How to Burn CDs with an IDE Writer (up to Version 7.3)

Support knowledgebase (pohletz_ide_brenner)
Applies to

SuSE Linux: Versions 7.0 to 7.3

Situation:

You want to use your IDE CD-writer as CD-writer on SuSE Linux, too.

Procedure:

Enable the SCSI support for the writer

First, the SCSI support for the corresponding drive is to be enabled, since the IDE writer can only be used as a burner if the SCSI emulation is activated.

To do this, start a text console (monitor with a shell on the quick start bar) and log in as root by entering the following command:

su -

Then you are prompted to enter the password for root (system administrator). Enter the password (note that no input whatsoever is displayed during this action).

Now enter the following command (the editor pico is only available in standard installations. If this is not your case, use vi instead):

pico -w /etc/rc.config
The content of the file
rc.config
will be displayed.

Search for the line starting with

INITRD_MODULES=

You can search by pressing the key combination:

CTRL + w
When doing this
Search :
is displayed on the lower screen border. Enter the search item initrd_ and press Return.

The cursor should go now to the line:

INITRD_MODULES=""

Enter the ide-scsi module in this line:

INITRD_MODULES="ide-scsi"

If there are already some entries available, simply append the ide-scsi module separated with a blank, e.g.:

INITRD_MODULES="reiserfs ide-scsi"

Save the changes with the key combination:

CTRL + x
Then the following question is displayed on the lower screen border:
Save modified buffer (ANSWERING "No" WILL DESTROY CHANGES) ?
Answer with y and confirm the next question:
File Name to write : /etc/rc.config
with the Return key.

Then enter the following command:

pico -w /etc/lilo.conf

The content of the boot loader file

lilo.conf
will be displayed. Search for the Linux section:
  image  = /boot/vmlinuz
  label  = linux
  root   = /dev/hda3
  initrd = /boot/initrd
Insert the following line after
initrd = /boot/initrd
append="hdX=ide-scsi"
replacing X with the letter corresponding to your CD-writer:
   hda = Master on the first controller (usually the hard-disk)
   hdb = Slave on the first controller
   hdc = Master on the second controller (typically the CD drive)
   hdd = Slave on the second controller
You can find out what ports your drives are attached to by searching for ide in the file /var/log/boot.msg:
grep ide /var/log/boot.msg

If there are already some entries available in the append line, simply append hdX=ide-scsi separated with a blank.

If you have more IDE CD-writers, the emulation must be entered for them, too. These entries must also be separated with blanks.

hdc=ide-scsi hdd=ide-scsi

Save the changes with the key combination:

CTRL + x
Then the following question is displayed on the lower screen border:
Save modified buffer (ANSWERING "No" WILL DESTROY CHANGES) ?
Answer with y and confirm the next question
File Name to write : /etc/lilo.conf
with the Return key.

Now you have to execute the following commands; first:

mk_initrd
Wait until the command has been processed and then execute:

lilo
By doing this, the SCSI emulation will be activated when the system starts and entered in the boot loader configuration.



Load the SCSI emulation

Open a terminal by clicking on the corresponding icon on the tool bar or pressing the key combination ALT - F2 and entering the following in the opened command line:

xterm
If necessary, log in as root by entering
su -
and the root password. Then use an editor of your choice to open the file:
/etc/init.d/boot.local
(/sbin/init.d/boot.local in versions <7.1.) Append the following line at the end of the file.

/sbin/modprobe ide-scsi
The file should now look similar to this:

# ! /bin/sh
#
# Copyright (c) 1996 SuSE GmbH Nuernberg, Germany.  All rights reserved.
#
# Author: Florian La Roche <florian@suse.de>, 1996
#         Werner Fink <werner@suse.de>, 1996
#         Burchard Steinbild <bs@suse.de>, 1996
#
# /sbin/init.d/boot.local
#
# script with local commands to be executed from init on system startup
#
. /etc/rc.config
#
# Here you should add things, that should happen directly after booting
# before we're going to the first run level.
#
/sbin/modprobe ide-scsi

Correct the settings for the CD drive

Due to the SCSI emulation, the kernel no longer regards the writer as an IDE device (and thus, no longer as e.g. /dev/hdc but as /dev/scd0).
However, a link automatically created during the installation informs the system that the CD drive (CD-writers are first considered as such) is located e.g. at /dev/hdc.
The CD drive icons on the KDE desktop point to /dev/cdrom, though. This link does not point to the CD drive or CD-writer, but nowhere. To correct this, proceed as follows:

Enter the following command in the terminal that is still open:

ln -sf /dev/scd0 /dev/cdrecorder
This command resets the link for the writer. If you want to use a second CD drive with SCSI emulation, you also need:
ln -sf /dev/scd1 /dev/cdrom
Swap scd0 and scd1 if your first drive is your CD-ROM drive. To guarantee that the drives can be correctly mounted later on, edit the file
/etc/fstab
and change the CD-writer line to:
/dev/cdrecorder  /media/cdrecorder   auto   ro,noauto,user,exec 0  0
and the CD-ROM drive line to:
/dev/cdrom       /media/cdrom        auto   ro,noauto,user,exec 0  0

For versions <7.2, omit /media and write /cdrecorder or /cdrom only.

If you use KDE, use the right mouse button to check if /dev/cdrecorder or /dev/cdrom are displayed in the device properties.

After restarting your system, the SCSI emulation should be activated and your writer should work.
See also:
o Package Installation from the CD with YaST2 Not Possible

Keywords: BURN, RECORD, WRITER, BURNER, ATAPI, RECORDER

Categories: Documentation

SDB-pohletz_ide_brenner, Copyright SuSE Linux AG, Nürnberg, Germany - Version: 03. Mar 2003
SuSE Linux AG - Last generated: 03. Mar 2003 by afaber (sdb_gen 1.40.0)