetd' instead of running it as a
1188 daemon, insert the following lines into `/etc/services':
1190 floppyd-0 5703/tcp # floppy daemon for X server :0
1191 floppyd-1 5704/tcp # floppy daemon for X server :1
1193 And insert the following into `/etc/inetd.conf' (assuming that you
1194 have defined a user named floppy in your `/etc/passwd'):
1197 floppyd-0 stream tcp wait floppy /usr/sbin/floppyd floppyd /dev/fd0
1198 floppyd-1 stream tcp wait floppy /usr/sbin/floppyd floppyd -x :1 /dev/fd0
1200 Note that you need to supply the X display names for the second
1201 floppyd. This is because the port is opened by inetd.conf, and hence
1202 floppyd cannot know its number to interfere the display number.
1204 On the client side, insert the following into your `~/.mtoolsrc' to
1205 define a drive letter accessing floppy drive in your X terminal:
1206 drive x: file="$DISPLAY" remote
1208 If your X terminal has more than one drive, you may access the
1209 additional drives as follows:
1210 drive y: file="$DISPLAY//1" remote
1211 drive z: file="$DISPLAY//2" remote
1214 File: mtools.info, Node: floppyd_installtest, Next: mattrib, Prev: floppyd, Up: Commands
1216 4.2 Floppyd_installtest
1217 =======================
1219 `Floppyd_installtest' is used to check for the presence of a running
1220 floppyd daemon. This is usefull, if you have a small frontend script to
1221 mtools, which decides whether to use floppyd or not.
1223 `floppyd_installtest' [`-f'] Connect-String
1225 If the `-f' option is specified, `floppyd_installtest' does a full
1226 X-Cookie authentication and complains if this does not work.
1228 The connect-String has the format described in the floppyd-section:
1229 HOSTNAME`:'DISPLAYNUMBER[`/'BASEPORT]
1232 File: mtools.info, Node: mattrib, Next: mbadblocks, Prev: floppyd_installtest, Up: Commands
1237 `Mattrib' is used to change MS-DOS file attribute flags. It has the
1240 `mattrib' [`-a|+a'] [`-h|+h'] [`-r|+r'] [`-s|+s'] [`-/'] [`-p']
1241 [`-X'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES ... ]
1243 `Mattrib' adds attribute flags to an MS-DOS file (with the ``+''
1244 operator) or remove attribute flags (with the ``-'' operator).
1246 `Mattrib' supports the following attribute bits:
1249 Archive bit. Used by some backup programs to indicate a new file.
1252 Read-only bit. Used to indicate a read-only file. Files with
1253 this bit set cannot be erased by `DEL' nor modified.
1256 System bit. Used by MS-DOS to indicate a operating system file.
1259 Hidden bit. Used to make files hidden from `DIR'.
1261 `Mattrib' supports the following command line flags:
1263 Recursive. Recursively list the attributes of the files in the
1267 Concise. Prints the attributes whithout any whitespace padding. If
1268 neither the "/" option is given, nor the MSDOSFILE contains a
1269 wildcard, and there is only one Msdos file parameter on the command
1270 line, only the attribute is printed, and not the filename. This
1271 option is convenient for scripts
1274 Replay mode. Outputs a series of mformat commands that will
1275 reproduce the current situation, starting from a situation as left
1276 by untarring the Dos filesystem. Commands are only output for
1277 attribute settings that differ from the default (archive bit set
1278 for files, unset for directories). This option is intended to be
1279 used in addition to tar. The `readonly' attribute is not taken
1280 into account, as tar can set that one itself.
1283 File: mtools.info, Node: mbadblocks, Next: mcat, Prev: mattrib, Up: Commands
1288 The `mbadblocks' command is used to scan an MS-DOS floppy and mark its
1289 unused bad blocks as bad. It uses the following syntax:
1291 `mbadblocks' DRIVE`:'
1293 `Mbadblocks' scans an MS-DOS floppy for bad blocks. All unused bad
1294 blocks are marked as such in the FAT. This is intended to be used right
1295 after `mformat'. It is not intended to salvage bad disks.
1300 `Mbadblocks' should (but doesn't yet :-( ) also try to salvage bad
1301 blocks which are in use by reading them repeatedly, and then mark them
1305 File: mtools.info, Node: mcat, Next: mcd, Prev: mbadblocks, Up: Commands
1310 The `mcat' command is used to copy an entire disk image from or to the
1311 floppy device. It uses the following syntax:
1313 `mcat' [`-w'] DRIVE`:'
1315 `Mcat' performs the same task as the unix `cat' command. It is
1316 included into the mtools package, since `cat' cannot access remote
1317 floppy devices offered by the mtools floppy daemon. Now it is possible
1318 to create boot floppies remotely.
1320 The default operation is reading. The output is written to stdout.
1322 If the `-w' option is specified, mcat reads a disk-image from stdin
1323 and writes it to the given device. *Use this carefully!* Because of
1324 the lowlevel nature of this command, it will happily destroy any data
1325 written before on the disk without warning!
1328 File: mtools.info, Node: mcd, Next: mclasserase, Prev: mcat, Up: Commands
1333 The `mcd' command is used to change the mtools working directory on the
1334 MS-DOS disk. It uses the following syntax:
1336 `mcd' [MSDOSDIRECTORY]
1338 Without arguments, `mcd' reports the current device and working
1339 directory. Otherwise, `mcd' changes the current device and current
1340 working directory relative to an MS-DOS filesystem.
1342 The environmental variable `MCWD' may be used to locate the file
1343 where the device and current working directory information is stored.
1344 The default is `$HOME/.mcwd'. Information in this file is ignored if
1345 the file is more than 6 hours old.
1347 `Mcd' returns 0 on success or 1 on failure.
1349 Unlike MS-DOS versions of `CD', `mcd' can be used to change to
1350 another device. It may be wise to remove old `.mcwd' files at logout.
1353 File: mtools.info, Node: mclasserase, Next: mcopy, Prev: mcd, Up: Commands
1358 The `mclasserase' command is used to wipe memory cards by overwriting
1359 it three times: first with `0xff', then with `0x00', then with `0xff'
1360 again. The command uses the following syntax:
1362 `mclasserase' [`-d'] MSDOSDRIVE
1364 Dos drive is optional, if none is specified, use `A:'. If more than
1365 one drive are specified, all but the last are ignored.
1367 `Mclasserase' accepts the following command line options:
1370 Stop after each erase cycle, for testing purposes
1375 `Mclasserase' returns 0 on success or -1 on failure.
