linux-kernel - Re: USB Key light on/off state depending on mount

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Date:	Fri, 24 Aug 2007 17:19:45 -0600
From:	Robert Hancock <hancockr@...w.ca>
To:	Casey Dahlin <cjdahlin@...u.edu>
Cc:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Re: USB Key light on/off state depending on mount

Casey Dahlin wrote:
> Most USB keys nowadays have a small LED somewhere inside of them that 
> lights up when they are plugged in. On a windows box, the key is lit up 
> whenever it is mounted, and as soon as it is unmounted it turns off, 
> giving a handy physical indicator that the key is safe to remove. On 
> linux, the light is simply on whenever the key is plugged in.
> 
> Should linux toggle the light depending on mount state? Is it as trivial 
> as it seems or does this reflect some larger issue?

I think that Windows turns off power to the port when you do the "safely 
remove hardware" on it, or something like that. Mount/unmount doesn't 
really indicate whether the device is in use in Linux, though, since it 
can still be potentially accessed even when the device isn't mounted.

-- 
Robert Hancock      Saskatoon, SK, Canada
To email, remove "nospam" from hancockr@...pamshaw.ca
Home Page: http://www.roberthancock.com/

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