path: root/mtools.info

This is mtools.info, produced by makeinfo version 4.13 from mtools.texi.

This manual is for Mtools (version 4.0.18, January 2013), which is a
collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate MS-DOS files.

   Copyright (C) 2007, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  Copyright
(C) 1996-2005,2007-2011,2013 Alain Knaff.

     Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
     document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
     Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
     Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts,
     and with no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included
     in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

INFO-DIR-SECTION DOS
START-INFO-DIR-ENTRY
* Mtools: (mtools).        Mtools: utilities to access DOS disks in Unix.
END-INFO-DIR-ENTRY


File: mtools.info,  Node: Top,  Next: Location,  Prev: (dir),  Up: (dir)

Mtools doc
**********

This is mtools' documentation.

Introduction
************

Mtools is a collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate
MS-DOS files: read, write, and move around files on an MS-DOS file
system (typically a floppy disk).  Where reasonable, each program
attempts to emulate the MS-DOS equivalent command. However, unnecessary
restrictions and oddities of DOS are not emulated. For instance, it is
possible to move subdirectories from one subdirectory to another.

   Mtools is sufficient to give access to MS-DOS file systems.  For
instance, commands such as `mdir a:' work on the `a:' floppy without
any preliminary mounting or initialization (assuming the default
`/etc/mtools.conf' works on your machine).  With mtools, one can change
floppies too without unmounting and mounting.

   This manual is for Mtools (version 4.0.18, January 2013), which is a
collection of tools to allow Unix systems to manipulate MS-DOS files.

   Copyright (C) 2007, 2009 Free Software Foundation, Inc.  Copyright
(C) 1996-2005,2007-2011,2013 Alain Knaff.

     Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this
     document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License,
     Version 1.3 or any later version published by the Free Software
     Foundation; with no Invariant Sections, with no Front-Cover Texts,
     and with no Back-Cover Texts.  A copy of the license is included
     in the section entitled "GNU Free Documentation License".

* Menu:

* Location::          Where to find mtools and early bug fixes
* Common features::   Common features of all mtools commands
* Configuration::     How to configure mtools for your environment
* Commands::          The available mtools commands
* Compiling mtools::  Architecture specific compilation flags
* Porting mtools::    Porting mtools to architectures which are not
                      yet supported

* Command Index::     Command Index
* Variable Index::    Variable Index
* Concept Index::     Concept Index


File: mtools.info,  Node: Location,  Next: Common features,  Prev: Top,  Up: Top

1 Where to get mtools
*********************

Mtools can be found at the following places (and their mirrors):
     http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/mtools-4.0.18.tar.gz
     http://mtools.linux.lu/mtools-4.0.18.tar.gz
     ftp://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/mtools/mtools-4.0.18.tar.gz
     ftp://ibiblio.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/disk-management/mtools-4.0.18.tar.gz

   Before reporting a bug, make sure that it has not yet been fixed in
the Alpha patches which can be found at:
     http://ftp.gnu.org/gnu/mtools/
     http://mtools.linux.lu/
     ftp://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/mtools

   These patches are named `mtools-'VERSION`-'DDMM`.taz', where version
stands for the base version, DD for the day and MM for the month. Due
to a lack of space, I usually leave only the most recent patch.

   There is an mtools mailing list at mtools @ tux.org .  Please send
all bug reports to this list.  You may subscribe to the list by sending
a message with 'subscribe mtools @ tux.org' in its body to majordomo @
tux.org . (N.B. Please remove the spaces around the "@" both times. I
left them there in order to fool spambots.)  Announcements of new
mtools versions will also be sent to the list, in addition to the Linux
announce newsgroups.  The mailing list is archived at
http://lists.gnu.org/pipermail/info-mtools/


File: mtools.info,  Node: Common features,  Next: Configuration,  Prev: Location,  Up: Top

2 Common features of all mtools commands
****************************************

* Menu:

* arguments::              What the command line parameters of mtools
                           mean
* drive letters::          Which drives are defined by default
* directory::              Current working directory
* long names::             VFAT-style long filenames
* name clashes::           Name clash handling, and associated command
                           line options
* case sensitivity::       Case sensitivity
* high capacity formats::  How to fit more data on your floppies
* exit codes::             Exit codes
* bugs::                   Happens to everybody


File: mtools.info,  Node: arguments,  Next: drive letters,  Prev: Common features,  Up: Common features

2.1 Options and filenames
=========================

MS-DOS filenames are composed of a drive letter followed by a colon, a
subdirectory, and a filename. Only the filename part is mandatory, the
drive letter and the subdirectory are optional. Filenames without a
drive letter refer to Unix files. Subdirectory names can use either the
'`/'' or '`\'' separator.  The use of the '`\'' separator or wildcards
requires the names to be enclosed in quotes to protect them from the
shell. However, wildcards in Unix filenames should not be enclosed in
quotes, because here we *want* the shell to expand them.

   The regular expression "pattern matching" routines follow the
Unix-style rules.  For example, ``*'' matches all MS-DOS files in lieu
of ``*.*''.  The archive, hidden, read-only and system attribute bits
are ignored during pattern matching.

   All options use the `-' (minus) as their first character, not `/' as
you'd expect in MS-DOS.

   Most mtools commands allow multiple filename parameters, which
doesn't follow MS-DOS conventions, but which is more user-friendly.

   Most mtools commands allow options that instruct them how to handle
file name clashes. *Note name clashes::, for more details on these. All
commands accept the `-V' flags which prints the version, and most
accept the `-v' flag, which switches on verbose mode. In verbose mode,
these commands print out the name of the MS-DOS files upon which they
act, unless stated otherwise. *Note Commands::, for a description of
the options which are specific to each command.


File: mtools.info,  Node: drive letters,  Next: directory,  Prev: arguments,  Up: Common features

2.2 Drive letters
=================

The meaning of the drive letters depends on the target architectures.
However, on most target architectures, drive A is the first floppy
drive, drive B is the second floppy drive (if available), drive J is a
Jaz drive (if available), and drive Z is a Zip drive (if available).  On
those systems where the device name is derived from the SCSI id, the Jaz
drive is assumed to be at SCSI target 4, and the Zip at SCSI target 5
(factory default settings).  On Linux, both drives are assumed to be the
second drive on the SCSI bus (/dev/sdb). The default settings can be
changes using a configuration file (*note Configuration::).

   The drive letter : (colon) has a special meaning. It is used to
access image files which are directly specified on the command line
using the `-i' options.

   Example:
      mcopy -i my-image-file.bin ::file1 ::file2 .

   This copies `file1' and `file2' from the image file
(`my-image-file.bin') to the `/tmp' directory.

   You can also supply an offset within the image file by including
`@@'OFFSET into the file name.

   Example:
      mcopy -i my-image-file.bin@@1M ::file1 ::file2 .

   This looks for the image at the offset of 1M in the file, rather than
at its beginning.


File: mtools.info,  Node: directory,  Next: long names,  Prev: drive letters,  Up: Common features

2.3 Current working directory
=============================

The `mcd' command (*note mcd::) is used to establish the device and the
current working directory (relative to the MS-DOS file system),
otherwise the default is assumed to be `A:/'. However, unlike MS-DOS,
there is only one working directory for all drives, and not one per
drive.


File: mtools.info,  Node: long names,  Next: name clashes,  Prev: directory,  Up: Common features

2.4 VFAT-style long file names
==============================

This version of mtools supports VFAT style long filenames. If a Unix
filename is too long to fit in a short DOS name, it is stored as a VFAT
long name, and a companion short name is generated. This short name is
what you see when you examine the disk with a pre-7.0 version of DOS.
The following table shows some examples of short names:

     Long name       MS-DOS name     Reason for the change
     ---------       ----------      ---------------------
     thisisatest     THISIS~1        filename too long
     alain.knaff     ALAIN~1.KNA     extension too long
     prn.txt         PRN~1.TXT       PRN is a device name
     .abc            ABC~1           null filename
     hot+cold        HOT_CO~1        illegal character

   As you see, the following transformations happen to derive a short
name:
   * Illegal characters are replaced by underscores. The illegal
     characters are `;+=[]',\"*\\<>/?:|'.

   * Extra dots, which cannot be interpreted as a main name/extension
     separator are removed

   * A `~'N number is generated,

   * The name is shortened so as to fit in the 8+3 limitation

   The initial Unix-style file name (whether long or short) is also
called the "primary" name, and the derived short name is also called the
"secondary" name.

   Example:
      mcopy /etc/motd a:Reallylongname
    Mtools creates a VFAT entry for Reallylongname, and uses REALLYLO as
a short name. Reallylongname is the primary name, and REALLYLO is the
secondary name.
      mcopy /etc/motd a:motd
    Motd fits into the DOS filename limits. Mtools doesn't need to
derivate another name. Motd is the primary name, and there is no
secondary name.

   In a nutshell: The primary name is the long name, if one exists, or
the short name if there is no long name.

   Although VFAT is much more flexible than FAT, there are still names
that are not acceptable, even in VFAT. There are still some illegal
characters left (`\"*\\<>/?:|'), and device names are still reserved.

     Unix name       Long name       Reason for the change
     ---------       ----------      ---------------------
     prn             prn-1           PRN is a device name
     ab:c            ab_c-1          illegal character

   As you see, the following transformations happen if a long name is
illegal:
   * Illegal characters are replaces by underscores,

   * A `-'N number is generated,


File: mtools.info,  Node: name clashes,  Next: case sensitivity,  Prev: long names,  Up: Common features

2.5 Name clashes
================

When writing a file to disk, its long name or short name may collide
with an already existing file or directory. This may happen for all
commands which create new directory entries, such as `mcopy', `mmd',
`mren', `mmove'. When a name clash happens, mtools asks you what it
should do. It offers several choices:

`overwrite'
     Overwrites the existing file. It is not possible to overwrite a
     directory with a file.

