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Software

  usbview    GUI to display what the kernel thinks of USB devices and system

Watch usb events (plug/unplug)

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Reformat a USB drive...

  VFat
    This is actually very fast as it only initialised the file system but does
    not clear the disk of old data.

      mkfs.vfat -v -n Ant_USB_4 /dev/sdb1

  NTFS
    If you needed to save files larger than 4Gb with windows access
    But does not seem to be usable under MaxOSX

      mkfs.ntfs -v -L Ant_USB_8 /dev/sdb1

    Fast Method (no zeroing of all data blocks, no bad sector check)
      mkfs.ntfs -v -f -L Ant_USB_8 /dev/sdc1

  Ext3
      mkfs.ext3 -L Ant_USB_8 /dev/sdb1

After changes get it to 'auto-mount' by asking kernel to re-read partitions
using...

       partprobe


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Rename a USB partition...
See  https://help.ubuntu.com/community/RenameUSBDrive

You need to be root to do this.

For a VFAT partition  (not case sensitive!)...
  # does not work!
  #using dosfstools package
  #  dosfslabel /dev/sdb1
  #  dosfslabel /dev/sdb1  MyLabel

  From mtools package
    Check current label
      mlabel -i /dev/sdb1 -s ::
    Set its Label
      mlabel -i /dev/sdb1  ::MyLabel

For NTFS use ntfsprogs

  Check Label
    ntfslabel /dev/sdb1
  Set Label
    ntfslabel /dev/sdb1 MyLabel

For Ext2/3 use e2label

  Check Label
    e2label /dev/sdb1
  Set Label
    e2label /dev/sdb1 MyLabel

Now unmount, remove and repluging the USB and it will have a new label.
Or use

    partprobe

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Fix problems...

   dosfsck  /dev/sdc1
     -a      automatically fix
     -atv    find bad sectors on disk (verbosely)

   ntfsfix /dev/sdb1

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Login using a USB key...

* Install the pam_USB package

  rpm -Uvh http://solid.bounceme.net/pub_files/packages/fedora/4/i386/RPMS.solid/pam_usb-0.3.2-1.fc4.solid.i386.rpm

* Create a private/public key pair for a user (as root)

  usbadm keygen <mountpoint of USB> <username> 2048

This will work with all programs that use PAM.
Their config files are in the folder /etc/pam.d

From then you can now add lines to the pam system.

* Open /etc/pam.d/(login|gdm|kde|su|sudo)

* Insert this after the first line (If you want the USB to be optional)

     auth       sufficient   pam_usb.so !check_device

* To make the USB compulsary, change it to this line

     auth       required   pam_usb.so !check_device


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Bootable Linux USB flash Disk

Look up "FeatherLinux"

Install...
   unzip  feather-0.5.9-usb.zip -d /mnt/usbdisk
   syslinux /dev/sda1

The syslinux is a boot loader for MS-DOS floppies and disks.
The command is available under linux and Dos, and on boot it locates
and executes the kernel located in the file "LINUX", and configuration
from the optional "SYSLINUX.CFG" file.

NOTE: Fedora now have Live USB creation, with COW overlays


Also look at "unetbootin" whcih will create multiple types of boot USBs
and even convert ISO images to bootable USBs.

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