1378 File: mtools.info, Node: mcopy, Next: mdel, Prev: mclasserase, Up: Commands
1383 The `mcopy' command is used to copy MS-DOS files to and from Unix. It
1384 uses the following syntax:
1386 `mcopy' [`-bspanvmQT'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
1387 `mcopy' [`-bspanvmQT'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE [ SOURCEFILES... ] TARGETDIRECTORY
1388 `mcopy' [`-tnvm'] MSDOSSOURCEFILE
1390 `Mcopy' copies the specified file to the named file, or copies
1391 multiple files to the named directory. The source and target can be
1392 either MS-DOS or Unix files.
1394 The use of a drive letter designation on the MS-DOS files, 'a:' for
1395 example, determines the direction of the transfer. A missing drive
1396 designation implies a Unix file whose path starts in the current
1397 directory. If a source drive letter is specified with no attached file
1398 name (e.g. `mcopy a: .'), all files are copied from that drive.
1400 If only a single, MS-DOS source parameter is provided (e.g. "mcopy
1401 a:foo.exe"), an implied destination of the current directory (``.'') is
1404 A filename of ``-'' means standard input or standard output,
1405 depending on its position on the command line.
1407 `Mcopy' accepts the following command line options:
1410 Text file transfer. Mcopy translates incoming carriage return/line
1411 feeds to line feeds when copying from Dos to Unix, and vice-versa
1412 when copying from Unix to Dos.
1415 Batch mode. Optimized for huge recursive copies, but less secure
1416 if a crash happens during the copy.
1419 Recursive copy. Also copies directories and their contents
1422 Preserves the attributes of the copied files
1425 When mcopying multiple files, quits as soon as one copy fails (for
1426 example due to lacking storage space on the target disk)
1429 Text (Ascii) file transfer. `Mcopy' translates incoming carriage
1430 return/line feeds to line feeds.
1433 Text (Ascii) file transfer with charset conversion. Differs from
1434 `-a' in the `Mcopy' also translates incoming PC-8 characters to
1435 ISO-8859-1 equivalents as far as possible. When reading DOS files,
1436 untranslatable characters are replaced by '`#''; when writing DOS
1437 files, untranslatable characters are replaced by '`.''.
1440 No confirmation when overwriting Unix files. `Mcopy' doesn't warn
1441 the user when overwriting an existing Unix file. If the target
1442 file already exists, and the `-n' option is not in effect, `mcopy'
1443 asks whether to overwrite the file or to rename the new file
1444 (*note name clashes::) for details). In order to switch off
1445 confirmation for DOS files, use `-o'.
1448 Preserve the file modification time.
1451 Verbose. Displays the name of each file as it is copied.
1456 Unlike MS-DOS, the '+' operator (append) from MS-DOS is not supported.
1457 However, you may use `mtype' to produce the same effect:
1458 mtype a:file1 a:file2 a:file3 >unixfile
1459 mtype a:file1 a:file2 a:file3 | mcopy - a:msdosfile
1462 File: mtools.info, Node: mdel, Next: mdeltree, Prev: mcopy, Up: Commands
1467 The `mdel' command is used to delete an MS-DOS file. Its syntax is:
1469 `mdel' [`-v'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES ... ]
1471 `Mdel' deletes files on an MS-DOS filesystem.
1473 `Mdel' asks for verification prior to removing a read-only file.
1476 File: mtools.info, Node: mdeltree, Next: mdir, Prev: mdel, Up: Commands
1481 The `mdeltree' command is used to delete an MS-DOS file. Its syntax is:
1483 `mdeltree' [`-v'] MSDOSDIRECTORY [MSDOSDIRECTORIES...]
1485 `Mdeltree' removes a directory and all the files and subdirectories
1486 it contains from an MS-DOS filesystem. An error occurs if the directory
1487 to be removed does not exist.
1490 File: mtools.info, Node: mdir, Next: mdu, Prev: mdeltree, Up: Commands
1495 The `mdir' command is used to display an MS-DOS directory. Its syntax
1498 `mdir' [`-/'] [`-f'] [`-w'] [`-a'] [`-b'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES...]
1500 `Mdir' displays the contents of MS-DOS directories, or the entries
1501 for some MS-DOS files.
1503 `Mdir' supports the following command line options:
1506 Recursive output, just like Dos' `-s' option
1509 Wide output. With this option, `mdir' prints the filenames across
1510 the page without displaying the file size or creation date.
1513 Also list hidden files.
1516 Fast. Do not try to find out free space. On larger disks,
1517 finding out the amount of free space takes up some non trivial
1518 amount of time, as the whole FAT must be read in and scanned. The
1519 `-f' flag bypasses this step. This flag is not needed on FAT32
1520 filesystems, which store the size explicitely.
1523 Concise listing. Lists each directory name or filename, one per
1524 line (including the filename extension). This switch displays no
1525 heading information and no summary. Only a newline separated list
1526 of pathnames is displayed.
1528 An error occurs if a component of the path is not a directory.
1531 File: mtools.info, Node: mdu, Next: mformat, Prev: mdir, Up: Commands
1536 `Mdu' is used to list the space occupied by a directory, its
1537 subdirectories and its files. It is similar to the `du' command on
1538 Unix. The unit used are clusters. Use the minfo command to find out
1541 `mdu' [`-a'] [ MSDOSFILES ... ]
1544 All files. List also the space occupied for individual files.
1547 Only list the total space, don't give details for each
1551 File: mtools.info, Node: mformat, Next: mkmanifest, Prev: mdu, Up: Commands
1556 The `mformat' command is used to add an MS-DOS filesystem to a
1557 low-level formatted diskette. Its syntax is:
1559 `mformat' [`-t' CYLINDERS] [`-h' HEADS] [`-s' SECTORS]
1560 [`-f' SIZE] [`-1'] [`-4'] [`-8']
1562 [`-F'] [`-S' SIZECODE] [`-X']
1563 [`-2' SECTORS_ON_TRACK_0] [`-3']
1564 [`-0' RATE_ON_TRACK_0] [`-A' RATE_ON_OTHER_TRACKS]
1565 [`-M' SOFTWARE_SECTOR_SIZE]
1566 [`-N' SERIAL_NUMBER] [`-a']
1567 [`-C'] [`-H' HIDDEN_SECTORS] [`-I' FSVERSION]
1568 [`-r' ROOT_SECTORS] [`-L' FAT_LEN]
1569 [`-B' BOOT_SECTOR] [`-k']
1570 [`-m' MEDIA_DESCRIPTOR]
1573 `Mformat' adds a minimal MS-DOS filesystem (boot sector, FAT, and
1574 root directory) to a diskette that has already been formatted by a Unix
1577 The following options are supported: (The S, 2, 1 and M options may
1578 not exist if this copy of mtools has been compiled without the USE_2M
1581 The following options are the same as for Dos's format command:
1584 Specifies the volume label. A volume label identifies the disk and
1585 can be a maximum of 11 characters. If you omit the -v switch,
1586 mlabel will assign no label to the disk.
