Impossible to eject dvd?

[Patrick Lists]

Hi all,

Seen this a couple if times now on my laptop running today's Rawhide.
Insert dvd, browser window opens, click on some folder in the dvd and
for example open a text file, close text file, close the browser window.
Now right click on the dvd icon, select eject and all I get is:

Cannot unmount volume
An application is preventing the volume 'foo' from being unmounted.

Only way to fix this is to logout, chvt 1, eject, chvt 7, login.
Anyone have an idea what's causing this?

Thanks and regards,
Patrick

[Filip Tsachev]

Hello,

On 06/09/06, Patrick  wrote:
> Hi all,
>
> Seen this a couple if times now on my laptop running today's Rawhide.
> Insert dvd, browser window opens, click on some folder in the dvd and
> for example open a text file, close text file, close the browser window.
> Now right click on the dvd icon, select eject and all I get is:
>
> Cannot unmount volume
> An application is preventing the volume 'foo' from being unmounted.
>
> Only way to fix this is to logout, chvt 1, eject, chvt 7, login.
> Anyone have an idea what's causing this?
>
> Thanks and regards,
> Patrick

I frequently run into this problem, it just makes no sense. The reason
is some gnome based tool which automounts, unfortunatelly I didn't
have the time to find&remove it. So in such cases I fire up terminal
and umount as root (only solution for me).

[Michal Jaegermann]

On Sat, Sep 09, 2006 at 01:25:39PM +0300, Filip Tsachev wrote:
> On 06/09/06, Patrick  wrote:
> > Cannot unmount volume
> > An application is preventing the volume 'foo' from being unmounted.
>
> I frequently run into this problem, it just makes no sense. The reason
> is some gnome based tool which automounts,

That "some gnome based tool" is called gnome-mount and is a part
of a 'gnome-mount' package.
> unfortunatelly I didn't
> have the time to find&remove it.

It should be enough to uncheck in preferences a box which
controls mounting of removable media.
> So in such cases I fire up terminal
> and umount as root (only solution for me).

Using the same terminal window you could use gnome-umount
from a command line (type 'gnome-umount --help' for a start)
and you do not have to be root for that; but it would be
more interesting to know why you are having trouble.
It is possible that something makes a mount point "busy"
only it is hard to guess what that may be if you are not
telling.

Michal

[Filip Tsachev]

Hi Michal,

On 09/09/06, Michal Jaegermann  wrote:
> It should be enough to uncheck in preferences a box which
> controls mounting of removable media.

I know about that box, also not sure if services like automount are related.
> Using the same terminal window you could use gnome-umount

I'll give it a try :)

BTW: what means:
$ gnome-umount --display-settings --device /dev/hda1...
Displaying settings for volume (overrides drive settings)....
There are no settings; you can use --write-settings

Is there GUI?
> and you do not have to be root for that;

Well when for e.g. eject doesn't work, usually only umount as root
helps I'm not sure if root was needed, rather was using the account
for other checks like fstab.

I guess it's different also if I had the cd/dvd in the drive before gnome.
> but it would be
> more interesting to know why you are having trouble.
> It is possible that something makes a mount point "busy"

Exactly, but it's hard to say, I'll have to check again possibly when
usign some of the media players etc.
> only it is hard to guess what that may be if you are not
> telling.

Cheers,
Filip

[Michal Jaegermann]

On Sat, Sep 09, 2006 at 09:58:14PM +0300, Filip Tsachev wrote:
> On 09/09/06, Michal Jaegermann  wrote:
> > It should be enough to uncheck in preferences a box which
> > controls mounting of removable media.
>
> I know about that box, also not sure if services like automount are related.

Sorry, I do not understand.  Are you asking if autofs has something
to do with the above?  No, it does not.
> > Using the same terminal window you could use gnome-umount
>
> I'll give it a try :)
>
> BTW: what means:
> $ gnome-umount --display-settings --device /dev/hda1...
> Displaying settings for volume (overrides drive settings)....
> There are no settings; you can use --write-settings

No idea.
> Is there GUI?

AFAIK "Unmount volume" menu entries on corresponding device icons
is that GUI.  This, of course, has this property that it hides
possible error messages which you are trying to find.
> > and you do not have to be root for that;
>
> Well when for e.g. eject doesn't work, usually only umount as root
> helps I'm not sure if root was needed, rather was using the account
> for other checks like fstab.

You will not see those mounts in fstab; but you do not need
to be root for 'cat /proc/mounts'.
> > It is possible that something makes a mount point "busy"
>
> Exactly, but it's hard to say, I'll have to check again possibly when
> usign some of the media players etc.

Well, there are tools like 'fuser' and/or 'lsof' which can help
you with that.  These utilities are in 'root' path.

Michal

[Filip Tsachev]

Hello,

On 09/09/06, Michal Jaegermann  wrote:
Very useful information, thanks.

[Filip Tsachev]

Hello,

When I inserted dvd+rw, it was mounted. I wanted to rewrite it with
k3b. Tried using gnome-umount -u /dev/hdc, with no luck. While right
clicking the device only offers eject as an option. Had to use umount
/dev/hdc as root, because using it as an user produced the output:
"it's not in fstab and you're not root". Guess I miss something about
gnome-mount in the overall picture.