`rename'
     Renames the newly created file. Mtools prompts for the new filename

`autorename'
     Renames the newly created file. Mtools chooses a name by itself,
     without prompting

`skip'
     Gives up on this file, and moves on to the next (if any)

   To chose one of these actions, type its first letter at the prompt.
If you use a lower case letter, the action only applies for this file
only, if you use an upper case letter, the action applies to all files,
and you won't be prompted again.

   You may also chose actions (for all files) on the command line, when
invoking mtools:

`-D o'
     Overwrites primary names by default.

`-D O'
     Overwrites secondary names by default.

`-D r'
     Renames primary name by default.

`-D R'
     Renames secondary name by default.

`-D a'
     Autorenames primary name by default.

`-D A'
     Autorenames secondary name by default.

`-D s'
     Skip primary name by default.

`-D S'
     Skip secondary name by default.

`-D m'
     Ask user what to do with primary name.

`-D M'
     Ask user what to do with secondary name.

   Note that for command line switches lower/upper differentiates
between primary/secondary name whereas for interactive choices,
lower/upper differentiates between just-this-time/always.

   The primary name is the name as displayed in Windows 95 or Windows
NT: i.e. the long name if it exists, and the short name otherwise.  The
secondary name is the "hidden" name, i.e. the short name if a long name
exists.

   By default, the user is prompted if the primary name clashes, and the
secondary name is autorenamed.

   If a name clash occurs in a Unix directory, mtools only asks whether
to overwrite the file, or to skip it.


File: mtools.info,  Node: case sensitivity,  Next: high capacity formats,  Prev: name clashes,  Up: Common features

2.6 Case sensitivity of the VFAT file system
============================================

The VFAT file system is able to remember the case of the filenames.
However, filenames which differ only in case are not allowed to coexist
in the same directory. For example if you store a file called
LongFileName on a VFAT file system, mdir shows this file as
LongFileName, and not as Longfilename. However, if you then try to add
LongFilename to the same directory, it is refused, because case is
ignored for clash checks.

   The VFAT file system allows to store the case of a filename in the
attribute byte, if all letters of the filename are the same case, and if
all letters of the extension are the same case too. Mtools uses this
information when displaying the files, and also to generate the Unix
filename when mcopying to a Unix directory. This may have unexpected
results when applied to files written using an pre-7.0 version of DOS:
Indeed, the old style filenames map to all upper case. This is different
from the behavior of the old version of mtools which used to generate
lower case Unix filenames.


File: mtools.info,  Node: high capacity formats,  Next: exit codes,  Prev: case sensitivity,  Up: Common features

2.7 high capacity formats
=========================

Mtools supports a number of formats which allow to store more data on
disk as usual. Due to different operating system abilities, these
formats are not supported on all operating systems. Mtools recognizes
these formats transparently where supported.

   In order to format these disks, you need to use an operating system
specific tool. For Linux, suitable floppy tools can be found in the
`fdutils' package at the following locations~:
     `ftp://www.tux.org/pub/knaff/fdutils/'.
     `ftp://ibiblio.unc.edu/pub/Linux/utils/disk-management/fdutils-*'

   See the manual pages included in that package for further detail: Use
`superformat' to format all formats except XDF, and use `xdfcopy' to
format XDF.

* Menu:

* more sectors::      Putting more sectors per track on the disk
* bigger sectors::    Use bigger sectors to save header space
* 2m::                Use a standard first track
* XDF::               OS/2's eXtended density format


File: mtools.info,  Node: more sectors,  Next: bigger sectors,  Prev: high capacity formats,  Up: high capacity formats

2.7.1 More sectors
------------------

The oldest method of fitting more data on a disk is to use more sectors
and more cylinders. Although the standard format uses 80 cylinders and
18 sectors (on a 3 1/2 high density disk), it is possible to use up to
83 cylinders (on most drives) and up to 21 sectors. This method allows
to store up to 1743K on a 3 1/2 HD disk. However, 21 sector disks are
twice as slow as the standard 18 sector disks because the sectors are
packed so close together that we need to interleave them. This problem
doesn't exist for 20 sector formats.

   These formats are supported by numerous DOS shareware utilities such
as `fdformat' and `vgacopy'. In his infinite hubris, Bill Gate$
believed that he invented this, and called it `DMF disks', or `Windows
formatted disks'. But in reality, it has already existed years before!
Mtools supports these formats on Linux, on SunOS and on the DELL Unix
PC.


File: mtools.info,  Node: bigger sectors,  Next: 2m,  Prev: more sectors,  Up: high capacity formats

2.7.2 Bigger sectors
--------------------

By using bigger sectors it is possible to go beyond the capacity which
can be obtained by the standard 512-byte sectors. This is because of the
sector header. The sector header has the same size, regardless of how
many data bytes are in the sector. Thus, we save some space by using
_fewer_, but bigger sectors. For example, 1 sector of 4K only takes up
header space once, whereas 8 sectors of 512 bytes have also 8 headers,
for the same amount of useful data.

   This method allows to store up to 1992K on a 3 1/2 HD disk.

   Mtools supports these formats only on Linux.


File: mtools.info,  Node: 2m,  Next: XDF,  Prev: bigger sectors,  Up: high capacity formats

2.7.3 2m
--------

The 2m format was originally invented by Ciriaco Garcia de Celis. It
also uses bigger sectors than usual in order to fit more data on the
disk.  However, it uses the standard format (18 sectors of 512 bytes
each) on the first cylinder, in order to make these disks easier to
handle by DOS. Indeed this method allows to have a standard sized boot
sector, which contains a description of how the rest of the disk should
be read.

   However, the drawback of this is that the first cylinder can hold
less data than the others. Unfortunately, DOS can only handle disks
where each track contains the same amount of data. Thus 2m hides the
fact that the first track contains less data by using a "shadow FAT".
(Usually, DOS stores the FAT in two identical copies, for additional
safety.  XDF stores only one copy, but tells DOS that it stores two.
Thus the space that would be taken up by the second FAT copy is saved.)
This also means that you should *never use a 2m disk to store anything
else than a DOS file system*.

   Mtools supports these formats only on Linux.


File: mtools.info,  Node: XDF,  Prev: 2m,  Up: high capacity formats

2.7.4 XDF
---------

XDF is a high capacity format used by OS/2. It can hold 1840 K per
disk. That's lower than the best 2m formats, but its main advantage is
that it is fast: 600 milliseconds per track. That's faster than the 21
sector format, and almost as fast as the standard 18 sector format. In
order to access these disks, make sure mtools has been compiled with XDF
support, and set the `use_xdf' variable for the drive in the
configuration file. *Note Compiling mtools::, and *note miscellaneous
variables::, for details on how to do this. Fast XDF access is only
available for Linux kernels which are more recent than 1.1.34.

   Mtools supports this format only on Linux.

   *Caution / Attention distributors*: If mtools is compiled on a Linux
kernel more recent than 1.3.34, it won't run on an older kernel.
However, if it has been compiled on an older kernel, it still runs on a
newer kernel, except that XDF access is slower. It is recommended that
distribution authors only include mtools binaries compiled on kernels
older than 1.3.34 until 2.0 comes out. When 2.0 will be out, mtools
binaries compiled on newer kernels may (and should) be distributed.
Mtools binaries compiled on kernels older than 1.3.34 won't run on any
2.1 kernel or later.


File: mtools.info,  Node: exit codes,  Next: bugs,  Prev: high capacity formats,  Up: Common features

2.8 Exit codes
==============

All the Mtools commands return 0 on success, 1 on utter failure, or 2
on partial failure.  All the Mtools commands perform a few sanity
checks before going ahead, to make sure that the disk is indeed an
MS-DOS disk (as opposed to, say an ext2 or MINIX disk). These checks
may reject partially corrupted disks, which might otherwise still be
readable. To avoid these checks, set the MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK
environmental variable or the corresponding configuration file variable
(*note global variables::)


File: mtools.info,  Node: bugs,  Prev: exit codes,  Up: Common features

2.9 Bugs
========

An unfortunate side effect of not guessing the proper device (when
multiple disk capacities are supported) is an occasional error message
from the device driver.  These can be safely ignored.

   The fat checking code chokes on 1.72 Mb disks mformatted with
pre-2.0.7 mtools. Set the environmental variable
MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY (or the corresponding configuration file
variable, *note global variables::) to bypass the fat checking.


File: mtools.info,  Node: Configuration,  Next: Commands,  Prev: Common features,  Up: Top

3 How to configure mtools for your environment
**********************************************

3.1 Description
===============

This sections explains the syntax of the configurations files for
mtools. The configuration files are called `/etc/mtools.conf' and
`~/.mtoolsrc'. If the environmental variable `MTOOLSRC' is set, its
contents is used as the filename for a third configuration file. These
configuration files describe the following items:

   * Global configuration flags and variables

   * Per drive flags and variables

* Menu:

* configuration file location::  Where mtools looks for its configuration files
* general syntax::        The layout of the configuration files
* default values::        Why you don't need a configuration file in most cases
* global variables::      Variables that are independent of the drive
* per drive variables::   Variables that are specific to a given drive
* parsing order::         Location of configuration files and parsing order
* old style configuration::      Backwards compatibility


File: mtools.info,  Node: configuration file location,  Next: general syntax,  Prev: Configuration,  Up: Configuration

3.2 Location of the configuration files
=======================================

`/etc/mtools.conf' is the system-wide configuration file, and
`~/.mtoolsrc' is the user's private configuration file.

   On some systems, the system-wide configuration file is called
`/etc/default/mtools.conf' instead.


File: mtools.info,  Node: general syntax,  Next: default values,  Prev: configuration file location,  Up: Configuration

3.2.1 General configuration file syntax
---------------------------------------

The configuration files is made up of sections. Each section starts
with a keyword identifying the section followed by a colon.  Then
follow variable assignments and flags. Variable assignments take the
following form:
     name=value
   Flags are lone keywords without an equal sign and value following
them.  A section either ends at the end of the file or where the next
section begins.

