usb automount fail after an upgrade from 8.04.1 to 8.10

[dxdemetriou]

When I insert any usb device I have 2 error messages:

Cannot mount volume.
Error org.freedesktop.Hal.Device.UnknownError.

Unable to mount KINGSTON
DBus error org.freedesktop.DBus.Error.NoReply: Did not receive a reply. Possible causes include: the remote application did not send a reply, the message bus security policy blocked the reply, the reply timeout expired, or the network connection was broken.

I tried by asking on irc to find what could be the problem, and with help of savvas_ I got some messages maybe related to the problem
mount output: http://pastebin.com/m443b5606
sudo dbus-monitor --system: http://pastebin.com/m5c9a8fc0
dbus-monitor --session: http://pastebin.com/m460c8d64

I don't know if it's something related with this bug, but it didn't work on me
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/gnome-volume-manager/+bug/267151

thanks

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

package=hal, importance=medium

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

I had a look on this bug but it din't work:
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+source/hal/+bug/251781
I don't understand very well how hal is working now, and how we can convert older configuration files..
It will be fixed automatically from updates or we have to modify something from udev rules?

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

dxdemetriou, is this still an issue for you?
also, please note that the pastebin urls in the description have expired, please attach their content into this bug report...

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

yes, nothing have changed. Something I haven't told before is that I'm using Ubuntu from 5.10 upgraded sequentially until 8.10. I saw other posts with the same problem with fresh install also.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

$mount
/dev/sda1 on / type ext3 (rw,noatime,relatime,errors=remount-ro)
tmpfs on /lib/init/rw type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
/proc on /proc type proc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
sysfs on /sys type sysfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
varrun on /var/run type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,mode=0755)
varlock on /var/lock type tmpfs (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev,mode=1777)
udev on /dev type tmpfs (rw,mode=0755)
tmpfs on /dev/shm type tmpfs (rw,nosuid,nodev)
devpts on /dev/pts type devpts (rw,noexec,nosuid,gid=5,mode=620)
fusectl on /sys/fs/fuse/connections type fusectl (rw)
lrm on /lib/modules/2.6.27-10-generic/volatile type tmpfs (rw,mode=755)
none on /proc/bus/usb type usbfs (rw,devgid=1006,devmode=664)
securityfs on /sys/kernel/security type securityfs (rw)
nfsd on /proc/fs/nfsd type nfsd (rw)
binfmt_misc on /proc/sys/fs/binfmt_misc type binfmt_misc (rw,noexec,nosuid,nodev)
/dev/sda5 on /media/SaveDisk type ext3 (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal)
/dev/sdb1 on /media/SaveDisk2 type ext3 (rw,nosuid,nodev,uhelper=hal)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

$ sudo dbus-monitor --system
[sudo] password for dxdemetriou:
signal sender=org.freedesktop.DBus -> dest=:1.85 path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=NameAcquired
   string ":1.85"
signal sender=:1.2 -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager; interface=org.freedesktop.Hal.Manager; member=DeviceAdded
   string "/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_951_1607_5B791B97029F"
signal sender=:1.2 -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager; interface=org.freedesktop.Hal.Manager; member=DeviceAdded
   string "/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_951_1607_5B791B97029F_if0"
signal sender=:1.2 -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/Hal/Manager; interface=org.freedesktop.Hal.Manager; member=DeviceAdded
   string "/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/usb_device_951_1607_5B791B97029F_if0_scsi_host"
signal sender=org.freedesktop.DBus -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=NameOwnerChanged
   string ":1.86"
   string ""
   string ":1.86"
signal sender=:1.3 -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/ConsoleKit/Seat1; interface=org.freedesktop.ConsoleKit.Seat; member=SessionAdded
   string "/org/freedesktop/ConsoleKit/Session21"
signal sender=org.freedesktop.DBus -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/DBus; interface=org.freedesktop.DBus; member=NameOwnerChanged
   string ":1.86"
   string ":1.86"
   string ""
signal sender=:1.3 -> dest=(null destination) path=/org/freedesktop/ConsoleKit/Seat1; interface=org.freedesktop.ConsoleKit.Seat; member=SessionRemoved
   string "/org/freedesktop/ConsoleKit/Session21"
signal sender=:1.2 -> dest=(null ...