1589 Specifies the size of the DOS filesystem to format. Only a certain
1590 number of predefined sizes are supported by this flag; for others
1591 use the -h/-t/-s flags. The following sizes are supported:
1593 160K, single-sided, 8 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1597 160K, single-sided, 9 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1601 320K, double-sided, 8 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1605 360K, double-sided, 9 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
1609 720K, double-sided, 9 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for 3
1613 1200K, double-sided, 15 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for
1617 1440K, double-sided, 18 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for
1621 2880K, double-sided, 36 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for
1625 Specifies the number of tracks on the disk.
1628 The number of heads (sides).
1631 Specifies the number of sectors per track. If the 2m option is
1632 given, number of 512-byte sector equivalents on generic tracks
1633 (i.e. not head 0 track 0). If the 2m option is not given, number
1634 of physical sectors per track (which may be bigger than 512 bytes).
1637 Formats a single side (equivalent to -h 1)
1640 Formats a 360K double-sided disk (equivalent to -f 360). When used
1641 together with -the 1 switch, this switch formats a 180K disk
1644 Formats a disk with 8 sectors per track.
1647 MSDOS format's `q', `u' and `b' options are not supported, and `s'
1648 has a different meaning.
1650 The following options are specific to mtools:
1653 Format the partition as FAT32.
1656 The sizecode. The size of the sector is 2 ^ (sizecode + 7).
1659 formats the disk as an XDF disk. *Note XDF::, for more details.
1660 The disk has first to be low-level formatted using the xdfcopy
1661 utility included in the fdutils package. XDF disks are used for
1662 instance for OS/2 install disks.
1665 2m format. The parameter to this option describes the number of
1666 sectors on track 0, head 0. This option is recommended for sectors
1670 don't use a 2m format, even if the current geometry of the disk is
1674 Data transfer rate on track 0
1677 Data transfer rate on tracks other than 0
1680 software sector size. This parameter describes the sector size in
1681 bytes used by the MS-DOS filesystem. By default it is the physical
1685 Uses the requested serial number, instead of generating one
1689 If this option is given, an Atari style serial number is generated.
1690 Ataris store their serial number in the OEM label.
1693 creates the disk image file to install the MS-DOS filesystem on
1694 it. Obviously, this is useless on physical devices such as floppies
1695 and hard disk partitions, but is interesting for image files.
1698 number of hidden sectors. This parameter is useful for formatting
1699 hard disk partition, which are not aligned on track boundaries
1700 (i.e. first head of first track doesn't belong to the partition,
1701 but contains a partition table). In that case the number of hidden
1702 sectors is in general the number of sectors per cylinder. This is
1706 Sets the fsVersion id when formatting a FAT32 drive. In order to
1707 find this out, run minfo on an existing FAT32 drive, and mail me
1708 about it, so I can include the correct value in future versions of
1712 Sets the size of a cluster (in sectors). If this cluster size
1713 would generate a FAT that too big for its number of bits, mtools
1714 automatically increases the cluster size, until the FAT is small
1718 Sets the number of FAT copies. Default is 2. This setting can also
1719 be specified using the `MTOOLS_NFATS' environment variable.
1722 Sets the size of the root directory (in sectors). Only applicable
1723 to 12 and 16 bit FATs. This setting can also be specified using the
1724 `MTOOLS_DIR_LEN' environment variable.
1727 Sets the length of the FAT.
1730 Use the bootsector stored in the given file or device, instead of
1731 using its own. Only the geometry fields are updated to match the
1732 target disks parameters.
1735 Keep the existing boot sector as much as possible. Only the
1736 geometry fields and other similar filesystem data are updated to
1737 match the target disks parameters.
1740 Use a non-standard media descriptor byte for this disk. The media
1741 descriptor is stored at position 21 of the boot sector, and as
1742 first byte in each FAT copy. Using this option may confuse DOS or
1743 older mtools version, and may make the disk unreadable. Only use
1744 if you know what you are doing.
1747 To format a diskette at a density other than the default, you must
1748 supply (at least) those command line parameters that are different from
1751 `Mformat' returns 0 on success or 1 on failure.
1753 It doesn't record bad block information to the Fat, use `mbadblocks'
1757 File: mtools.info, Node: mkmanifest, Next: minfo, Prev: mformat, Up: Commands
1762 The `mkmanifest' command is used to create a shell script (packing
1763 list) to restore Unix filenames. Its syntax is:
1765 `mkmanifest' [ FILES ]
1767 `Mkmanifest' creates a shell script that aids in the restoration of
1768 Unix filenames that got clobbered by the MS-DOS filename restrictions.
1769 MS-DOS filenames are restricted to 8 character names, 3 character
1770 extensions, upper case only, no device names, and no illegal characters.
1772 The mkmanifest program is compatible with the methods used in
1773 `pcomm, arc,' and `mtools' to change perfectly good Unix filenames to
1774 fit the MS-DOS restrictions. This command is only useful if the target
1775 system which will read the diskette cannot handle vfat long names.
1780 You want to copy the following Unix files to a MS-DOS diskette (using
1781 the `mcopy' command).
1790 `Mcopy' converts the names to:
1800 mkmanifest very_long_name 2.many.dots illegal: good.c prn.dev Capital >manifest
1801 would produce the following:
1802 mv very_lon very_long_name
1803 mv 2xmany.dot 2.many.dots
1804 mv illegalx illegal:
1808 Notice that "good.c" did not require any conversion, so it did not
1809 appear in the output.
1811 Suppose I've copied these files from the diskette to another Unix
1812 system, and I now want the files back to their original names. If the
1813 file "manifest" (the output captured above) was sent along with those
1814 files, it could be used to convert the filenames.
1819 The short names generated by `mkmanifest' follow the old convention
1820 (from mtools-2.0.7) and not the one from Windows 95 and mtools-3.0.