   Lines starting with a hash (`#') are comments. Newline characters
are equivalent to whitespace (except where ending a comment). The
configuration file is case insensitive, except for item enclosed in
quotes (such as filenames).


File: mtools.info,  Node: default values,  Next: global variables,  Prev: general syntax,  Up: Configuration

3.3 Default values
==================

For most platforms, mtools contains reasonable compiled-in defaults for
physical floppy drives.  Thus, you usually don't need to bother with the
configuration file, if all you want to do with mtools is to access your
floppy drives. On the other hand, the configuration file is needed if
you also want to use mtools to access your hard disk partitions and
DOSEMU image files.


File: mtools.info,  Node: global variables,  Next: per drive variables,  Prev: default values,  Up: Configuration

3.4 Global variables
====================

Global flags may be set to 1 or to 0.

   The following global flags are recognized:

`MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK'
     If this is set to 1, mtools skips most of its sanity checks. This
     is needed to read some Atari disks which have been made with the
     earlier ROMs, and which would not be recognized otherwise.

`MTOOLS_FAT_COMPATIBILITY'
     If this is set to 1, mtools skips the fat size checks. Some disks
     have a bigger FAT than they really need to. These are rejected if
     this option is not set.

`MTOOLS_LOWER_CASE'
     If this is set to 1, mtools displays all-upper-case short
     filenames as lowercase. This has been done to allow a behavior
     which is consistent with older versions of mtools which didn't
     know about the case bits.

`MTOOLS_NO_VFAT'
     If this is set to 1, mtools won't generate VFAT entries for
     filenames which are mixed-case, but otherwise legal dos filenames.
     This is useful when working with DOS versions which can't grok
     VFAT long names, such as FreeDOS.

`MTOOLS_DOTTED_DIR'
     In a wide directory, prints the short name with a dot instead of
     spaces separating the basename and the extension.

`MTOOLS_NAME_NUMERIC_TAIL'
     If this is set to one (default), generate numeric tails for all
     long names (~1).  If set to zero, only generate numeric tails if
     otherwise a clash would have happened.

`MTOOLS_TWENTY_FOUR_HOUR_CLOCK'
     If 1, uses the European notation for times (twenty four hour
     clock), else uses the UK/US notation (am/pm)

   Example: Inserting the following line into your configuration file
instructs mtools to skip the sanity checks:
       MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK=1

   Global variables may also be set via the environment:
       export MTOOLS_SKIP_CHECK=1

   Global string variables may be set to any value:
`MTOOLS_DATE_STRING'
     The format used for printing dates of files.  By default, is
     dd-mm-yyyy.


File: mtools.info,  Node: per drive variables,  Next: parsing order,  Prev: global variables,  Up: Configuration

3.5 Per drive flags and variables
=================================

* Menu:

* general information::   What a drive description looks like
* location information::  Where is the drive data physically stored
* geometry description::  Describes the physical characteristics of
                          the media
* open flags::            Flags passed to the open system call when the
                          device is opened
* miscellaneous variables::        Variables which don't fit in either category
* miscellaneous flags::		  Switch variables, which can be enabled or disabled
* multiple descriptions:: How to supply several descriptions for a
                          drive, to be tried one after the other.


File: mtools.info,  Node: general information,  Next: location information,  Prev: per drive variables,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.1 General information
-------------------------

Per drive flags and values may be described in a drive section. A drive
section starts with `drive' "DRIVELETTER" :

   Then follow variable-value pairs and flags.

   This is a sample drive description:
       drive a:
         file="/dev/fd0" use_xdf=1


File: mtools.info,  Node: location information,  Next: geometry description,  Prev: general information,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.2 Location information
--------------------------

For each drive, you need to describe where its data is physically
stored (image file, physical device, partition, offset).

`file'
     The name of the file or device holding the disk image. This is
     mandatory. The file name should be enclosed in quotes.

`partition'
     Tells mtools to treat the drive as a partitioned device, and to
     use the given partition. Only primary partitions are accessible
     using this method, and they are numbered from 1 to 4. For logical
     partitions, use the more general `offset' variable. The
     `partition' variable is intended for removable media such as
     Syquest disks, ZIP drives, and magneto-optical disks. Although
     traditional DOS sees Syquest disks and magneto-optical disks as
     `giant floppy disks' which are unpartitioned, OS/2 and Windows NT
     treat them like hard disks, i.e. partitioned devices. The
     `partition' flag is also useful DOSEMU hdimages. It is not
     recommended for hard disks for which direct access to partitions
     is available through mounting.

`offset'
     Describes where in the file the MS-DOS file system starts. This is
     useful for logical partitions in DOSEMU hdimages, and for ATARI
     ram disks. By default, this is zero, meaning that the file system
     starts right at the beginning of the device or file.


File: mtools.info,  Node: geometry description,  Next: open flags,  Prev: location information,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.3 Disk Geometry Configuration
---------------------------------

Geometry information describes the physical characteristics about the
disk. Its has three purposes:

formatting
     The geometry information is written into the boot sector of the
     newly made disk. However, you may also describe the geometry
     information on the command line. *Note mformat::, for details.

filtering
     On some Unixes there are device nodes which only support one
     physical geometry. For instance, you might need a different node
     to access a disk as high density or as low density. The geometry
     is compared to the actual geometry stored on the boot sector to
     make sure that this device node is able to correctly read the
     disk. If the geometry doesn't match, this drive entry fails, and
     the next drive entry bearing the same drive letter is tried. *Note
     multiple descriptions::, for more details on supplying several
     descriptions for one drive letter.

     If no geometry information is supplied in the configuration file,
     all disks are accepted. On Linux (and on SPARC) there exist device
     nodes with configurable geometry (`/dev/fd0', `/dev/fd1' etc), and
     thus filtering is not needed (and ignored) for disk drives.
     (Mtools still does do filtering on plain files (disk images) in
     Linux: this is mainly intended for test purposes, as I don't have
     access to a Unix which would actually need filtering).

     If you do not need filtering, but want still a default geometry for
     mformatting, you may switch off filtering using the `mformat_only'
     flag.

     If you want filtering, you should supply the `filter' flag.  If you
     supply a geometry, you must supply one of both flags.

initial geometry
     On devices that support it (usually floppy devices), the geometry
     information is also used to set the initial geometry. This initial
     geometry is applied while reading the boot sector, which contains
     the real geometry.  If no geometry information is supplied in the
     configuration file, or if the `mformat_only' flag is supplied, no
     initial configuration is done.

     On Linux, initial geometry is not really needed, as the
     configurable devices are able to auto-detect the disk type
     accurately enough (for most common formats) to read the boot
     sector.

   Wrong geometry information may lead to very bizarre errors. That's
why I strongly recommend that you add the `mformat_only' flag to your
drive description, unless you really need filtering or initial geometry.

   The following geometry related variables are available:

`cylinders'
`tracks'
     The number of cylinders. (`cylinders' is the preferred form,
     `tracks' is considered obsolete)

`heads'
     The number of heads (sides).

`sectors'
     The number of sectors per track.

   Example: the following drive section describes a 1.44M drive:

       drive a:
           file="/dev/fd0H1440"
           fat_bits=12
           cylinders=80 heads=2 sectors=18
           mformat_only

   The following shorthand geometry descriptions are available:

`1.44m'
     high density 3 1/2 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12 cylinders=80
     heads=2 sectors=18'

`1.2m'
     high density 5 1/4 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12 cylinders=80
     heads=2 sectors=15'

`720k'
     double density 3 1/2 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12
     cylinders=80 heads=2 sectors=9'

`360k'
     double density 5 1/4 disk. Equivalent to: `fat_bits=12
     cylinders=40 heads=2 sectors=9'

   The shorthand format descriptions may be amended. For example, `360k
sectors=8' describes a 320k disk and is equivalent to: `fat_bits=12
cylinders=40 heads=2 sectors=8'


File: mtools.info,  Node: open flags,  Next: miscellaneous variables,  Prev: geometry description,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.4 Open Flags
----------------

Moreover, the following flags are available:

`sync'
     All i/o operations are done synchronously

`nodelay'
     The device or file is opened with the O_NDELAY flag. This is
     needed on some non-Linux architectures.

`exclusive'
     The device or file is opened with the O_EXCL flag. On Linux, this
     ensures exclusive access to the floppy drive. On most other
     architectures, and for plain files it has no effect at all.


File: mtools.info,  Node: miscellaneous variables,  Next: miscellaneous flags,  Prev: open flags,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.5 General Purpose Drive Variables
-------------------------------------

The following general purpose drive variables are available.  Depending
to their type, these variables can be set to a string (precmd) or an
integer (all others)

`fat_bits'
     The number of FAT bits. This may be 12 or 16. This is very rarely
     needed, as it can almost always be deduced from information in the
     boot sector. On the contrary, describing the number of fat bits may
     actually be harmful if you get it wrong. You should only use it if
     mtools gets the auto-detected number of fat bits wrong, or if you
     want to mformat a disk with a weird number of fat bits.

`codepage'
     Describes the DOS code page used for short filenames. This is a
     number between 1 and 999. By default, code page 850 is used. The
     reason for this is because this code page contains most of the
     characters that are also available in ISO-Latin-1. You may also
     specify a global code page for all drives by using the global
     `default_codepage' parameter (outside of any drive description).
     This parameters exists starting at version 4.0.0

`precmd'
     On some variants of Solaris, it is necessary to call 'volcheck -v'
     before opening a floppy device, in order for the system to notice
     that there is indeed a disk in the drive. `precmd="volcheck -v"'
     in the drive clause establishes the desired behavior.

`blocksize'
     This parameter represents a default block size to be always used
     on this device.  All I/O is done with multiples of this block size,
     independently of the sector size registered in the file system's
     boot sector.  This is useful for character devices whose sector
     size is not 512, such as for example CD-ROM drives on Solaris.


   Only the `file' variable is mandatory. The other parameters may be
left out. In that case a default value or an auto-detected value is
used.


