[ltp] Ultrabay...Does it work, or not?

[Andrius Ciziunas]

Hi All--

	I've found many different sites on information about Utrabay
drives.  Some, like the FAQ on the linux-thinkpad.org site seem to say
that it is supported under Linux.  Others, like many of the setup pages on
the web, suggest that it's not possible.  Can someone tell me what's
right?

	A little about my system:  It's a Thinkpad T22, I run a hand built
system (built from a very base install of debian, then I compiled
everything compiled from scratch...Yes, I am a massachist, who likes to
know his system inside and out).  Anyway, I've got a floppy, DVD-ROM and
Zip Drive, all Ultrabay.  I'm getting sick of having to restart my box to
swap these out.

	Now, the FAQ says:

"To hot-swap bay devices do the following.
1) Compile the kernel with the CD/DVD-ROM driver configured as a module.
2) Add "hdc=cdrom hdc=noprobe" to the boot parameters in /etc/lilo.conf .
The option "hdc=noprobe" tells the kernel not to check for drives
connected to the UltraBay's IDE interface when the IDE driver initializes.
If an UltraBay battery or another non-drive device is in the UltraBay then
this allows for fast booting.
3) IMPORTANT: When removing an UltraBay device, be patient!
Wait for the LED to stop blinking before removing the device; otherwise
the system will locks up completely."

	I did that, but, when I attempt to remove the DVD ROM, the LED
continues to blink and, if I have the sound up, it beeps.

	Michael Reinsch's website, for example, says:

 "Hot swapping does not work. But you can change the drive while the
notebook is suspended (either to RAM or disk). This works OK for me when
changing from CD/DVD to floppy. Klaus Espenlaub told me, that swapping
works better with some devices (i.e. ZIP drives) if one uses hdparm -U
first to un-register and after swapping hdparm -R to re-register the IDE
interface. Please read the hdparm manpage before playing around with it!
This stuff can be dangerous!"

	So, who's right?

				Andrius


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