NAME

       hotswap - register and unregister hotswappable  IDE hardware

SYNOPSIS

       hotswap  [  -c  |  --ide-controller  N]  [-h | --help] [-n | --nocheck] [-v | --verbose] [-V | --version]
       [ACTION]

DESCRIPTION

       hotswap allows you to register and unregister hotswappable IDE devices,  for  example  notebook  computer
       modules, with the Linux kernel.

       It  has  been  developed on and for a Dell Latitude C600, but does not rely on any specific properties of
       that machine.

       By default, the command line utility guides you through the hotswapping process interactively. It is also
       possible to specify an ACTION, for example unregistering the current device, rescanning the IDE bus,  &c.
       This feature is primarily intended for use with scripts and GUI frontends such as xhotswap(1).

       By  using  an XML configuration file, system administrators can specify arbitrary shell scripts to be run
       before and after registering and unregistering  devices.  This  is  particularly  helpful  for  automatic
       configuration  of  CD-RW  drives,  which  require  SCSI  emulation  and  bypass normal access via the IDE
       subsystem. By default, the configuration file is located at /etc/hotswaprc; its syntax  is  described  in
       hotswaprc(5).

OPTIONS

       The program follows the usual GNU command line syntax, with long options starting with two dashes (`-').

       -c, --ide-controller N
              Use IDE controller N.

       -h, --help
              Print a brief help text and exit successfully.

       -n, --nocheck
              Do  not perform sanity checks before attempting an action. Use with care, as this option may cause
              some steps to fail silently.

       -v, --verbose
              Print more information.

       -V ,--version
              Print version information and exit successfully.

ACTIONS

       Besides the above options, the program allows you to specify one of the following actions on the  command
       line:

       probe-ide
              Detect the currently configured IDE device.

       mounted-ide
              Detect whether a file system on the currently configured IDE device is mounted.

       unregister-ide
              Unregister the currently configured IDE device.

       rescan-ide
              Scan the IDE bus for a new device.  If a device has been found, register it with the kernel.

       If  no  ACTION is specified, interactive mode is entered. In this mode the program guides you through the
       hotswapping process as appropriate for the current configuration.

NOTES

       There is generally no need to manage floppy disk devices.  The FDC  is  always  present  and  configured.
       Floppy  disk  drives  do  not connect to the IDE controller, even if they come in the same modules as IDE
       devices and use the same connector.

       The Linux kernel requires hotswappable devices to be the only device connected to their IDE controller.

       The mounted-ide action assumes file systems have been mounted as /dev/hdc. If this is not the case (i.e.,
       you've used a symbolic link such as /dev/cdrom) the command will not work.

FILES

       /etc/hotswaprc
              The default location for the XML configuration file.

REPORT BUGS

       Report bugs to t.stadelmann1@physics.ox.ac.uk.

AUTHOR

       Written by Tim Stadelmann.

       This manual page is based on an earlier version kindly contributed by Wouter Verhelst.

SEE ALSO

       xhotswap(1), hdparm(8), hotswaprc(5).

COPYRIGHT

       Copyright (c) 2002-2003 Wouter Verhelst, Tim Stadelmann.

       Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU  General
       Public License (GPL), Version 2 or any later version published by the Free Software Foundation.

                                                4th November 2002                                     HOTSWAP(1)