File: mtools.info,  Node: miscellaneous flags,  Next: multiple descriptions,  Prev: miscellaneous variables,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.6 General Purpose Drive Flags
---------------------------------

A flag can either be set to 1 (enabled) or 0 (disabled). If the value is
omitted, it is enabled.  For example, `scsi' is equivalent to `scsi=1'

`nolock'
     Instruct mtools to not use locking on this drive.  This is needed
     on systems with buggy locking semantics.  However, enabling this
     makes operation less safe in cases where several users may access
     the same drive at the same time.

`scsi'
     When set to 1, this option tells mtools to use raw SCSI I/O
     instead of the standard read/write calls to access the device.
     Currently, this is supported on HP-UX, Solaris and SunOS.  This is
     needed because on some architectures, such as SunOS or Solaris, PC
     media can't be accessed using the `read' and `write' system calls,
     because the OS expects them to contain a Sun specific "disk label".

     As raw SCSI access always uses the whole device, you need to
     specify the "partition" flag in addition

     On some architectures, such as Solaris, mtools needs root
     privileges to be able to use the `scsi' option.  Thus mtools
     should be installed setuid root on Solaris if you want to access
     Zip/Jaz drives.  Thus, if the `scsi' flag is given, `privileged'
     is automatically implied, unless explicitly disabled by
     `privileged=0'

     Mtools uses its root privileges to open the device, and to issue
     the actual SCSI I/O calls.  Moreover, root privileges are only
     used for drives described in a system-wide configuration file such
     as `/etc/mtools.conf', and not for those described in
     `~/.mtoolsrc' or `$MTOOLSRC'.

`privileged'
     When set to 1, this instructs mtools to use its setuid and setgid
     privileges for opening the given drive.  This option is only valid
     for drives described in the system-wide configuration files (such
     as `/etc/mtools.conf', not `~/.mtoolsrc' or `$MTOOLSRC').
     Obviously, this option is also a no op if mtools is not installed
     setuid or setgid.  This option is implied by 'scsi=1', but again
     only for drives defined in system-wide configuration files.
     Privileged may also be set explicitly to 0, in order to tell
     mtools not to use its privileges for a given drive even if
     `scsi=1' is set.

     Mtools only needs to be installed setuid if you use the
     `privileged' or `scsi' drive variables.  If you do not use these
     options, mtools works perfectly well even when not installed
     setuid root.

`vold'
     Instructs mtools to interpret the device name as a vold identifier
     rather than as a filename.  The vold identifier is translated into
     a real filename using the `media_findname()' and
     `media_oldaliases()' functions of the `volmgt' library.  This flag
     is only available if you configured mtools with the
     `--enable-new-vold' option before compilation.

`swap'
     Consider the media as a word-swapped Atari disk.

`use_xdf'
     If this is set to a non-zero value, mtools also tries to access
     this disk as an XDF disk. XDF is a high capacity format used by
     OS/2. This is off by default. *Note XDF::, for more details.

`mformat_only'
     Tells mtools to use the geometry for this drive only for
     mformatting and not for filtering.

`filter'
     Tells mtools to use the geometry for this drive both for
     mformatting and filtering.

`remote'
     Tells mtools to connect to floppyd (*note floppyd::).


File: mtools.info,  Node: multiple descriptions,  Prev: miscellaneous flags,  Up: per drive variables

3.5.7 Supplying multiple descriptions for a drive
-------------------------------------------------

It is possible to supply multiple descriptions for a drive. In that
case, the descriptions are tried in order until one is found that fits.
Descriptions may fail for several reasons:

  1. because the geometry is not appropriate,

  2. because there is no disk in the drive,

  3. or because of other problems.

   Multiple definitions are useful when using physical devices which are
only able to support one single disk geometry.  Example:
       drive a: file="/dev/fd0H1440" 1.44m
       drive a: file="/dev/fd0H720" 720k

   This instructs mtools to use /dev/fd0H1440 for 1.44m (high density)
disks and /dev/fd0H720 for 720k (double density) disks. On Linux, this
feature is not really needed, as the /dev/fd0 device is able to handle
any geometry.

   You may also use multiple drive descriptions to access both of your
physical drives through one drive letter:

       drive z: file="/dev/fd0"
       drive z: file="/dev/fd1"

   With this description, `mdir z:' accesses your first physical drive
if it contains a disk. If the first drive doesn't contain a disk,
mtools checks the second drive.

   When using multiple configuration files, drive descriptions in the
files parsed last override descriptions for the same drive in earlier
files. In order to avoid this, use the `drive+' or `+drive' keywords
instead of `drive'. The first adds a description to the end of the list
(i.e. it will be tried last), and the first adds it to the start of the
list.


File: mtools.info,  Node: parsing order,  Next: old style configuration,  Prev: per drive variables,  Up: Configuration

3.6 Location of configuration files and parsing order
=====================================================

The configuration files are parsed in the following order:
  1. compiled-in defaults

  2. `/etc/mtools.conf'

  3. `~/.mtoolsrc'.

  4. `$MTOOLSRC' (file pointed by the `MTOOLSRC' environmental variable)

   Options described in the later files override those described in the
earlier files. Drives defined in earlier files persist if they are not
overridden in the later files. For instance, drives A and B may be
defined in `/etc/mtools.conf' and drives C and D may be defined in
`~/.mtoolsrc' However, if `~/.mtoolsrc' also defines drive A, this new
description would override the description of drive A in
`/etc/mtools.conf' instead of adding to it. If you want to add a new
description to a drive already described in an earlier file, you need
to use either the `+drive' or `drive+' keyword.


File: mtools.info,  Node: old style configuration,  Prev: parsing order,  Up: Configuration

3.7 Backwards compatibility with old configuration file syntax
==============================================================

The syntax described herein is new for version `mtools-3.0'. The old
line-oriented syntax is still supported. Each line beginning with a
single letter is considered to be a drive description using the old
syntax. Old style and new style drive sections may be mixed within the
same configuration file, in order to make upgrading easier. Support for
the old syntax will be phased out eventually, and in order to discourage
its use, I purposefully omit its description here.


File: mtools.info,  Node: Commands,  Next: Compiling mtools,  Prev: Configuration,  Up: Top

4 Command list
**************

This section describes the available mtools commands, and the command
line parameters that each of them accepts. Options which are common to
all mtools commands are not described here, *note arguments:: for a
description of those.

* Menu:

* floppyd::           floppy daemon to run on your X server box
* floppyd_installtest:: small utility to check for the presence of floppyd
* mattrib::           change MS-DOS file attribute flags
* mbadblocks::        tests a floppy disk, and marks the bad blocks in the FAT
* mcat::              same as cat. Only useful with floppyd.
* mcd::               change MS-DOS directory
* mclasserase::       erase memory card
* mcopy::             copy MS-DOS files to/from Unix
* mdel::              delete an MS-DOS file
* mdeltree::          recursively delete an MS-DOS directory
* mdir::              display an MS-DOS directory
* mdu::               list space occupied by directory and its contents
* mformat::           add an MS-DOS file system to a low-level formatted floppy disk
* minfo::             get information about an MS-DOS file system.
* mlabel::            make an MS-DOS volume label
* mkmanifest::        makes a list of short name equivalents
* mmd::               make an MS-DOS subdirectory
* mmount::            mount an MS-DOS disk
* mpartition::        create an MS-DOS as a partition
* mrd::               remove an MS-DOS subdirectory
* mmove::             move or rename an MS-DOS file or subdirectory
* mren::              rename an existing MS-DOS file
* mshortname::        shows the short name of a file
* mshowfat::          shows the FAT map of a file
* mtoolstest::        tests and displays the configuration
* mtype::             display contents of an MS-DOS file
* mzip::              zip disk specific commands


File: mtools.info,  Node: floppyd,  Next: floppyd_installtest,  Prev: Commands,  Up: Commands

4.1 Floppyd
===========

`Floppyd' is used as a server to grant access to the floppy drive to
clients running on a remote machine, just as an X server grants access
to the display to remote clients.  It has the following syntax:

   `floppyd' [`-d'] [`-l'] [`-s' PORT] [`-r' USER] [`-b' IPADDR] [`-x'
DISPLAY] DEVICENAMES

   `floppyd' is always associated with an X server.  It runs on the
same machine as its X server, and listens on port 5703 and above.

4.1.1 Authentication
--------------------

`floppyd' authenticates remote clients using the `Xauthority' protocol.
Xhost authentication is not supported. Each floppyd is associated with
an X server.  When a remote client attempts to connect to floppyd, it
sends floppyd the X authority record corresponding to floppyd's X
server.  Floppyd in turn then tries to open up a connection to the X
server in order to verify the authenticity of the xauth record.  If the
connection to the X server succeeds, the client is granted access.
`DISPLAY'.

   *Caution*: In order to make authentication work correctly, the local
host should *not* be listed in the `xhost' list of allowed hosts.
Indeed, hosts listed in `xhost' do not need a correct `Xauthority'
cookie to connect to the X server. As `floppyd' runs on the same host
as the X server, all its probe connection would succeed even for
clients who supplied a bad cookie.  This means that your floppy drive
would be open to the world, i.e. a huge security hole.   If your X
server does not allow you to remove `localhost:0' and `:0' from the
`xhost' list, you can prevent floppyd from probing those display names
with the `-l' option.

4.1.2 Command line options
--------------------------

`d'
     Daemon mode. Floppyd runs its own server loop.  Do not supply this
     if you start floppyd from `inetd.conf'

`s  PORT'
     Port number for daemon mode.  Default is 5703 + DISPLAYNUMBER.
     This flag implies daemon mode.  For example, for display
     `hitchhiker:5', the port would be 5708.

`b  IPADDR'
     Bind address (for multi homed hosts). This flag implies daemon mode

`r USER'
     Run the server under as the given user

`x DISPLAY'
     X display to use for authentication. By default, this is taken
     from the `DISPLAY' variable. If neither the `x' attribute is
     present nor `DISPLAY' is set, floppyd uses `:0.0'.