1823 File: mtools.info, Node: minfo, Next: mlabel, Prev: mkmanifest, Up: Commands
1828 The `minfo' command prints the parameters of a Dos filesystem, such as
1829 number of sectors, heads and cylinders. It also prints an mformat
1830 command line which can be used to create a similar Dos filesystem on
1831 another media. However, this doesn't work with 2m or Xdf media, and
1832 with Dos 1.0 filesystems
1835 Mlabel supports the following option:
1837 Prints a hexdump of the bootsector, in addition to the other
1841 File: mtools.info, Node: mlabel, Next: mmd, Prev: minfo, Up: Commands
1846 The `mlabel' command adds a volume label to a disk. Its syntax is:
1847 `mlabel' [`-vcsn'] [`-N' SERIAL] DRIVE:[NEW_LABEL]
1849 `Mlabel' displays the current volume label, if present. If NEW_LABEL
1850 is not given, and if neither the `c' nor the `s' options are set, it
1851 prompts the user for a new volume label. To delete an existing volume
1852 label, press return at the prompt.
1854 Reasonable care is taken to create a valid MS-DOS volume label. If
1855 an invalid label is specified, `mlabel' changes the label (and displays
1856 the new label if the verbose mode is set). `Mlabel' returns 0 on
1857 success or 1 on failure.
1859 Mlabel supports the following options:
1861 Clears an existing label, without prompting the user
1864 Shows the existing label, without prompting the user.
1867 Assigns a new (random) serial number to the disk
1870 Sets the supplied serial number. The serial number should be
1871 supplied as an 8 digit hexadecimal number, without spaces
1874 File: mtools.info, Node: mmd, Next: mmount, Prev: mlabel, Up: Commands
1879 The `mmd' command is used to make an MS-DOS subdirectory. Its syntax is:
1881 `mmd' [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] MSDOSDIRECTORY [ MSDOSDIRECTORIES... ]
1883 `Mmd' makes a new directory on an MS-DOS filesystem. An error occurs
1884 if the directory already exists.
1887 File: mtools.info, Node: mmount, Next: mmove, Prev: mmd, Up: Commands
1892 The `mmount' command is used to mount an MS-DOS disk. It is only
1893 available on Linux, as it is only useful if the OS kernel allows to
1894 configure the disk geometry. Its syntax is:
1896 `mmount' MSDOSDRIVE [MOUNTARGS]
1898 `Mmount' reads the boot sector of an MS-DOS disk, configures the
1899 drive geometry, and finally mounts it passing `mountargs' to `mount. '
1900 If no mount arguments are specified, the name of the device is used. If
1901 the disk is write protected, it is automatically mounted read only.
1904 File: mtools.info, Node: mmove, Next: mpartition, Prev: mmount, Up: Commands
1909 The `mmove' command is used to moves or renames an existing MS-DOS file
1911 `mmove' [`-v'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
1912 `mmove' [`-v'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE [ SOURCEFILES... ] TARGETDIRECTORY
1913 `Mmove' moves or renames an existing MS-DOS file or subdirectory.
1914 Unlike the MS-DOS version of `MOVE', `mmove' is able to move
1915 subdirectories. Files or directories can only be moved within one
1916 filesystem. Data cannot be moved from Dos to Unix or vice-versa. If
1917 you omit the drive letter from the target file or directory, the same
1918 letter as for the source is assumed. If you omit the drive letter from
1919 all parameters, drive a: is assumed by default.
1922 File: mtools.info, Node: mpartition, Next: mrd, Prev: mmove, Up: Commands
1927 The `mpartition' command is used to create MS-DOS filesystems as
1928 partitions. This is intended to be used on non-Linux systems, i.e.
1929 systems where fdisk and easy access to Scsi devices are not available.
1930 This command only works on drives whose partition variable is set.
1932 `mpartition' `-p' DRIVE
1933 `mpartition' `-r' DRIVE
1934 `mpartition' `-I' [`-B' BOOTSECTOR] DRIVE
1935 `mpartition' `-a' DRIVE
1936 `mpartition' `-d' DRIVE
1937 `mpartition' `-c' [`-s' SECTORS] [`-h' HEADS]
1938 [`-t' CYLINDERS] [`-v' [`-T' TYPE] [`-b'
1939 BEGIN] [`-l' length] [`-f']
1941 Mpartition supports the following operations:
1944 Prints a command line to recreate the partition for the drive.
1945 Nothing is printed if the partition for the drive is not defined,
1946 or an inconsistency has been detected. If verbose (`-v') is also
1947 set, prints the current partition table.
1950 Removes the partition described by DRIVE.
1953 Initializes the partition table, and removes all partitions.
1956 Creates the partition described by DRIVE.
1959 "Activates" the partition, i.e. makes it bootable. Only one
1960 partition can be bootable at a time.
1963 "Desactivates" the partition, i.e. makes it unbootable.
1965 If no operation is given, the current settings are printed.
1967 For partition creations, the following options are available:
1969 The number of sectors per track of the partition (which is also the
1970 number of sectors per track for the whole drive).
1973 The number of heads of the partition (which is also the number of
1974 heads for the whole drive). By default, the geometry information
1975 (number of sectors and heads) is figured out from neighbouring
1976 partition table entries, or guessed from the size.
1979 The number of cylinders of the partition (not the number of
1980 cylinders of the whole drive.
1983 The starting offset of the partition, expressed in sectors. If
1984 begin is not given, mpartition lets the partition begin at the
1985 start of the disk (partition number 1), or immediately after the
1986 end of the previous partition.
1989 The size (length) of the partition, expressed in sectors. If end
1990 is not given, mpartition figures out the size from the number of
1991 sectors, heads and cylinders. If these are not given either, it
1992 gives the partition the biggest possible size, considering disk
1993 size and start of the next partition.
1995 The following option is available for all operation which modify the
1998 Usually, before writing back any changes to the partition,
1999 mpartition performs certain consistenct checks, such as checking
2000 for overlaps and proper alignment of the partitions. If any of
2001 these checks fails, the partition table is not changes. The `-f'
2002 allows you to override these safeguards.
2004 The following options are available for all operations:
2006 Together with `-p' prints the partition table as it is now (no
2007 change operation), or as it is after it is modified.
2010 If the verbosity flag is given twice, mpartition will print out a
2011 hexdump of the partition table when reading it from and writing it
2014 The following option is available for partition table initialization:
2016 Reads the template master boot record from file BOOTSECTOR.
2019 File: mtools.info, Node: mrd, Next: mren, Prev: mpartition, Up: Commands
2024 The `mrd' command is used to remove an MS-DOS subdirectory. Its syntax
2027 `mrd' [`-v'] MSDOSDIRECTORY [ MSDOSDIRECTORIES... ]
2029 `Mrd' removes a directory from an MS-DOS filesystem. An error occurs
2030 if the directory does not exist or is not empty.
