DVD-RAM on FreeBSD 5.1R (LG 4040)?

[Stefan A. Deutscher]

On Mon, Nov 17, 2003 at 12:26:11AM +0000, Stefan A. Deutscher wrote:
> Hi all,
> 
>  just got an ATAPI LG 4040 multiwriter (CD-R/RW, DVD+/-R,+/-RW, and
> DVD-RAM) and wish to use it on FreeBSD 5.1. While still having to
> configure the system to address it in UDMA rather than PIO 4 mode, it
> installed fine. Reading and writing CDs in all possible variations works
> fine with burncd. Yet many of my scripts are written for cdrecord, so
> I'd rather stick with that tool instead of learing yet another one.
> 
> Two questions arise
> 
> (a) How do I get such a unit to treat DVD-RAM just as slow, random
>     access optical media (much like an MO-Disk)?
>     I do not wish to do burncd or cdrecord on it, I wish to write to it
>     directly, if possible.
>     Alas, I could not put a new disk label on the blank (disklabel says
>     'unknown type: auto'), and newfs does not like it either. So I am
>     stuck.
> 
> (b) Google and the online handbook (for 4.x though) tell me that I
>     need 
> 
>       device atapicam
>       device scbus
>       device pass
> 
>     in my kernel to get to use the ATAPI unit like a SCSI unit
>     (e.g. with cdrecord and friends). However, on 5.1R I cannot find any
>     mention of an atapicam device, neither in GENERIC nor in the hints
>     nor NOTES. Now, what's a man to do?
> 
> 
> I checked the freebsd.org FAQs and archives, google and the news groups,
> but most stuff there is not really conclusive. In case this is a FAQ,
> after all, please just post a pointer.
> 
> Any hints are much appreciated.
> 

To add one more to the list of hints: It seems that FBSD disables the
'eject' button on the DVD unit, that is, I cannot unload a DVD+/-RW w/o
a reboot. Any thoughts on that one would be appreciated, too.

Cheers,
          Stefan



-- 
============================================================================
Stefan A. Deutscher                             |
Donostia International Physics Center           | office: ++34-943-018174
Universidad del Pais Vasco, Facultad de Quimica | fax   : ++34-943-015600
Departamento de Fisica de Materiales            | home  : ++34-943-270647
Apartado 1072, San Sebastian 20080, Spain       | email : sad at mailaps.org
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