   DEVICENAMES is a list of device nodes to be opened.  Default is
`/dev/fd0'. Multiple devices are only supported on mtools versions
newer than 3.9.11.

4.1.3 Connecting to floppyd
---------------------------

In order to use floppyd, add the flag `remote' to the device
description in your `~/.mtoolsrc' file.  If the flag `remote' is given,
the `file' parameter of the device description is taken to be a remote
address.  It's format is the following:
HOSTNAME`:'DISPLAYNUMBER[`/'[BASEPORT][`/'DRIVE]]. When using this
entry, mtools connects to port BASEPORT+DISPLAYNUMBER at HOSTNAME. By
default BASEPORT is 5703. The drive parameter is to distinguish among
multiple drives associated with a single display (only mtools versions
more recent than 3.9.11)

4.1.4 Examples:
---------------

The following starts a floppy daemon giving access to `/dev/fd0',
listening on the default port 5703, tied to the default X servers:

     floppyd -d /dev/fd0

   Each of the following starts a floppy daemon giving access to
`/dev/fd1', tied to the :1 local X servers, and listening on port 5704.
We assume that the local host is named `hitchhiker'.

     floppyd -d /dev/fd0
     floppyd -d -x :1 -p 5704 /dev/fd0

   If you want to start floppyd by `inetd' instead of running it as a
daemon, insert the following lines into `/etc/services':
     # floppy daemon
     floppyd-0    5703/tcp    # floppy daemon for X server :0
     floppyd-1    5704/tcp    # floppy daemon for X server :1

   And insert the following into `/etc/inetd.conf' (assuming that you
have defined a user named floppy in your `/etc/passwd'):

     # floppy daemon
     floppyd-0 stream  tcp  wait  floppy  /usr/sbin/floppyd floppyd /dev/fd0
     floppyd-1 stream  tcp  wait  floppy  /usr/sbin/floppyd floppyd -x :1 /dev/fd0

   Note that you need to supply the X display names for the second
floppyd.  This is because the port is opened by inetd.conf, and hence
floppyd cannot know its number to interfere the display number.

   On the client side, insert the following into your `~/.mtoolsrc' to
define a drive letter accessing floppy drive in your X terminal:
     drive x: file="$DISPLAY" remote

   If your X terminal has more than one drive, you may access the
additional drives as follows:
     drive y: file="$DISPLAY//1" remote
     drive z: file="$DISPLAY//2" remote


File: mtools.info,  Node: floppyd_installtest,  Next: mattrib,  Prev: floppyd,  Up: Commands

4.2 Floppyd_installtest
=======================

`Floppyd_installtest' is used to check for the presence of a running
floppyd daemon. This is useful, if you have a small front-end script to
mtools, which decides whether to use floppyd or not.

   `floppyd_installtest' [`-f']  Connect-String

   If the `-f' option is specified, `floppyd_installtest' does a full
X-Cookie authentication and complains if this does not work.

   The connect-String has the format described in the floppyd-section:
HOSTNAME`:'DISPLAYNUMBER[`/'BASEPORT]


File: mtools.info,  Node: mattrib,  Next: mbadblocks,  Prev: floppyd_installtest,  Up: Commands

4.3 Mattrib
===========

`Mattrib' is used to change MS-DOS file attribute flags. It has the
following syntax:

   `mattrib' [`-a|+a'] [`-h|+h'] [`-r|+r'] [`-s|+s'] [`-/']  [`-p']
[`-X'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES ... ]

   `Mattrib' adds attribute flags to an MS-DOS file (with the ``+''
operator) or remove attribute flags (with the ``-'' operator).

   `Mattrib' supports the following attribute bits:

`a'
     Archive bit.  Used by some backup programs to indicate a new file.

`r'
     Read-only bit.  Used to indicate a read-only file.  Files with
     this bit set cannot be erased by `DEL' nor modified.

`s'
     System bit.  Used by MS-DOS to indicate a operating system file.

`h'
     Hidden bit.  Used to make files hidden from `DIR'.

   `Mattrib' supports the following command line flags:
`/'
     Recursive.  Recursively list the attributes of the files in the
     subdirectories.

`X'
     Concise. Prints the attributes without any whitespace padding.  If
     neither the "/" option is given, nor the MSDOSFILE contains a
     wildcard, and there is only one MS-DOS file parameter on the
     command line, only the attribute is printed, and not the filename.
     This option is convenient for scripts

`p'
     Replay mode.  Outputs a series of mformat commands that will
     reproduce the current situation, starting from a situation as left
     by untarring the MS-DOS file system.  Commands are only output for
     attribute settings that differ from the default (archive bit set
     for files, unset for directories).  This option is intended to be
     used in addition to tar. The `readonly' attribute is not taken
     into account, as tar can set that one itself.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mbadblocks,  Next: mcat,  Prev: mattrib,  Up: Commands

4.4 Mbadblocks
==============

The `mbadblocks' command is used to mark some clusters on an MS-DOS
filesystem bad. It has the following syntax:

   `mbadblocks' [`-s' SECTORLIST|`-c' CLUSTERLIST|-w] DRIVE`:'

   If no command line flags are supplied, `Mbadblocks' scans an MS-DOS
filesystem for bad blocks by simply trying to read them and flag them
if read fails. All blocks that are unused are scanned, and if detected
bad are marked as such in the FAT.

   This command is intended to be used right after `mformat'.  It is
not intended to salvage data from bad disks.

4.4.1 Command line options
--------------------------

`c FILE'
     Use a list of bad clusters, rather than scanning for bad clusters
     itself.

`s FILE'
     Use a list of bad sectors (counted from beginning of filesystem),
     rather than trying for bad clusters itself.

`w'
     Write a random pattern to each cluster, then read it back and flag
     cluster as bad if mismatch. Only free clusters are tested in such a
     way, so any file data is preserved.

4.4.2 Bugs
----------

`Mbadblocks' should (but doesn't yet :-( ) also try to salvage bad
blocks which are in use by reading them repeatedly, and then mark them
bad.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mcat,  Next: mcd,  Prev: mbadblocks,  Up: Commands

4.5 Mcat
========

The `mcat' command is used to copy an entire disk image from or to the
floppy device. It uses the following syntax:

   `mcat' [`-w'] DRIVE`:' 

   `Mcat' performs the same task as the Unix `cat' command. It is
included into the mtools package, since `cat' cannot access remote
floppy devices offered by the mtools floppy daemon.  Now it is possible
to create boot floppies remotely.

   The default operation is reading. The output is written to stdout.

   If the `-w' option is specified, mcat reads a disk-image from stdin
and writes it to the given device.  *Use this carefully!* Because of
the low-level nature of this command, it will happily destroy any data
written before on the disk without warning!


File: mtools.info,  Node: mcd,  Next: mclasserase,  Prev: mcat,  Up: Commands

4.6 Mcd
=======

The `mcd' command is used to change the mtools working directory on the
MS-DOS disk. It uses the following syntax:

     `mcd' [MSDOSDIRECTORY]

   Without arguments, `mcd' reports the current device and working
directory.  Otherwise, `mcd' changes the current device and current
working directory relative to an MS-DOS file system.

   The environmental variable `MCWD' may be used to locate the file
where the device and current working directory information is stored.
The default is `$HOME/.mcwd'.  Information in this file is ignored if
the file is more than 6 hours old.

   `Mcd' returns 0 on success or 1 on failure.

   Unlike MS-DOS versions of `CD', `mcd' can be used to change to
another device. It may be wise to remove old `.mcwd' files at logout.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mclasserase,  Next: mcopy,  Prev: mcd,  Up: Commands

4.7 Mclasserase
===============

The `mclasserase' command is used to wipe memory cards by overwriting
it three times: first with `0xff', then with `0x00', then with `0xff'
again. The command uses the following syntax:

     `mclasserase' [`-d'] MSDOSDRIVE

   MS-DOS drive is optional, if none is specified, use `A:'. If more
than one drive are specified, all but the last are ignored.

   `Mclasserase' accepts the following command line options:

`d'
     Stop after each erase cycle, for testing purposes

`p'
     Not yet implemented

   `Mclasserase' returns 0 on success or -1 on failure.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mcopy,  Next: mdel,  Prev: mclasserase,  Up: Commands

4.8 Mcopy
=========

The `mcopy' command is used to copy MS-DOS files to and from Unix. It
uses the following syntax:

     `mcopy' [`-bspanvmQT'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
     `mcopy' [`-bspanvmQT'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE [ SOURCEFILES... ] TARGETDIRECTORY
     `mcopy' [`-tnvm'] MSDOSSOURCEFILE

   `Mcopy' copies the specified file to the named file, or copies
multiple files to the named directory.  The source and target can be
either MS-DOS or Unix files.

   The use of a drive letter designation on the MS-DOS files, 'a:' for
example, determines the direction of the transfer.  A missing drive
designation implies a Unix file whose path starts in the current
directory.  If a source drive letter is specified with no attached file
name (e.g. `mcopy a: .'), all files are copied from that drive.

   If only a single, MS-DOS source parameter is provided (e.g. "mcopy
a:foo.exe"), an implied destination of the current directory (``.'') is
assumed.

   A filename of ``-'' means standard input or standard output,
depending on its position on the command line.

   `Mcopy' accepts the following command line options:

`t'
     Text file transfer.  Mcopy translates incoming carriage return/line
     feeds to line feeds when copying from MS-DOS to Unix, and
     vice-versa when copying from Unix to MS-DOS.

`b'
     Batch mode. Optimized for huge recursive copies, but less secure
     if a crash happens during the copy.

`s'
     Recursive copy.  Also copies directories and their contents

`p'
     Preserves the attributes of the copied files

`Q'
     When mcopying multiple files, quits as soon as one copy fails (for
     example due to lacking storage space on the target disk)

`a'
     Text (ASCII) file transfer.  `ASCII' translates incoming carriage
     return/line feeds to line feeds.

