Date: Tue, 1 Sep 2015 01:14:12 +0200 From: Polytropon <freebsd@edvax.de> To: Quartz <quartz@sneakertech.com> Cc: freebsd-questions <freebsd-questions@freebsd.org> Subject: Re: Stop using a SATA drive Message-ID: <20150901011412.ec085f86.freebsd@edvax.de> In-Reply-To: <55E45757.9000901@sneakertech.com> References: <CAPi0psvT5aaHR7kU%2B28qwVDdutyMn7LjhFUGZRWctz4gGfgvgw@mail.gmail.com> <20150824214252.53aa04c6.freebsd@edvax.de> <55DEF869.1010202@sneakertech.com> <55DEFB5A.3080408@FreeBSD.org> <55DEFC74.3040609@sneakertech.com> <20150828000602.b9a288a8.freebsd@edvax.de> <CAPi0psvMcrHKCQK9kBSacMmNie_042q9RQtKit6k4dvwA0GJQg@mail.gmail.com> <20150829220809.438bbf30.freebsd@edvax.de> <55E45757.9000901@sneakertech.com>
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On Mon, 31 Aug 2015 09:32:07 -0400, Quartz wrote: > > The remaining question is: Is it technically valid to > > remove a device special file from the devfs file system > > corresponding to a device that currently is not in use > > (anymore), but is _present_ (attached to the system in > > some way)? > > I keep using OSX as a point of reference, but the way they do it is that > once the drive has been "ejected", it's effectively not present anymore. > Their mental model is that a drive can be physically attached without > being 'connected' software-wise, just that the process of establishing > that connection when a device is plugged in has been automated. This leaves the more or less philosophical question: If the user intends to use the disk he just ejected (but which is still connected) again, what does he have to do? Obviously, he cannot mount it anymore - no device file. Does he need to pull the USB cable and so powering down the device, and then plugging it in again, causing a somehow superfluous power cycle, to make the device file re-appear, or is there some "scan for new devices" (equivalent to "camcontrol reset")? > Personally I've never had a problem with this mental model. The problems start when you leave the predefined path. :-) > Many > different things can be physically plugged into a computer without > actually functioning (ie; network cable) so I don't see why drives > should have special rules. This is in fact correct, and again philosophically, think about the importance of the _time_: Just because I plug in something _now_ - it doesn't imply that I intend to interact with it right away, or even worse, in the way the OS believes I will. Example 1: I have a hard disk that is to be subject to a forensic analysis. What I do _not_ want is that it will be automacially mounted r/w, maybe searched for files, or written to. Example 2: I have a DVD which I want to copy some files from. Not now, later. What I do _not_ want is that it starts auto-playing. Example 3: I have a PCCARD wireless network adapter which I need the next day for setting up a WLAN AP "man in the middle" for traffic diagnostics. What I do _not_ want is that it automatically connects to my neighbor's open WLAN right now, and phone home. The "problem" with automatism is that one size doesn't fit everyone. :-) > Any anyway, when I eject a drive it's because > I'm about to physically remove it. In this, and _only_ in this kind of context, it's a fully valid approach. It's just that the question of the technical implementation and its valididy remains, and maybe even that is just a matter of taste. :-) -- Polytropon Magdeburg, Germany Happy FreeBSD user since 4.0 Andra moi ennepe, Mousa, ...
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