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

Is it possible to be the same problem that was on an older release? I don't remember exactly but I think it was on Dapper, and it was some fix on some .fdi file and it's location. I saw in the current release that a lot of thinks have changed to be used by hal like xorg.conf entities, and I'm somehow confused by what to check to find. I couldn't find anything for the problem I had before and how I solved it. That I'm trying to ask: is it possible to be some configuration on some file? something on the configuration and compilation of hal package? some program that conflicts with something else? the reason I'm using Ubuntu with upgrades from 5.10? But how? I tried to make fresh install on that older release I had before and the problem didn't solved, like now on Intrepid that I saw different posts with users with fresh install that have the same problem.
I'm asking all those questions if I can help with something and not waiting just for the solution.
I have another question that maybe is off-topic but I think it must answered to many users: Is Ubuntu LTS+1 testing new features that makes some thinks to not work as expected during this release like on Edgy before? (I don't mean about stability and security, I know that Ubuntu is both of them).
Please don't delete this post if it's off-topic.. just tell me where is the correct place and topic to re-write it. I had for a long time this questions, and the same with different thinks that those are sure off-topic for this post.
Thanks

[SpeedyGonsales (stem)]

I don't have a clue where lies problem, but I have a working solution (checked on 2 intrepid boxes that both had broken USB automount):

1. install usbmount (sudo apt-get install usbmount)
2. edit /etc/usbmount/usbmount.conf (sudo gedit /etc/usbmount/usbmount.conf)
3. change line FILESYSTEMS="ext2 ext3" to FILESYSTEMS="vfat ext2 ext3"

observe warning:
###############################################
# WARNING! The vfat filesystem does not yet fully implement sync-mounting. #
# If you include "vfat" in the list of filesystem types, you *MUST* make #
# sure all data is written to the medium before you remove it (e.g. run the #
# "sync" command in a terminal window). Otherwise, you *WILL* lose data! #
##############################################

(as most small USB devices has vfat filesystem, that is appropriate solution, for other try adding ntfs etc)

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

I found the problem finally
https://bugs.launchpad.net/ubuntu/+bug/130490/comments/20

I started checking in "/etc/dbus-1/system.d/hal.conf" and "/usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/20-storage-methods.fdi", and after I saw that are the same with live CD of Jaunty I removed the "ntfs-config".

I did:
sudo apt-get --purge remove ntfs-config
sudo /etc/init.d/hal restart

It works both on Intrepid and Jaunty. On Intrepid I did 2 times the "sudo /etc/init.d/hal restart" to work. I haven't check it on Hardy.

I don't know if it's the same problem that other ppl have, so before this bug is marked as closed I think is better to see from others that the problem is solved too. I don't know if are there other packages that cause this problem.

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

The problem reappeared again and now it's not the ntfs-config

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

in fact, the ntfs-config package seems unrelated to the issue

maybe what fixes it for you is the hal restart?

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

Every time the system starts it doesn't reloads the hal and dbus?
Anyway, it's fixed again by removing the "userful-multiplier".. I don't know why I had this package.
This time just restarting the hal service didn't work, so I reinstalled the hal.

For checking if it's because of some fdi I moved my "/usr/share/hal/" then reinstalled hal and worked. Then I replaced the new "/usr/share/hal/" with my old, I reinstalled hal and the problem reappeared.

Me too I haven't see anything in ntfs-config's fdi that could cause the problem. I remember I tried to restart hal before I removed the ntfs-config and didn't work.

Before of some posts, when I asked about the system changes after of some updates/upgrades, I meant that changing some fdi it was easier before (I had problem with external disks on Dapper and I modified some fdi - I don't remember which one). Now for what I understood the most are hal related (restarting hal on Intrepid and Jaunty after of some changes in "/usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/"). Now it wasn't enough just restarting the hal, and after of reinstalling it I saw that it restarts dbus also.

For what I said it's just what I saw. I don't know if these are correct or not, that's why I'm asking.

Thanks

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

So you're saying that with the original contents of /usr/share/hal everything works, but with your (modified) version of it it doesn't?

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

yes.
This with fdi's directory I tried it when I had problem with "userful-multiplier" because of "99-userful-storage-policy.fdi".
I haven't tried it with ntfs-config, just I did what I said before:
sudo /etc/init.d/hal restart #didn't change anything
sudo apt-get --purge remove ntfs-config
sudo /etc/init.d/hal restart #I could automount external disks

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

From http://packages.ubuntu.com/jaunty/i386/ntfs-config/filelist you can see that ntfs-config doesn't install anything under /usr/share/hal

can you try reinstalling ntfs-config to confirm that this is what breaks usb automounting?

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

After reinstalling ntfs-config it's ok, but I had "20-ntfs-config-write-policy.fdi" in "/usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/".
Maybe it were left there from before.

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

I see. You can find out which package installed a certain file by running "dpkg -S <filename>", e.g. in your case:
dpkg -S /usr/share/hal/fdi/policy/10osvendor/20-ntfs-config-write-policy.fdi

if it doesn't return anything, it was probably installed outside the the dpkg package management system, i.e. from source...

dxdemetriou, can we consider this bug closed? as you see, ntfs-config was not at fault

[dxdemetriou (dxdemetriou-hotmail)]

It's ok. The command does not return anything. Then for me this bug is closed.
Thanks for any help

[Dimitrios Symeonidis (azimout)]

closing as fix released, as per your last comment

[Taufik (tfk252hasan)]

I has similar problem in Jaunty, after upgrade to 2.6.28-13, USB cannot be mounted, with unknown error.
Uninstalling userful-multiplier *solved* the problem at once.