2033 File: mtools.info, Node: mren, Next: mshowfat, Prev: mrd, Up: Commands
2038 The `mren' command is used to rename or move an existing MS-DOS file or
2039 subdirectory. Its syntax is:
2041 `mren' [`-voOsSrRA'] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
2043 `Mren' renames an existing file on an MS-DOS filesystem.
2045 In verbose mode, `Mren' displays the new filename if the name
2046 supplied is invalid.
2048 If the first syntax is used (only one sourcefile), and if the target
2049 name doesn't contain any slashes or colons, the file (or subdirectory)
2050 is renamed in the same directory, instead of being moved to the current
2051 `mcd' directory as would be the case with `mmove'. Unlike the MS-DOS
2052 version of `REN', `mren' can be used to rename directories.
2055 File: mtools.info, Node: mshowfat, Next: mtoolstest, Prev: mren, Up: Commands
2060 The `mshowfat' command is used to display the FAT entries for a file.
2066 File: mtools.info, Node: mtoolstest, Next: mtype, Prev: mshowfat, Up: Commands
2071 The `mtoolstest' command is used to tests the mtools configuration
2072 files. To invoke it, just type `mtoolstest' without any arguments.
2073 `Mtoolstest' reads the mtools configuration files, and prints the
2074 cumulative configuration to `stdout'. The output can be used as a
2075 configuration file itself (although you might want to remove redundant
2076 clauses). You may use this program to convert old-style configuration
2077 files into new style configuration files.
2080 File: mtools.info, Node: mtype, Next: mzip, Prev: mtoolstest, Up: Commands
2085 The `mtype' command is used to display contents of an MS-DOS file. Its
2088 `mtype' [`-ts'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES... ]
2090 `Mtype' displays the specified MS-DOS file on the screen.
2092 In addition to the standard options, `Mtype' allows the following
2093 command line options:
2096 Text file viewing. `Mtype' translates incoming carriage
2097 return/line feeds to line feeds.
2100 `Mtype' strips the high bit from the data.
2102 The `mcd' command may be used to establish the device and the
2103 current working directory (relative to MS-DOS), otherwise the default is
2106 `Mtype' returns 0 on success, 1 on utter failure, or 2 on partial
2109 Unlike the MS-DOS version of `TYPE', `mtype' allows multiple
2113 File: mtools.info, Node: mzip, Prev: mtype, Up: Commands
2118 The `mzip' command is used to issue ZIP disk specific commands on
2119 Linux, Solaris or HPUX. Its syntax is:
2123 `Mzip' allows the following command line options:
2129 Force eject even if the disk is mounted (must be given in addition
2133 Write protect the disk.
2136 Remove write protection.
2139 Password write protect.
2145 Temporarily unprotect the disk until it is ejected. The disk
2146 becomes writable, and reverts back to its old state when ejected.
2151 To remove the password, set it to one of the passwordless modes `-r'
2152 or `-w': mzip will then ask you for the password, and unlock the disk.
2153 If you have forgotten the password, you can get rid of it by low-level
2154 formatting the disk (using your SCSI adaptor's BIOS setup).
2156 The ZipTools disk shipped with the drive is also password protected.
2157 On Dos or on a Mac, this password is automatically removed once the
2158 ZipTools have been installed. From various articles posted to Usenet, I
2159 learned that the password for the tools disk is
2160 `APlaceForYourStuff'(1). Mzip knows about this password, and tries it
2161 first, before prompting you for a password. Thus `mzip -w z:' unlocks
2162 the tools disk(2). The tools disk is formatted in a special way so as
2163 to be usable both in a PC and in a Mac. On a PC, the Mac filesystem
2164 appears as a hidden file named `partishn.mac'. You may erase it to
2165 reclaim the 50 Megs of space taken up by the Mac filesystem.
2170 This command is a big kludge. A proper implementation would take a
2171 rework of significant parts of mtools, but unfortunately I don't have
2172 the time for this right now. The main downside of this implementation is
2173 that it is inefficient on some architectures (several successive calls
2174 to mtools, which defeats mtools' caching).
2176 ---------- Footnotes ----------
2178 (1) To see the articles, search for `APlaceForYourStuff' using
2181 (2) I didn't know about this yet when I bought my own Zip drive.
2182 Thus I ended up reformatting my tools disk, and hence I haven't had the
2183 opportunity to test the password yet. If anybody still has their tools
2184 disk with the original password, could you try it out? Thanks in advance
2187 File: mtools.info, Node: Compiling mtools, Next: Porting mtools, Prev: Commands, Up: Top
2189 5 Architecture specific compilation flags
2190 *****************************************
2192 To compile mtools, first invoke `./configure' before `make'. In
2193 addition to the standard `autoconfigure' flags, there are two
2194 architecture specific flags available.
2196 `./configure --enable-xdf'
2197 `./configure --disable-xdf'
2198 Enables support for XDF disks. This is on by default. *Note XDF::,
2201 `./configure --enable-vold'
2202 `./configure --disable-vold'
2203 Enables support for vold on Solaris. When used in conjunction with
2204 vold, mtools should use different device nodes than for direct
2207 `./configure --enable-new-vold'
2208 `./configure --disable-new-vold'
2209 Enables new support for vold on Solaris. This is supposed to work
2210 more smoothly than the old support.
2212 `./configure --enable-floppyd'
2213 `./configure --disable-floppyd'
2214 Enables support for floppyd. By default, floppyd support is
2215 enabled as long as the necessary X includes and libraries are
2219 File: mtools.info, Node: Porting mtools, Next: Command Index, Prev: Compiling mtools, Up: Top
2221 6 Porting mtools to architectures which are not supported yet
2222 *************************************************************
2224 This chapter is only interesting for those who want to port mtools to
2225 an architecture which is not yet supported. For most common systems,
2226 default drives are already defined. If you want to add default drives
2227 for a still unsupported system, run config.guess, to see which
2228 identification autoconf uses for that system. This identification is of
2229 the form cpu-vendor-os (for example sparc-sun-sunos). The cpu and the
2230 os parts are passed to the compiler as preprocessor flags. The OS
2231 part is passed to the compiler in three forms.