`T'
     Text (ASCII) file transfer with character set conversion.  Differs
     from `-a' in the `ASCII' also translates incoming PC-8 characters
     to ISO-8859-1 equivalents as far as possible.  When reading DOS
     files, untranslatable characters are replaced by '`#''; when
     writing DOS files, untranslatable characters are replaced by '`.''.

`n'
     No confirmation when overwriting Unix files.  `ASCII' doesn't warn
     the user when overwriting an existing Unix file. If the target
     file already exists, and the `-n' option is not in effect, `mcopy'
     asks whether to overwrite the file or to rename the new file
     (*note name clashes::) for details).  In order to switch off
     confirmation for DOS files, use `-o'.

`m'
     Preserve the file modification time.

`v'
     Verbose. Displays the name of each file as it is copied.

4.8.1 Bugs
----------

Unlike MS-DOS, the '+' operator (append) from MS-DOS is not supported.
However, you may use `mtype' to produce the same effect:
     mtype a:file1 a:file2 a:file3 >unixfile
     mtype a:file1 a:file2 a:file3 | mcopy - a:msdosfile


File: mtools.info,  Node: mdel,  Next: mdeltree,  Prev: mcopy,  Up: Commands

4.9 Mdel
========

The `mdel' command is used to delete an MS-DOS file. Its syntax is:

     `mdel' [`-v'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES ...  ]

   `Mdel' deletes files on an MS-DOS file system.

   `Mdel' asks for verification prior to removing a read-only file.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mdeltree,  Next: mdir,  Prev: mdel,  Up: Commands

4.10 Mdeltree
=============

The `mdeltree' command is used to delete an MS-DOS file. Its syntax is:

     `mdeltree' [`-v'] MSDOSDIRECTORY [MSDOSDIRECTORIES...]

   `Mdeltree' removes a directory and all the files and subdirectories
it contains from an MS-DOS file system. An error occurs if the directory
to be removed does not exist.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mdir,  Next: mdu,  Prev: mdeltree,  Up: Commands

4.11 Mdir
=========

The `mdir' command is used to display an MS-DOS directory. Its syntax
is:

   `mdir' [`-/'] [`-f'] [`-w'] [`-a'] [`-b'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES...]

   `Mdir' displays the contents of MS-DOS directories, or the entries
for some MS-DOS files.

   `Mdir' supports the following command line options:

`/'
     Recursive output, just like MS-DOS' `-s' option

`w'
     Wide output.  With this option, `mdir' prints the filenames across
     the page without displaying the file size or creation date.

`a'
     Also list hidden files.

`f'
     Fast.  Do not try to find out free space.  On larger disks,
     finding out the amount of free space takes up some non trivial
     amount of time, as the whole FAT must be read in and scanned.  The
     `-f' flag bypasses this step.  This flag is not needed on FAT32
     file systems, which store the size explicitly.

`b'
     Concise listing. Lists each directory name or filename, one per
     line (including the filename extension). This switch displays no
     heading information and no summary. Only a newline separated list
     of pathnames is displayed.

   An error occurs if a component of the path is not a directory.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mdu,  Next: mformat,  Prev: mdir,  Up: Commands

4.12 Mdu
========

`Mdu' is used to list the space occupied by a directory, its
subdirectories and its files. It is similar to the `du' command on
Unix.  The unit used are clusters.  Use the minfo command to find out
the cluster size.

   `mdu' [`-a'] [ MSDOSFILES ... ]

`a'
     All files.  List also the space occupied for individual files.

`s'
     Only list the total space, don't give details for each
     subdirectory.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mformat,  Next: mkmanifest,  Prev: mdu,  Up: Commands

4.13 Mformat
============

The `mformat' command is used to add an MS-DOS file system to a
low-level formatted diskette. Its syntax is:

     `mformat' [`-t' CYLINDERS|`-T' TOT_SECTORS] [`-h' HEADS] [`-s' SECTORS]
       [`-f' SIZE] [`-1'] [`-4'] [`-8']
       [`-v' VOLUME_LABEL]
       [`-F'] [`-S' SIZECODE]
       [`-M' SOFTWARE_SECTOR_SIZE]
       [`-N' SERIAL_NUMBER] [`-a']
       [`-C'] [`-H' HIDDEN_SECTORS] [`-I' FSVERSION]
       [`-r' ROOT_SECTORS] [`-L' FAT_LEN]
       [`-B' BOOT_SECTOR] [`-k']
       [`-m' MEDIA_DESCRIPTOR]
       [`-K' BACKUP_BOOT]
       [`-c' CLUSTERS_PER_SECTOR]
       [`-d' FAT_COPIES]
       [`-X'] [`-2' SECTORS_ON_TRACK_0] [`-3']
       [`-0' RATE_ON_TRACK_0] [`-A' RATE_ON_OTHER_TRACKS]
       DRIVE:

   `Mformat' adds a minimal MS-DOS file system (boot sector, FAT, and
root directory) to a diskette that has already been formatted by a Unix
low-level format.

   The following options are supported: (The S, 2, 1 and M options may
not exist if this copy of mtools has been compiled without the USE_2M
option)

   The following options are the same as for MS-DOS's format command:

`v'
     Specifies the volume label. A volume label identifies the disk and
     can be a maximum of 11 characters. If you omit the -v switch,
     mformat will assign no label to the disk.

`f'
     Specifies the size of the DOS file system to format. Only a certain
     number of predefined sizes are supported by this flag; for others
     use the -h/-t/-s flags. The following sizes are supported:
    160
          160K, single-sided, 8 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
          1/4 DD)

    180
          160K, single-sided, 9 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
          1/4 DD)

    320
          320K, double-sided, 8 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
          1/4 DD)

    360
          360K, double-sided, 9 sectors per track, 40 cylinders (for 5
          1/4 DD)

    720
          720K, double-sided, 9 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for 3
          1/2 DD)

    1200
          1200K, double-sided, 15 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for
          5 1/4 HD)

    1440
          1440K, double-sided, 18 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for
          3 1/2 HD)

    2880
          2880K, double-sided, 36 sectors per track, 80 cylinders (for
          3 1/2 ED)

`t'
     Specifies the number of tracks on the disk.

`T'
     Specifies the number of total sectors on the disk. Only one of
     these 2 options may be specified (tracks or total sectors)

`h'
     The number of heads (sides).

`s'
     Specifies the number of sectors per track. If the 2m option is
     given, number of 512-byte sector equivalents on generic tracks
     (i.e. not head 0 track 0).  If the 2m option is not given, number
     of physical sectors per track (which may be bigger than 512 bytes).

`1'
     Formats a single side (equivalent to -h 1)

`4'
     Formats a 360K double-sided disk (equivalent to -f 360). When used
     together with -the 1 switch, this switch formats a 180K disk

`8'
     Formats a disk with 8 sectors per track.


   MS-DOS format's `q', `u' and `b' options are not supported, and `s'
has a different meaning.

   The following options are specific to mtools:

`F'
     Format the partition as FAT32.

`S'
     The size code. The size of the sector is 2 ^ (sizecode + 7).

`X'
     formats the disk as an XDF disk. *Note XDF::, for more details.
     The disk has first to be low-level formatted using the xdfcopy
     utility included in the fdutils package. XDF disks are used for
     instance for OS/2 install disks.

`2'
     2m format. The parameter to this option describes the number of
     sectors on track 0, head 0. This option is recommended for sectors
     bigger than normal.

`3'
     don't use a 2m format, even if the current geometry of the disk is
     a 2m geometry.

`0'
     Data transfer rate on track 0

`A'
     Data transfer rate on tracks other than 0

`M'
     software sector size. This parameter describes the sector size in
     bytes used by the MS-DOS file system. By default it is the
     physical sector size.

`N'
     Uses the requested serial number, instead of generating one
     automatically

`a'
     If this option is given, an Atari style serial number is generated.
     Ataris store their serial number in the OEM label.

`C'
     creates the disk image file to install the MS-DOS file system on
     it. Obviously, this is useless on physical devices such as floppies
     and hard disk partitions, but is interesting for image files.

`H'
     number of hidden sectors. This parameter is useful for formatting
     hard disk partition, which are not aligned on track boundaries
     (i.e. first head of first track doesn't belong to the partition,
     but contains a partition table). In that case the number of hidden
     sectors is in general the number of sectors per cylinder. This is
     untested.

`I'
     Sets the fsVersion id when formatting a FAT32 drive.  In order to
     find this out, run minfo on an existing FAT32 drive, and mail me
     about it, so I can include the correct value in future versions of
     mtools.

`c'
     Sets the size of a cluster (in sectors).  If this cluster size
     would generate a FAT that too big for its number of bits, mtools
     automatically increases the cluster size, until the FAT is small
     enough.

`d'
     Sets the number of FAT copies. Default is 2. This setting can also
     be specified using the `MTOOLS_NFATS' environment variable.

`r'
     Sets the size of the root directory (in sectors).  Only applicable
     to 12 and 16 bit FATs. This setting can also be specified using the
     `MTOOLS_DIR_LEN' environment variable.

`L'
     Sets the length of the FAT.

`B'
     Use the boot sector stored in the given file or device, instead of
     using its own.  Only the geometry fields are updated to match the
     target disks parameters.

`k'
     Keep the existing boot sector as much as possible.  Only the
     geometry fields and other similar file system data are updated to
     match the target disks parameters.

`K'
     Sets the sector number where the backup of the boot sector should
     be stored (only relevant on FAT32).

`m'
     Use a non-standard media descriptor byte for this disk. The media
     descriptor is stored at position 21 of the boot sector, and as
     first byte in each FAT copy. Using this option may confuse DOS or
     older mtools version, and may make the disk unreadable. Only use
     if you know what you are doing.


   To format a diskette at a density other than the default, you must
supply (at least) those command line parameters that are different from
the default.

   `Mformat' returns 0 on success or 1 on failure.