[Jim Cornette]

Filip Tsachev wrote:
> Hello,
>
> When I inserted dvd+rw, it was mounted. I wanted to rewrite it with
> k3b. Tried using gnome-umount -u /dev/hdc, with no luck. While right
> clicking the device only offers eject as an option. Had to use umount
> /dev/hdc as root, because using it as an user produced the output:
> "it's not in fstab and you're not root". Guess I miss something about
> gnome-mount in the overall picture.

The choice to unmount a device should be offered as a selection within 
the GUI interface. Why there is no choice is beyond me. Though the 
subject is related to ejecting the CD, which I have no problems using.

Jim

[nodata]

Am Sonntag, den 10.09.2006, 18:36 -0400 schrieb Jim Cornette:
> Filip Tsachev wrote:
> > Hello,
> >
> > When I inserted dvd+rw, it was mounted. I wanted to rewrite it with
> > k3b. Tried using gnome-umount -u /dev/hdc, with no luck. While right
> > clicking the device only offers eject as an option. Had to use umount
> > /dev/hdc as root, because using it as an user produced the output:
> > "it's not in fstab and you're not root". Guess I miss something about
> > gnome-mount in the overall picture.
>
> The choice to unmount a device should be offered as a selection within 
> the GUI interface. Why there is no choice is beyond me.

Probably because the idea is for a user to "not need to know" about
mounting and unmounting.
> > Though the
>
> subject is related to ejecting the CD, which I have no problems using.

The latest version of eject uses pam, so can unmount as a user.
> Jim
>
> -- 
> Ryan's Law:
>    Make three correct guesses consecutively
>    and you will establish yourself as an expert.

[Jim Cornette]

nodata wrote:
> Am Sonntag, den 10.09.2006, 18:36 -0400 schrieb Jim Cornette:
> > Filip Tsachev wrote:
> > > Hello,
> > >
> > > When I inserted dvd+rw, it was mounted. I wanted to rewrite it with
> > > k3b. Tried using gnome-umount -u /dev/hdc, with no luck. While right
> > > clicking the device only offers eject as an option. Had to use umount
> > > /dev/hdc as root, because using it as an user produced the output:
> > > "it's not in fstab and you're not root". Guess I miss something about
> > > gnome-mount in the overall picture.
> >
> > The choice to unmount a device should be offered as a selection within 
> > the GUI interface. Why there is no choice is beyond me.
>
> Probably because the idea is for a user to "not need to know" about
> mounting and unmounting.

In a case like that, the applications need to know how to mount and 
unmount devices which must be in this state. Currently applications do 
not seem to have a universal way to accomplish this goal. On another 
note, let them open a terminal, give some device naming information, 
abbreviated or otherwise not obvious command options to a program with 
poor, if any documentation and having the choice in the GUI to do so 
sounds more user friendly.
> > > Though the
> >
> > subject is related to ejecting the CD, which I have no problems using.
>
> The latest version of eject uses pam, so can unmount as a user.

Thanks for the information! It explains why I can eject the CD or DVD 
anyway. It sure beats a paper clip. Keeping too much control from a user 
is more dangerous than oversimplifying control options.

Jim

[Michal Jaegermann]

On Sun, Sep 10, 2006 at 09:58:36PM +0300, Filip Tsachev wrote:
> When I inserted dvd+rw, it was mounted. I wanted to rewrite it with
> k3b. Tried using gnome-umount -u /dev/hdc, with no luck.

Why did you try '-u' and not '-v'?  Moreover 'gnome-umount --help'
suggests that the syntax above is wrong.  Well, this is only a guess
as there is no documentation.  'gnome-mount' and 'gnome-unmount' in
general are broken although not absolutely, and bug reports are
simply ignored, but in some circumstances that stuff can be used.
> Had to use umount
> /dev/hdc as root, because using it as an user produced the output:
> "it's not in fstab and you're not root".

If you will try to use 'umount' then in most cases you will
see precisely what you quoted.
> Guess I miss something about gnome-mount in the overall picture.

'gnome-mount' and 'mount' are not the same interface.

Michal

[Paul W. Frields]

On Sun, 2006-09-10 at 21:58 +0300, Filip Tsachev wrote:
> Hello,
>
> When I inserted dvd+rw, it was mounted. I wanted to rewrite it with
> k3b. Tried using gnome-umount -u /dev/hdc, with no luck. While right
> clicking the device only offers eject as an option. Had to use umount
> /dev/hdc as root, because using it as an user produced the output:
> "it's not in fstab and you're not root". Guess I miss something about
> gnome-mount in the overall picture.

To unmount using gnome-umount, isn't the command gnome-umount
-ud /dev/hdc ?  The gnome-{u,}mount commands don't assume a device file
argument AFAIK.  You can use other things as arguments such as the
volume pseudonym.  You can often detect open files with fuser(1) or
lsof(8), if that's a problem.