2232 1. The complete os name, with dots replaced by underscores. sco3.2v2
2233 would yield sco3_2v2
2235 2. The base os name. Sco3.2v2 would yield Sco
2237 3. The base os name plus its major version. Sco3.2v2 would yield Sco3
2239 All three versions are passed, if they are different.
2241 To define the devices, use the entries for the systems that are
2242 already present as templates. In general, they have the following form:
2244 #if (defined (my_cpu) && defined(my_os))
2245 #define predefined_devices
2246 struct device devices[] = {
2247 { "/dev/first_drive", 'drive_letter', drive_description},
2249 { "/dev/last_drive", 'drive_letter', drive_description}
2254 "/dev/first_drive" is the name of the device or image file
2255 representing the drive. Drive_letter is a letter ranging from a to z
2256 giving access to the drive. Drive_description describes the type of the
2259 extra density (2.88M) 3 1/2 disk
2262 high density 3 1/2 disk
2265 double density 3 1/2 disk
2268 high density 5 1/4 disk
2271 double density 5 1/4 disk
2274 8 sector double density 5 1/4 disk
2277 single sided double density 5 1/4 disk
2280 single sided 8 sector double density 5 1/4 disk
2283 generic floppy drive (12 bit FAT)
2286 generic hard disk (16 bit FAT)
2289 generic device (all parameters match)
2292 generic ZIP drive using normal access. This uses partition 4.
2293 `Flags' are any special flags to be passed to open.
2296 generic ZIP drive using raw SCSI access. This uses partition 4.
2297 `Flags' are any special flags to be passed to open.
2300 the remote drive used for floppyd. Unlike the other items, this
2301 macro also includes the file name ($DISPLAY) and the drive letter
2304 Entries may be described in more detail:
2305 fat_bits,open_flags,cylinders,heads,sectors,DEF_ARG
2306 or, if you need to describe an offset (filesystem doesn't start at
2307 beginning of filesystem)
2308 fat_bits, open_flags, cylinders, heads, sectors, offset, DEF_ARG0
2311 is either 12, 16 or 0. 0 means that the device accepts both types
2315 may include flags such as O_NDELAY, or O_RDONLY, which might be
2316 necessary to open the device. 0 means no special flags are needed.
2318 `cylinders,heads,sectors'
2319 describe the geometry of the disk. If cylinders is 0, the heads
2320 and sectors parameters are ignored, and the drive accepts any
2324 is used if the DOS filesystem doesn't begin at the start of the
2325 device or image file. This is mostly useful for Atari Ram disks
2326 (which contain their device driver at the beginning of the file)
2327 or for DOS emulator images (which may represent a partitioned
2330 Definition of defaults in the devices file should only be done if
2331 these same devices are found on a large number of hosts of this type.
2332 In that case, could you also let me know about your new definitions, so
2333 that I can include them into the next release. For purely local file, I
2334 recommend that you use the `/usr/local/etc/mtools.conf' and
2335 `~/.mtoolsrc' configuration files.
2337 However, the devices files also allows to supply geometry setting
2338 routines. These are necessary if you want to access high capacity disks.
2340 Two routines should be supplied:
2342 1. Reading the current parameters
2343 static inline int get_parameters(int fd, struct generic_floppy_struct *floppy)
2345 This probes the current configured geometry, and return it in the
2346 structure generic_floppy_struct (which must also be declared).
2347 Fd is an open file descriptor for the device, and buf is an already
2348 filled in stat structure, which may be useful. This routine
2349 should return 1 if the probing fails, and 0 otherwise.
2351 2. Setting new parameters
2352 static inline int set_parameters(int fd, struct generic_floppy_struct *floppy)
2354 This configures the geometry contained in floppy on the file
2355 descriptor fd. Buf is the result of a stat call (already filled
2356 in). This should return 1 if the new geometry cannot be
2357 configured, and 0 otherwise.
2359 A certain number of preprocessor macros should also be supplied:
2362 refers to the track field in the floppy structure
2365 refers to the heads field in the floppy structure
2368 refers to the sectors per track field in the floppy structure
2370 `SECTORS_PER_DISK(floppy)'
2371 refers to the sectors per disk field in the floppy structure (if
2372 applicable, otherwise leave undefined)
2375 major number of the floppy device, when viewed as a block device
2378 major number of the floppy device, when viewed as a character
2379 device (a.k.a. "raw" device, used for fsck) (leave this undefined,
2380 if your OS doesn't have raw devices)
2382 For the truly high capacity formats (XDF, 2m, etc), there is no clean
2383 and documented interface yet.
2386 File: mtools.info, Node: Command Index, Next: Variable Index, Prev: Porting mtools, Up: Top
2394 File: mtools.info, Node: Variable Index, Next: Concept Index, Prev: Command Index, Up: Top
2402 * cylinders: geometry description. (line 61)
2403 * drive: general information. (line 6)
2404 * exclusive: open flags. (line 6)
2405 * fat_bits: misc variables. (line 11)
2406 * file: location information. (line 10)
2407 * filter: misc flags. (line 77)
2408 * heads: geometry description. (line 65)
2409 * mformat_only: misc flags. (line 73)
2410 * MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY: global variables. (line 6)
2411 * MTOOLS_LOWER_CASE: global variables. (line 6)
2412 * MTOOLS_NO_VFAT: global variables. (line 6)
2413 * MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK: global variables. (line 6)
2414 * MTOOLSRC: Configuration. (line 9)
2415 * nodelay: open flags. (line 6)
2416 * sectors: geometry description. (line 68)
2417 * sync: open flags. (line 6)
2418 * tracks: geometry description. (line 61)
2419 * use_xdf: misc flags. (line 68)
2422 File: mtools.info, Node: Concept Index, Prev: Variable Index, Up: Top
2431 * ALPHA patches: Location. (line 6)
2432 * APlaceForYourStuff: mzip. (line 6)
2433 * Archive bit: mattrib. (line 6)
2434 * Atari: misc flags. (line 65)
2435 * Atari Ram disk: location information. (line 28)
2436 * Backwards compatibility: old style config. (line 6)
2437 * Bad blocks: mbadblocks. (line 9)
2438 * bigger sectors: bigger sectors. (line 6)
2439 * blocksize: misc variables. (line 34)
2440 * bugs: Location. (line 6)
2441 * Case sensitivity: case sensitivity. (line 6)
2442 * Changing file attributes: mattrib. (line 6)
