Debian Bug report logs - #463758
MP3 players: can mount(1) fine, but [cs]fdisk say "unknown partition table"

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Message #5 received at submit@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: jidanni@jidanni.org

To: submit@bugs.debian.org

Subject: MP3 players: can mount(1) fine, but [cs]fdisk say "unknown partition table"

Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2008 09:42:05 +0800

Package: util-linux
Version: 2.13.1-1

It seems from http://www.google.com/search?q=%22sda:+unknown+partition+table%22
that there is a new world of pendrives, MP3 players, that
upon insertion give in dmesg:

scsi0 : SCSI emulation for USB Mass Storage devices
usbcore: registered new interface driver usb-storage
USB Mass Storage support registered.
usb-storage: device found at 2
usb-storage: waiting for device to settle before scanning
usb-storage: device scan complete
scsi scan: INQUIRY result too short (5), using 36
scsi 0:0:0:0: Direct-Access     USB 2.0  (HS) Flash Disk  1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 0 CCS
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] 4008881 512-byte hardware sectors (2053 MB)
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Write Protect is off
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Mode Sense: 00 c0 00 00
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Assuming drive cache: write through
 sda: unknown partition table
sd 0:0:0:0: [sda] Attached SCSI removable disk

and fdisk, cfdisk, sfdisk, etc. can't deal with due to "unknown
partition table".

All one wants to do is use fdisk -l /dev/sda.

However
# mount /dev/sda /mnt
works fine and the disk is mounted as vfat and all files are visible.

Therefore something about fdisk etc. is behind the times.

Message #10 received at 463758@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: LaMont Jones <lamont@debian.org>

To: jidanni@jidanni.org, 463758@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#463758: MP3 players: can mount(1) fine, but [cs]fdisk say "unknown partition table"

Date: Sat, 2 Feb 2008 20:38:10 -0700

On Sun, Feb 03, 2008 at 09:42:05AM +0800, jidanni@jidanni.org wrote:
> However
> # mount /dev/sda /mnt
> works fine and the disk is mounted as vfat and all files are visible.
> 
> Therefore something about fdisk etc. is behind the times.

Fdisk et al are utilities for managing partition tables, which the
device in question lacks.  What you really want is to have the device
recognition software (whatever you're using) recognize the device for
the unpartitioned filesystem that it is, and do the right thing.  As you
note, mount does the right thing when told to.

And I'm really not sure where to assign this issue, just that fdisk and
mount are behaving as they should.

lamont

Message #15 received at 463758@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: jidanni@jidanni.org

To: 463758@bugs.debian.org

Subject: the new devices without partition tables

Date: Sun, 03 Feb 2008 11:55:12 +0800

Thanks. Perhaps fdisk etc. should print out a message "Ah, this is a
new class of device that does not use any partition table. No problem
with that -- just that you don't need to bother with fdisk etc."

Currently fdisk etc. prints ominous error messages, and fdisk -l
attempts to read it and spits out junk.

Anyway, the idea is to calm the user that there is no error.

Why did the user try fdisk -l? Well because he was just curious and
that is what he does when he sticks new things into the USB socket.

And the message in dmesg "unknown partition table" should perhaps be
nothing or "device does not use a partition table".

Message #20 received at 463758@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: jidanni@jidanni.org

To: 463758@bugs.debian.org

Subject: fdisk -l should be as sane as parted -l

Date: Sun, 23 Nov 2008 16:32:08 +0800

# parted -l #gets this right
Model: USB 2.0 (HS) Flash Disk (scsi)
Disk /dev/sde: 2053MB
Sector size (logical/physical): 512B/512B
Partition Table: loop

Number  Start  End     Size    File system  Flags
 1      0.00B  2053MB  2053MB  fat32

But fdisk -l tears into territory it shouldn't.

# fdisk -l /dev/sde

Disk /dev/sde: 2052 MB, 2052547072 bytes
64 heads, 62 sectors/track, 1010 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 3968 * 512 = 2031616 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x6f20736b

This doesn't look like a partition table
Probably you selected the wrong device.

   Device Boot      Start         End      Blocks   Id  System
/dev/sde1   ?      196103      483782   570754815+  72  Unknown
Partition 1 has different physical/logical beginnings (non-Linux?):
     phys=(357, 116, 40) logical=(196102, 51, 11)... [many more lines].

fdisk needs to learn some manners from parted about the newer "loop"
partition tables, and not just munch along oblivious.

Message #25 received at 463758-done@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: Phillip Susi <psusi@ubuntu.com>

To: 463758-done@bugs.debian.org

Subject: MP3 players: can mount(1) fine, but [cs]fdisk say "unknown partition table"

Date: Thu, 31 Oct 2013 14:43:11 -0400

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This is not a bug; if you don't have a partition table, then you don't
have a partition table.

I'm not sure why you would ever see this normally though since I'm
pretty certain Windows will not mount such a device, so manufacturers
always put a partition table on.

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Message #30 received at 463758@bugs.debian.org (full text, mbox, reply):

From: jidanni@jidanni.org

To: psusi@ubuntu.com

Cc: 463758@bugs.debian.org

Subject: Re: Bug#463758 closed by Phillip Susi <psusi@ubuntu.com> (MP3 players: can mount(1) fine, but [cs]fdisk say "unknown partition table")

Date: Wed, 06 Nov 2013 19:37:53 +0800

Well maybe fdisk etc. can now handle such devices now anyway...

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