So maybe I’m the last person on the block to have to figure this out but… if you get a Seagate FreeAgent and use Linux you might have a surprise. Mine was that the file system would periodically become readonly. It turns out that this problem has to do with the fact that the drive spins down after 15 minutes and doesn’t wake up correctly under Linux. There are a number of workarounds and solutions that I’ve seen on the web (including someone who uses a cron job to write to the disk every 13 minutes to keep it awake).
Here’s what worked for me.
First, you’ll need to install sdparm and note where your drive is mounted, for me it was /dev/sdc4 yours will likely be different. Then do the following (again using YOUR /dev path not mine) as root:
# sdparm -al /dev/sdc4
# sdparm –clear STANDBY -6 /dev/sdc4
# sdparm -al /dev/sdc4
NOTE there are TWO dashes before “clear” on the second line.
This worked for me and when I get time, I’ll go over the other things that can be set with sdparm.
No, you’re NOT the last person on the block to figure this out. I’m running Ubuntu 7.10 and just paid a gazillion bucks for a Freeagent Pro yesterday… Will the try the hack you posted!
Anyone got the home address of the responsible HW designer at Seagate?
Good luck with that. The code above did solve my problem but like the “NOTE” says, be careful to use two dashes before “clear” on the second line. For whatever reason, the font used on this blog makes them look like just one dash.