2443 * character devices: misc variables. (line 34)
2444 * Checking configuration file: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2445 * Clusters of a file: mshowfat. (line 6)
2446 * Command list: Commands. (line 6)
2447 * Compile time configuration: Compiling mtools. (line 6)
2448 * Compiled-in defaults: Porting mtools. (line 6)
2449 * Concatenating MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2450 * Configuration file: default values. (line 6)
2451 * Configuration file name: config file location. (line 6)
2452 * Configuration file name (parsing order): parsing order. (line 6)
2453 * Configuration file parsing order: parsing order. (line 6)
2454 * Configuration file syntax: general syntax. (line 6)
2455 * Configuration file, old syntax: old style config. (line 6)
2456 * Configuration files: Configuration. (line 9)
2457 * Configuration of disk geometry: geometry description. (line 6)
2458 * Copying an entire disk image: mcat. (line 9)
2459 * Copying MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2460 * CR/LF conversions: mcopy. (line 6)
2461 * Creating a directory: mmd. (line 6)
2462 * Current working directory: directory. (line 6)
2463 * Current working directory (changing the): mcd. (line 6)
2464 * Default configuration: default values. (line 6)
2465 * Default directory: directory. (line 6)
2466 * Default directory (changing the): mcd. (line 6)
2467 * Default values: default values. (line 6)
2468 * Deleting a directory: mrd. (line 6)
2469 * deleting an MS-DOS directory recursively: mdeltree. (line 6)
2470 * deleting MS-DOS files: mdel. (line 6)
2471 * Description of disk geometry: geometry description. (line 6)
2472 * diffs: Location. (line 6)
2473 * Directory: directory. (line 6)
2474 * Directory (changing): mcd. (line 6)
2475 * Directory creation: mmd. (line 6)
2476 * Directory listing: mdir. (line 6)
2477 * Directory removing: mrd. (line 6)
2478 * disable locking: misc flags. (line 10)
2479 * Disk Geometry: geometry description. (line 6)
2480 * Disk image: mcat. (line 9)
2481 * Disk label: mlabel. (line 6)
2482 * DMF disks: more sectors. (line 6)
2483 * Dosemu hard disk image: location information. (line 14)
2484 * Drive configuration: per drive variables. (line 6)
2485 * Drive configuration, example: general information. (line 6)
2486 * Drive description: per drive variables. (line 6)
2487 * Drive description, example: general information. (line 6)
2488 * Drive independent configuration variables: global variables. (line 6)
2490 * Duplicate file names: name clashes. (line 6)
2491 * Ejecting a Zip/Jaz disk: mzip. (line 6)
2492 * Environmental variables: global variables. (line 6)
2493 * Erasing a directory: mrd. (line 6)
2494 * erasing an MS-DOS directory recursively: mdeltree. (line 6)
2495 * erasing MS-DOS files: mdel. (line 6)
2496 * exclusive access to a drive: open flags. (line 6)
2497 * Executing commands before opening the device: misc variables.
2499 * Fat: mshowfat. (line 6)
2500 * fdformat: more sectors. (line 6)
2501 * File name of device node: location information. (line 10)
2502 * Filenames: arguments. (line 6)
2503 * Filesystem creation: mformat. (line 6)
2504 * floppyd: floppyd. (line 6)
2505 * Floppyd cat: mcat. (line 9)
2506 * floppyd_installtest: floppyd_installtest. (line 6)
2507 * Format of disk: geometry description. (line 6)
2508 * Formats, high capacity: high capacity formats.
2510 * Formatting disks: mformat. (line 6)
2511 * FreeDos: global variables. (line 6)
2512 * getting parameters of a Dos fs: minfo. (line 6)
2513 * Global configuration variables: global variables. (line 6)
2514 * Hdimage: location information. (line 6)
2515 * Hidden files: mattrib. (line 6)
2516 * High capacity formats: high capacity formats.
2518 * High capacity formats, mounting: mmount. (line 6)
2519 * High density disk: geometry description. (line 6)
2520 * Image file: location information. (line 10)
2521 * Initializing disks: mformat. (line 6)
2522 * Jaz disk (utilities): mzip. (line 6)
2523 * Jaz disks (partitioning them): mpartition. (line 6)
2524 * Jaz disks (partitions): location information. (line 14)
2525 * Jaz disks (raw Scsi access): misc flags. (line 16)
2526 * Labeling a disk: mlabel. (line 6)
2527 * Linux enhancements (High Capacity Formats): high capacity formats.
2529 * Linux enhancements (mmount): mmount. (line 6)
2530 * List of available commands: Commands. (line 6)
2531 * Listing a directory: mdir. (line 6)
2532 * Listing space occupied by directories and files: mdu. (line 6)
2533 * Location of configuration files: config file location. (line 6)
2534 * Location of configuration files (parsing order): parsing order.
2536 * locking (disabling it): misc flags. (line 10)
2537 * Long file name: long names. (line 6)
2538 * Low density disk: geometry description. (line 6)
2539 * Magneto-optical disks: location information. (line 14)
2540 * mailing list: Location. (line 6)
2541 * Making a directory: mmd. (line 6)
2542 * Marking blocks as bad: mbadblocks. (line 9)
2543 * mattrib: mattrib. (line 6)
2544 * mbadblocks: mbadblocks. (line 9)
2545 * mcat: mcat. (line 9)
2546 * mcd: mcd. (line 6)
2547 * mcd (introduction): directory. (line 6)
2548 * mclasserase: mclasserase. (line 6)
2549 * mcopy: mcopy. (line 6)
2550 * Mcwd file: mcd. (line 6)
2551 * mdel: mdel. (line 6)
2552 * mdeltree: mdeltree. (line 6)
2553 * mdir: mdir. (line 6)
2554 * mdu: mdu. (line 6)
2555 * Memory Card: mclasserase. (line 6)
2556 * mformat: mformat. (line 6)
2557 * mformat (geometry used for): geometry description. (line 6)
2558 * mformat parameters: minfo. (line 6)
2559 * minfo: minfo. (line 6)
2560 * mkmanifest: mkmanifest. (line 6)
2561 * mlabel: mlabel. (line 6)
2562 * mmd: mmd. (line 6)
2563 * mmount: mmount. (line 6)
2564 * mmove: mmove. (line 6)
2565 * Mounting a disk: mmount. (line 6)
2566 * Moving files (mmove): mmove. (line 6)
2567 * Moving files (mren): mren. (line 6)
2568 * mpartition: mpartition. (line 6)
2569 * mrd: mrd. (line 6)
2570 * mren: mren. (line 6)
2571 * mshowfat: mshowfat. (line 6)
2572 * mtoolstest: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2573 * mzip: mzip. (line 6)
2574 * Name clashes: name clashes. (line 6)
2575 * Name of configuration files: config file location. (line 6)
2576 * Name of configuration files (parsing order): parsing order. (line 6)
2577 * Name of device node: location information. (line 10)
2578 * Occupation of space by directories and files: mdu. (line 6)
2579 * Odd formats: high capacity formats.
