Missing device file /dev/sdb? and /dev/sdc?

English Install/Boot/Login
1

Hello everybody,
on my computer there are three identical harddisks. The fdisk -l output shows the following:

Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x000f41d3

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sda1 * 2 523 4192965 83 Linux
/dev/sda2 524 38913 308367675 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdb: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0x0004cff3

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdb1 1 973 7815591 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdb2 974 38913 304753050 83 Linux

Disk /dev/sdc: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
Disk identifier: 0xc565231f

Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
/dev/sdc1 1 974 7823623+ 82 Linux swap / Solaris
/dev/sdc2 975 38913 304745017+ 83 Linux

But after booting there are only the following device files under /dev
ls -la /dev/sd*
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 0 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 1 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda1
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 2 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda2
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 16 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sdb
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 32 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sdc
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 48 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdd
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 64 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sde
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 80 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdf
brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 96 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdg

When I (re-)write the partion table for sdb or sdc with fdisk without changing anything the device files for the partitions get created.
The problem was also there while installing the system. When I tried to format the swap partition sdb1 and sdb2 during install I got an error code -3030 saying that there was an error during format. I don’t have any additional controllers in my computer. The mainboard is a Gigabyte P35-DS4.

Thanks in advance for any help or hint.

Kurt

2

I should have mentioned that I’m using openSuse 11.1

3

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I’ve seen, at times, where these wouldn’t be read until I rebooted.
Tried that?

Good luck.

kderichs wrote:
> Hello everybody,
> on my computer there are three identical harddisks. The fdisk -l output
> shows the following:
>
> Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0x000f41d3
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/sda1 * 2 523 4192965 83 Linux
> /dev/sda2 524 38913 308367675 83 Linux
>
> Disk /dev/sdb: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0x0004cff3
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/sdb1 1 973 7815591 82 Linux swap /
> Solaris
> /dev/sdb2 974 38913 304753050 83 Linux
>
> Disk /dev/sdc: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
> Disk identifier: 0xc565231f
>
> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
> /dev/sdc1 1 974 7823623+ 82 Linux swap /
> Solaris
> /dev/sdc2 975 38913 304745017+ 83 Linux
>
> But after booting there are only the following device files under /dev
> ls -la /dev/sd*
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 0 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda
>
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 1 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda1
>
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 2 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda2
>
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 16 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sdb
>
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 32 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sdc
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 48 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdd
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 64 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sde
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 80 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdf
> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 96 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdg
>
> When I (re-)write the partion table for sdb or sdc with fdisk without
> changing anything the device files for the partitions get created.
> The problem was also there while installing the system. When I tried to
> format the swap partition sdb1 and sdb2 during install I got an error
> code -3030 saying that there was an error during format. I don’t have
> any additional controllers in my computer. The mainboard is a Gigabyte
> P35-DS4.
>
> Thanks in advance for any help or hint.
>
> Kurt
>
>
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4

Yes I rebooted a lot of times but the file keep disappearing.

5

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Hash: SHA1

Or perhaps try running ‘partprobe’ after you see your setup in fdisk.

Good luck.

ab@novell.com wrote:
> I’ve seen, at times, where these wouldn’t be read until I rebooted.
> Tried that?
>
> Good luck.
>
>
>
>
>
> kderichs wrote:
>> Hello everybody,
>> on my computer there are three identical harddisks. The fdisk -l output
>> shows the following:
>
>> Disk /dev/sda: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
>> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
>> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
>> Disk identifier: 0x000f41d3
>
>> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
>> /dev/sda1 * 2 523 4192965 83 Linux
>> /dev/sda2 524 38913 308367675 83 Linux
>
>> Disk /dev/sdb: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
>> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
>> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
>> Disk identifier: 0x0004cff3
>
>> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
>> /dev/sdb1 1 973 7815591 82 Linux swap /
>> Solaris
>> /dev/sdb2 974 38913 304753050 83 Linux
>
>> Disk /dev/sdc: 320.0 GB, 320072933376 bytes
>> 255 heads, 63 sectors/track, 38913 cylinders
>> Units = cylinders of 16065 * 512 = 8225280 bytes
>> Disk identifier: 0xc565231f
>
>> Device Boot Start End Blocks Id System
>> /dev/sdc1 1 974 7823623+ 82 Linux swap /
>> Solaris
>> /dev/sdc2 975 38913 304745017+ 83 Linux
>
>> But after booting there are only the following device files under /dev
>> ls -la /dev/sd*
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 0 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda
>
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 1 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda1
>
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 2 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sda2
>
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 16 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sdb
>
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 32 Jan 5 18:13 /dev/sdc
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 48 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdd
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 64 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sde
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 80 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdf
>> brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 96 Jan 5 18:23 /dev/sdg
>
>> When I (re-)write the partion table for sdb or sdc with fdisk without
>> changing anything the device files for the partitions get created.
>> The problem was also there while installing the system. When I tried to
>> format the swap partition sdb1 and sdb2 during install I got an error
>> code -3030 saying that there was an error during format. I don’t have
>> any additional controllers in my computer. The mainboard is a Gigabyte
>> P35-DS4.
>
>> Thanks in advance for any help or hint.
>
>> Kurt
>
>
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6

kderichs wrote:
> Yes I rebooted a lot of times but the file keep disappearing.

First of all, try the following command after a fresh reboot:

dmesg | egrep “sda|sdb|sdc”

Next use ‘dmesg | less’ to page through the dmesg listing to see what shows up.

7

Thanks everybody for the help.

It had something to do with the installation.
I have a USB card reader in my computer with three slots. During the installation the card reader slots are sda, sdb and sdc and then come the hard disks as sde, sdf and sdg.
I installed it with the card reader disconnected and reconnected after the the system had been installed and once rebooted. Now everything works fine.

Kurt