   It doesn't record bad block information to the Fat, use `mbadblocks'
for that.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mkmanifest,  Next: minfo,  Prev: mformat,  Up: Commands

4.14 Mkmanifest
===============

The `mkmanifest' command is used to create a shell script (packing
list) to restore Unix filenames. Its syntax is:

   `mkmanifest' [ FILES ]

   `Mkmanifest' creates a shell script that aids in the restoration of
Unix filenames that got clobbered by the MS-DOS filename restrictions.
MS-DOS filenames are restricted to 8 character names, 3 character
extensions, upper case only, no device names, and no illegal characters.

   The mkmanifest program is compatible with the methods used in
`pcomm, arc,' and `mtools' to change perfectly good Unix filenames to
fit the MS-DOS restrictions. This command is only useful if the target
system which will read the diskette cannot handle VFAT long names.

4.14.1 Example
--------------

You want to copy the following Unix files to a MS-DOS diskette (using
the `mcopy' command).

       very_long_name
       2.many.dots
       illegal:
       good.c
       prn.dev
       Capital

   `ASCII' converts the names to:

       very_lon
       2xmany.dot
       illegalx
       good.c
       xprn.dev
       capital

   The command:
     mkmanifest very_long_name 2.many.dots illegal: good.c prn.dev Capital >manifest
   would produce the following:
       mv very_lon very_long_name
       mv 2xmany.dot 2.many.dots
       mv illegalx illegal:
       mv xprn.dev prn.dev
       mv capital Capital

   Notice that "good.c" did not require any conversion, so it did not
appear in the output.

   Suppose I've copied these files from the diskette to another Unix
system, and I now want the files back to their original names.  If the
file "manifest" (the output captured above) was sent along with those
files, it could be used to convert the filenames.

4.14.2 Bugs
-----------

The short names generated by `mkmanifest' follow the old convention
(from mtools-2.0.7) and not the one from Windows 95 and mtools-3.0.


File: mtools.info,  Node: minfo,  Next: mlabel,  Prev: mkmanifest,  Up: Commands

4.15 Minfo
==========

The `minfo' command prints the parameters of a MS-DOS file system, such
as number of sectors, heads and cylinders.  It also prints an mformat
command line which can be used to create a similar MS-DOS file system on
another media.  However, this doesn't work with 2m or XDF media, and
with MS-DOS 1.0 file systems
     `minfo' DRIVE:

   Minfo supports the following option:
`v'
     Prints a hexdump of the boot sector, in addition to the other
     information


File: mtools.info,  Node: mlabel,  Next: mmd,  Prev: minfo,  Up: Commands

4.16 Mlabel
===========

The `mlabel' command adds a volume label to a disk. Its syntax is:
     `mlabel' [`-vcsn'] [`-N' SERIAL] DRIVE:[NEW_LABEL]

   `Mlabel' displays the current volume label, if present. If NEW_LABEL
is not given, and if neither the `c' nor the `s' options are set, it
prompts the user for a new volume label.  To delete an existing volume
label, press return at the prompt.

   The label is limited to 11 single-byte characters, e.g.
`Name1234567'.

   Reasonable care is taken to create a valid MS-DOS volume label.  If
an invalid label is specified, `mlabel' changes the label (and displays
the new label if the verbose mode is set). `Mlabel' returns 0 on
success or 1 on failure.

   Mlabel supports the following options:
`c'
     Clears an existing label, without prompting the user

`s'
     Shows the existing label, without prompting the user.

`n'
     Assigns a new (random) serial number to the disk

`N SERIAL'
     Sets the supplied serial number. The serial number should be
     supplied as an 8 digit hexadecimal number, without spaces


File: mtools.info,  Node: mmd,  Next: mmount,  Prev: mlabel,  Up: Commands

4.17 Mmd
========

The `mmd' command is used to make an MS-DOS subdirectory. Its syntax is:

   `mmd' [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] MSDOSDIRECTORY [ MSDOSDIRECTORIES... ]

   `Mmd' makes a new directory on an MS-DOS file system. An error occurs
if the directory already exists.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mmount,  Next: mmove,  Prev: mmd,  Up: Commands

4.18 Mmount
===========

The `mmount' command is used to mount an MS-DOS disk. It is only
available on Linux, as it is only useful if the OS kernel allows to
configure the disk geometry. Its syntax is:

   `mmount' MSDOSDRIVE [MOUNTARGS]

   `Mmount' reads the boot sector of an MS-DOS disk, configures the
drive geometry, and finally mounts it passing `mountargs' to `mount. '
If no mount arguments are specified, the name of the device is used. If
the disk is write protected, it is automatically mounted read only.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mmove,  Next: mpartition,  Prev: mmount,  Up: Commands

4.19 Mmove
==========

The `mmove' command is used to moves or renames an existing MS-DOS file
or subdirectory.
     `mmove' [`-v'] [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE
     `mmove' [`-v']  [`-D' CLASH_OPTION] SOURCEFILE [ SOURCEFILES... ] TARGETDIRECTORY
   `Mmove' moves or renames an existing MS-DOS file or subdirectory.
Unlike the MS-DOS version of `MOVE', `mmove' is able to move
subdirectories.  Files or directories can only be moved within one file
system. Data cannot be moved from MS-DOS to Unix or vice-versa.  If you
omit the drive letter from the target file or directory, the same
letter as for the source is assumed.  If you omit the drive letter from
all parameters, drive a: is assumed by default.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mpartition,  Next: mrd,  Prev: mmove,  Up: Commands

4.20 Mpartition
===============

The `mpartition' command is used to create MS-DOS file systems as
partitions.  This is intended to be used on non-Linux systems, i.e.
systems where fdisk and easy access to SCSI devices are not available.
This command only works on drives whose partition variable is set.

     `mpartition' `-p' DRIVE
     `mpartition' `-r' DRIVE
     `mpartition' `-I' [`-B' BOOTSECTOR] DRIVE
     `mpartition' `-a' DRIVE
     `mpartition' `-d' DRIVE
     `mpartition' `-c' [`-s' SECTORS] [`-h' HEADS]
     [`-t' CYLINDERS] [`-v' [`-T' TYPE] [`-b'
     BEGIN] [`-l' length] [`-f']

   Mpartition supports the following operations:

`p'
     Prints a command line to recreate the partition for the drive.
     Nothing is printed if the partition for the drive is not defined,
     or an inconsistency has been detected.  If verbose (`-v') is also
     set, prints the current partition table.

`r'
     Removes the partition described by DRIVE.

`I'
     Initializes the partition table, and removes all partitions.

`c'
     Creates the partition described by DRIVE.

`a'
     "Activates" the partition, i.e. makes it bootable.  Only one
     partition can be bootable at a time.

`d'
     "Deactivates" the partition, i.e. makes it unbootable.

   If no operation is given, the current settings are printed.

   For partition creations, the following options are available:
`s SECTORS'
     The number of sectors per track of the partition (which is also the
     number of sectors per track for the whole drive).

`h HEADS'
     The number of heads of the partition (which is also the number of
     heads for the whole drive).  By default, the geometry information
     (number of sectors and heads) is figured out from neighboring
     partition table entries, or guessed from the size.

`t CYLINDERS'
     The number of cylinders of the partition (not the number of
     cylinders of the whole drive.

`b BEGIN'
     The starting offset of the partition, expressed in sectors. If
     begin is not given, mpartition lets the partition begin at the
     start of the disk (partition number 1), or immediately after the
     end of the previous partition.

`l LENGTH'
     The size (length) of the partition, expressed in sectors.  If end
     is not given, mpartition figures out the size from the number of
     sectors, heads and cylinders.  If these are not given either, it
     gives the partition the biggest possible size, considering disk
     size and start of the next partition.

   The following option is available for all operation which modify the
partition table:
`f'
     Usually, before writing back any changes to the partition,
     mpartition performs certain consistency checks, such as checking
     for overlaps and proper alignment of the partitions.  If any of
     these checks fails, the partition table is not changes.  The `-f'
     allows you to override these safeguards.

   The following options are available for all operations:
`v'
     Together with `-p' prints the partition table as it is now (no
     change operation), or as it is after it is modified.

`vv'
     If the verbosity flag is given twice, mpartition will print out a
     hexdump of the partition table when reading it from and writing it
     to the device.

   The following option is available for partition table initialization:
`B BOOTSECTOR'
     Reads the template master boot record from file BOOTSECTOR.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mrd,  Next: mren,  Prev: mpartition,  Up: Commands

4.21 Mrd
========

The `mrd' command is used to remove an MS-DOS subdirectory. Its syntax
is:

     `mrd' [`-v'] MSDOSDIRECTORY [ MSDOSDIRECTORIES... ]

   `Mrd' removes a directory from an MS-DOS file system. An error occurs
if the directory does not exist or is not empty.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mren,  Next: mshortname,  Prev: mrd,  Up: Commands

4.22 Mren
=========

The `mren' command is used to rename or move an existing MS-DOS file or
subdirectory. Its syntax is:

     `mren' [`-voOsSrRA'] SOURCEFILE TARGETFILE

   `Mren' renames an existing file on an MS-DOS file system.

   In verbose mode, `Mren' displays the new filename if the name
supplied is invalid.

