SUSE Support

Here When You Need Us

XEN: Mounting CD-ROM's and USB devices in para-virtual DomU's using command line tools

This document (7000059) is provided subject to the disclaimer at the end of this document.

Environment

SUSE Linux Enterprise Desktop 10 Service Pack 1
SUSE Linux Enterprise Server 10 Service Pack 1

Situation

How to present CD/DVD's and USB media devices to Xen para-virtual DomU's.

Resolution

At times, it is desirable to present external media to a para-virtual DomU. This method only works for para-virtual DomU's. This method is the command line method.

setup
  1. Determine which disks are present in DomU. Generally a good choice is one letter higher for devices "xvd" or "hdc":
    fdisk -l
  2. Attach the CD/DVD/USB drive to the DomU.
    The command has the following syntax.
    xm block-attach NAME_OF_DOMU phy:LOCATION_OF_DEVICE FREE-BLOCK-DEVICE WRITE_MODE
    Example for a CD drive
    xm block-attach SLES10 phy:/dev/cdrom hdc:cdrom r
    Example for a DVD drive
    xm block-attach SLES10 phy:/dev/dvd hdc:cdrom r
    Example for a USB drive
    xm block-attach SLES10 phy:/dev/sdc xvdc r
  3. Inside of the DomU, mount the volume. Use the name of the BLOCK-DEVICE used in the previous step. The expected behavior of the DomU automatically mounting the media will NOT happen. As a result, you have to manually mount the volume.
    mount /dev/hdc /mnt

clean-up
  1. Umount the volume
  2. Detach the device
    The command has the following syntax.
    xm block-detach NAME_OF_DOMU BLOCK-DEVICE
    Example
    xm block-detach SLES10 hdc

Disclaimer

This Support Knowledgebase provides a valuable tool for SUSE customers and parties interested in our products and solutions to acquire information, ideas and learn from one another. Materials are provided for informational, personal or non-commercial use within your organization and are presented "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND.

  • Document ID:7000059
  • Creation Date: 10-Apr-2008
  • Modified Date:14-Mar-2021
    • SUSE Linux Enterprise Server

< Back to Support Search

For questions or concerns with the SUSE Knowledgebase please contact: tidfeedback[at]suse.com

tick icon

SUSE Support Forums

Get your questions answered by experienced Sys Ops or interact with other SUSE community experts.

Join Our Community
tick icon

Support Resources

Learn how to get the most from the technical support you receive with your SUSE Subscription, Premium Support, Academic Program, or Partner Program.

Support FAQ
tick icon

Open an Incident

Open an incident with SUSE Technical Support, manage your subscriptions, download patches, or manage user access.

Go to Customer Center