2581 * Old configuration file syntax: old style config. (line 6)
2582 * open flags: open flags. (line 6)
2583 * Options: arguments. (line 6)
2584 * OS/2 (layout of removable media): location information. (line 14)
2585 * OS/2 (XDF disks): XDF. (line 6)
2586 * Overwriting files: name clashes. (line 6)
2587 * packing list: mkmanifest. (line 6)
2588 * Parsing order: parsing order. (line 6)
2589 * Partitioned image file: location information. (line 14)
2590 * partitions (creating): mpartition. (line 6)
2591 * password protected Zip disks: mzip. (line 6)
2592 * patches: Location. (line 6)
2593 * Physically erase: mclasserase. (line 6)
2594 * plain floppy: device xxx busy: misc flags. (line 10)
2595 * Porting: Porting mtools. (line 6)
2596 * Primary file name (long names): long names. (line 6)
2597 * Primary file name (name clashes): name clashes. (line 6)
2598 * Ram disk: location information. (line 28)
2599 * raw device: misc variables. (line 34)
2600 * Read errors: mbadblocks. (line 9)
2601 * Read-only files (changing the attribute): mattrib. (line 6)
2602 * Read-only files (listing them): mdir. (line 6)
2603 * Reading MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2604 * recursively removing an MS-DOS directory: mdeltree. (line 6)
2605 * remote floppy access <1>: floppyd_installtest. (line 6)
2606 * remote floppy access: floppyd. (line 6)
2607 * Removable media: location information. (line 14)
2608 * Removing a directory: mrd. (line 6)
2609 * removing an MS-DOS directory recursively: mdeltree. (line 6)
2610 * removing MS-DOS files: mdel. (line 6)
2611 * Renaming files (mmove): mmove. (line 6)
2612 * Renaming files (mren): mren. (line 6)
2613 * SCSI devices: misc flags. (line 16)
2614 * Secondary file name (long names): long names. (line 6)
2615 * Secondary file name (name clashes): name clashes. (line 6)
2616 * setgid installation: misc flags. (line 40)
2617 * setuid installation: misc flags. (line 40)
2618 * setuid installation (needed for raw SCSI I/O): misc flags. (line 16)
2619 * Solaris (compile time configuration of vold): Compiling mtools.
2621 * Solaris (Raw access to SCSI devices such as Zip & Jaz): misc flags.
2623 * Solaris (volcheck): misc variables. (line 28)
2624 * Solaris (vold): misc flags. (line 57)
2625 * Space occupied by directories and files: mdu. (line 6)
2626 * Special formats: high capacity formats.
2628 * Subdirectory creation: mmd. (line 6)
2629 * Subdirectory removing: mrd. (line 6)
2630 * SunOS (Raw access to SCSI devices such as Zip & Jaz): misc flags.
2632 * synchronous writing: open flags. (line 6)
2633 * Syntax of the configuration file: general syntax. (line 6)
2634 * Syquest disks: location information. (line 14)
2635 * Syquests (raw Scsi access): misc flags. (line 16)
2636 * System files: mattrib. (line 6)
2637 * Testing configuration file for correctness: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2638 * Text files: mcopy. (line 6)
2639 * Tools disk (Zip and Jaz drives): mzip. (line 6)
2640 * Verifying configuration file: mtoolstest. (line 6)
2641 * VFAT-style file names: long names. (line 6)
2642 * vgacopy: more sectors. (line 6)
2643 * Vold (compile time configuration): Compiling mtools. (line 6)
2644 * Vold (mediamgr): misc flags. (line 57)
2645 * Weird formats: high capacity formats.
2647 * Windows 95 (DMF disks): more sectors. (line 6)
2648 * Windows 95-style file names: long names. (line 6)
2649 * Windows NT (layout of removable media): location information.
2651 * Wordswapped: misc flags. (line 65)
2652 * Working directory <1>: mcd. (line 6)
2653 * Working directory: directory. (line 6)
2654 * Write protecting a Zip/Jaz disk: mzip. (line 6)
2655 * Writing MS-DOS files: mcopy. (line 6)
2656 * X terminal <1>: floppyd_installtest. (line 6)
2657 * X terminal: floppyd. (line 6)
2658 * XDF disks: XDF. (line 6)
2659 * XDF disks (compile time configuration): Compiling mtools. (line 6)
2660 * XDF disks (how to configure): misc flags. (line 68)
2661 * Zip disk (utilities): mzip. (line 6)
2662 * Zip disks (partitioning them): mpartition. (line 6)
2663 * Zip disks (partitions): location information. (line 14)
2664 * Zip disks (raw Scsi access): misc flags. (line 16)
2665 * ZipTools disk: mzip. (line 6)
2671 Node: Location
\7f2948
2672 Node: Common features
\7f4334
2673 Node: arguments
\7f5098
2674 Node: drive letters
\7f6752
2675 Node: directory
\7f8104
2676 Node: long names
\7f8548
2677 Node: name clashes
\7f11094
2678 Node: case sensitivity
\7f13377
2679 Node: high capacity formats
\7f14601
2680 Node: more sectors
\7f15704
2681 Node: bigger sectors
\7f16753
2684 Node: exit codes
\7f19972
2686 Node: Configuration
\7f21140
2687 Node: config file location
\7f22264
2688 Node: general syntax
\7f22691
2689 Node: default values
\7f23511
2690 Node: global variables
\7f24038
2691 Node: per drive variables
\7f26118
2692 Node: general information
\7f26935
2693 Node: location information
\7f27376
2694 Node: geometry description
\7f28879
2695 Node: open flags
\7f32731
2696 Node: misc variables
\7f33321
2697 Node: misc flags
\7f35364
2698 Node: multiple descriptions
\7f38999
2699 Node: parsing order
\7f40660
2700 Node: old style config
\7f41832
2701 Node: Commands
\7f42520
2702 Node: floppyd
\7f44387
2703 Node: floppyd_installtest
\7f49171
2704 Node: mattrib
\7f49802
2705 Node: mbadblocks
\7f51595
2708 Node: mclasserase
\7f53904
2711 Node: mdeltree
\7f57938
2714 Node: mformat
\7f60133
2715 Node: mkmanifest
\7f66700
2717 Node: mlabel
\7f69230
2719 Node: mmount
\7f70653
2721 Node: mpartition
\7f72051
2724 Node: mshowfat
\7f76671
2725 Node: mtoolstest
\7f76889
2728 Ref: mzip-Footnote-1
\7f80335
2729 Ref: mzip-Footnote-2
\7f80411
2730 Node: Compiling mtools
\7f80697
2731 Node: Porting mtools
\7f81792
2732 Node: Command Index
\7f87707
2733 Node: Variable Index
\7f87855
2734 Node: Concept Index
\7f89320
projects / profile / ivi / mtools.git / blob