   If the first syntax is used (only one source file), and if the target
name doesn't contain any slashes or colons, the file (or subdirectory)
is renamed in the same directory, instead of being moved to the current
`mcd' directory as would be the case with `mmove'. Unlike the MS-DOS
version of `REN', `mren' can be used to rename directories.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mshortname,  Next: mshowfat,  Prev: mren,  Up: Commands

4.23 Mshortname
===============

The `mshortname' command is used to display the short name of a file.
Syntax:

     `mshortname' FILES

   The shortname is displayed as it is stored in raw format on disk,
without any character set conversion.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mshowfat,  Next: mtoolstest,  Prev: mshortname,  Up: Commands

4.24 Mshowfat
=============

The `mshowfat' command is used to display the FAT entries for a file.
Syntax:

     `mshowfat' [`-o' OFFSET] FILES

   If no offset is given, a list of all clusters occupied by the file is
printed. If an offset is given, only the number of the cluster
containing that offset is printed.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mtoolstest,  Next: mtype,  Prev: mshowfat,  Up: Commands

4.25 Mtoolstest
===============

The `mtoolstest' command is used to tests the mtools configuration
files. To invoke it, just type `mtoolstest' without any arguments.
`Mtoolstest' reads the mtools configuration files, and prints the
cumulative configuration to `stdout'. The output can be used as a
configuration file itself (although you might want to remove redundant
clauses).  You may use this program to convert old-style configuration
files into new style configuration files.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mtype,  Next: mzip,  Prev: mtoolstest,  Up: Commands

4.26 Mtype
==========

The `mtype' command is used to display contents of an MS-DOS file. Its
syntax is:

     `mtype' [`-ts'] MSDOSFILE [ MSDOSFILES... ]

   `Mtype' displays the specified MS-DOS file on the screen.

   In addition to the standard options, `Mtype' allows the following
command line options:

`t'
     Text file viewing.  `Mtype' translates incoming carriage
     return/line feeds to line feeds.

`s'
     `Mtype' strips the high bit from the data.

   The `mcd' command may be used to establish the device and the
current working directory (relative to MS-DOS), otherwise the default is
`A:/'.

   `Mtype' returns 0 on success, 1 on utter failure, or 2 on partial
failure.

   Unlike the MS-DOS version of `TYPE', `mtype' allows multiple
arguments.


File: mtools.info,  Node: mzip,  Prev: mtype,  Up: Commands

4.27 Mzip
=========

The `mzip' command is used to issue ZIP disk specific commands on
Linux, Solaris or HP-UX. Its syntax is:

     `mzip' [`-epqrwx']

   `Mzip' allows the following command line options:

`e'
     Ejects the disk.

`f'
     Force eject even if the disk is mounted (must be given in addition
     to `-e').

`r'
     Write protect the disk.

`w'
     Remove write protection.

`p'
     Password write protect.

`x'
     Password protect

`u'
     Temporarily unprotect the disk until it is ejected.  The disk
     becomes writable, and reverts back to its old state when ejected.

`q'
     Queries the status

   To remove the password, set it to one of the password-less modes
`-r' or `-w': mzip will then ask you for the password, and unlock the
disk.  If you have forgotten the password, you can get rid of it by
low-level formatting the disk (using your SCSI adapter's BIOS setup).

   The ZipTools disk shipped with the drive is also password protected.
On MS-DOS or on a Mac, this password is automatically removed once the
ZipTools have been installed.  From various articles posted to Usenet, I
learned that the password for the tools disk is
`APlaceForYourStuff'(1).  Mzip knows about this password, and tries it
first, before prompting you for a password.  Thus `mzip -w z:' unlocks
the tools disk(2).  The tools disk is formatted in a special way so as
to be usable both in a PC and in a Mac.  On a PC, the Mac file system
appears as a hidden file named `partishn.mac'.  You may erase it to
reclaim the 50 Megs of space taken up by the Mac file system.

4.27.1 Bugs
-----------

This command is a big kludge.  A proper implementation would take a
rework of significant parts of mtools, but unfortunately I don't have
the time for this right now. The main downside of this implementation is
that it is inefficient on some architectures (several successive calls
to mtools, which defeats mtools' caching).

   ---------- Footnotes ----------

   (1) To see the articles, search for `APlaceForYourStuff' using
Google Groups

   (2) I didn't know about this yet when I bought my own Zip drive.
Thus I ended up reformatting my tools disk, and hence I haven't had the
opportunity to test the password yet.  If anybody still has their tools
disk with the original password, could you try it out? Thanks in advance


File: mtools.info,  Node: Compiling mtools,  Next: Porting mtools,  Prev: Commands,  Up: Top

5 Architecture specific compilation flags
*****************************************

To compile mtools, first invoke `./configure' before `make'. In
addition to the standard `autoconfigure' flags, there are two
architecture specific flags available.

`./configure --enable-xdf'
`./configure --disable-xdf'
     Enables support for XDF disks. This is on by default. *Note XDF::,
     for details.

`./configure --enable-vold'
`./configure --disable-vold'
     Enables support for vold on Solaris. When used in conjunction with
     vold, mtools should use different device nodes than for direct
     access.

`./configure --enable-new-vold'
`./configure --disable-new-vold'
     Enables new support for vold on Solaris. This is supposed to work
     more smoothly than the old support.

`./configure --enable-floppyd'
`./configure --disable-floppyd'
     Enables support for floppyd.  By default, floppyd support is
     enabled as long as the necessary X includes and libraries are
     available.


File: mtools.info,  Node: Porting mtools,  Next: Command Index,  Prev: Compiling mtools,  Up: Top

6 Porting mtools to architectures which are not supported yet
*************************************************************

This chapter is only interesting for those who want to port mtools to
an architecture which is not yet supported. For most common systems,
default drives are already defined. If you want to add default drives
for a still unsupported system, run configuration.guess, to see which
identification autoconf uses for that system. This identification is of
the form cpu-vendor-os (for example sparc-sun-sunos). The cpu and the
OS parts are passed to the compiler as preprocessor flags.   The OS
part is passed to the compiler in three forms.
  1. The complete OS name, with dots replaced by underscores.  SCO3.2v2
     would yield sco3_2v2

  2. The base OS name. SCO3.2v2 would yield Sco

  3. The base OS name plus its major version. SCO3.2v2 would yield Sco3

   All three versions are passed, if they are different.

   To define the devices, use the entries for the systems that are
already present as templates. In general, they have the following form:

     #if (defined (my_cpu) && defined(my_os))
     #define predefined_devices
     struct device devices[] = {
             { "/dev/first_drive", 'drive_letter', drive_description},
             ...
             { "/dev/last_drive", 'drive_letter', drive_description}
     }
     #define INIT_NOOP
     #endif

   "/dev/first_drive" is the name of the device or image file
representing the drive. Drive_letter is a letter ranging from a to z
giving access to the drive. Drive_description describes the type of the
drive:
`ED312'
     extra density (2.88M) 3 1/2 disk

`HD312'
     high density 3 1/2 disk

`DD312'
     double density 3 1/2 disk

`HD514'
     high density 5 1/4 disk

`DD514'
     double density 5 1/4 disk

`DDsmall'
     8 sector double density 5 1/4 disk

`SS514'
     single sided double density 5 1/4 disk

`SSsmall'
     single sided 8 sector double density 5 1/4 disk

`GENFD'
     generic floppy drive (12 bit FAT)

`GENHD'
     generic hard disk (16 bit FAT)

`GEN'
     generic device (all parameters match)

`ZIPJAZ(flags)'
     generic ZIP drive using normal access. This uses partition 4.
     `Flags' are any special flags to be passed to open.

`RZIPJAZ(flags)'
     generic ZIP drive using raw SCSI access. This uses partition 4.
     `Flags' are any special flags to be passed to open.

`REMOTE'
     the remote drive used for floppyd.  Unlike the other items, this
     macro also includes the file name ($DISPLAY) and the drive letter
     (X)

   Entries may be described in more detail:
      fat_bits,open_flags,cylinders,heads,sectors,DEF_ARG
    or, if you need to describe an offset (file system doesn't start at
beginning of file system)
      fat_bits, open_flags, cylinders, heads, sectors, offset, DEF_ARG0

`fat_bits'
     is either 12, 16 or 0. 0 means that the device accepts both types
     of FAT.

`open_flags'
     may include flags such as O_NDELAY, or O_RDONLY, which might be
     necessary to open the device. 0 means no special flags are needed.

`cylinders,heads,sectors'
     describe the geometry of the disk. If cylinders is 0, the heads
     and sectors parameters are ignored, and the drive accepts any
     geometry.

`offset'
     is used if the DOS file system doesn't begin at the start of the
     device or image file. This is mostly useful for Atari Ram disks
     (which contain their device driver at the beginning of the file)
     or for DOS emulator images (which may represent a partitioned
     device.

   Definition of defaults in the devices file should only be done if
these same devices are found on a large number of hosts of this type.
In that case, could you also let me know about your new definitions, so
that I can include them into the next release.  For purely local file, I
recommend that you use the `/etc/mtools.conf' and `~/.mtoolsrc'
configuration files.

   However, the devices files also allows to supply geometry setting
routines. These are necessary if you want to access high capacity disks.

   Two routines should be supplied:

  1. Reading the current parameters
          static inline int get_parameters(int fd, struct generic_floppy_struct *floppy)

     This probes the current configured geometry, and return it in the
     structure generic_floppy_struct (which must also be declared).
     Fd is an open file descriptor for the device, and buf is an already
     filled in stat structure, which may be useful.   This routine
     should return 1 if the probing fails, and 0 otherwise.

  2. Setting new parameters
          static inline int set_parameters(int fd, struct generic_floppy_struct *floppy)
                                           struct stat *buf)
      This configures the geometry contained in floppy on the file
     descriptor fd. Buf is the result of a stat call (already filled
     in).  This should return 1 if the new geometry cannot be
     configured, and 0 otherwise.

   A certain number of preprocessor macros should also be supplied:

`TRACKS(floppy)'
     refers to the track field in the floppy structure

`HEADS(floppy)'
     refers to the heads field in the floppy structure

`SECTORS(floppy)'
     refers to the sectors per track field in the floppy structure

`SECTORS_PER_DISK(floppy)'
     refers to the sectors per disk field in the floppy structure (if
     applicable, otherwise leave undefined)

`BLOCK_MAJOR'
     major number of the floppy device, when viewed as a block device

`CHAR_MAJOR'
     major number of the floppy device, when viewed as a character
     device (a.k.a. "raw" device, used for fsck) (leave this undefined,
     if your OS doesn't have raw devices)

   For the truly high capacity formats (XDF, 2m, etc), there is no clean
and documented interface yet.


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