Transferring files to Amazon Kindle

[acampbell]

I have attached my Amazon Kindle via usb and want to mount it to allow me to transfer files. The relevant lines in dmesg are:

umass0 at uhub0 port 5 configuration 1 interface 0 "Amazon Amazon Kindle" rev 2.00/1.00 addr 2
umass0: using SCSI over Bulk-Only
scsibus4 at umass0: 2 targets, initiator 0
sd0 at scsibus4 targ 1 lun 0: <Kindle, Internal Storage, 0100> SCSI2 0/direct removable serial.19490004G10571030R3J

I think the kindle is at /dev/sd0c. I tried:

doas mount /dev/sd0c /mnt but this gives:

mount_ffs: /dev/sd0c on /mnt: Invalid argument

I assume it wants a different file system but what should I put?

[jggimi]

The "c" partition is incorrect. That's the entire physical drive. Instead, you want the partition letter(s) for the underlying fileystem(s).

When an OpenBSD disklabel does not exist on a drive, OpenBSD creates an in-memory disklabel, scanning the MBR/GPT partition table and placing any recognized partitions in that virtual disklabel, beginning with partition "i".

You can see the list of recognized partitions (usually FAT, also known as "MS-DOS" filesystems) with:

# disklabel sd0

[PapaParrot]

I think the kindle is at /dev/sd0c. I tried:

You need to be sure, not just "think".
Also are you running the mount command as root ?

You can make sure if it is sd0c by using 'disklabel' and 'sysctl hw.disknames'
Example:
First

$ sysctl hw.disknames
hw.disknames=sd0:7c45abe08beb4c01,cd0:,sd1:

Then as root:

$ su
Password:
# disklabel sd1

You should see some output similar to this:

16 partitions:
#                size           offset  fstype [fsize bsize   cpg]
  c:       1953525168                0  unused                    
  i:        707256320        177901568  ext2fs                    
  j:        106219520             2048  ext2fs                    
  k:         71680000        106221568  ext2fs                    
  l:         81770496        885159936  ext2fs                    
  m:          9838592        966932480 unknown                    
  n:        976750592        976773120  ext2fs

I am not familiar with "amazon kindle", but usually on all my devices, the sd1i is the
one that is mountable.

man mount

might help you.
Here is another example using my camera:

$ sysctl hw.disknames 
hw.disknames=sd0:7c45abe08beb4c01,cd0:,sd1:,cd1:
$ su
Password:
# disklabel sd1
# /dev/rsd1c:
type: SCSI
disk: SCSI disk
label: Digital Camera  
duid: 0000000000000000
flags:
bytes/sector: 512
sectors/track: 63
tracks/cylinder: 255
sectors/cylinder: 16065
cylinders: 483
total sectors: 7761920
boundstart: 0
boundend: 7761920
drivedata: 0 

16 partitions:
#                size           offset  fstype [fsize bsize   cpg]
  c:          7761920                0  unused                    
  i:          7753728             8192   MSDOS                    
#

Again, it is "sd1i" that I need to mount. Hope this helps, I am not very good at explaining things, and also not any expert.
edited , note: almost all ways, the "sdXc" is not what needs to be mounted.
edited again: jggimi answered while I was writing, he is a expert, in any event
the examples, etc,.. may help clarify a little more.

[scottro]

Does OpenBSD have simple-mtpfs?
I've only used it on FreeBSD, for a Nook, rather than a Kindle, but it would probably work the same way.

A quick google indicates that it exists. So, with the Kindle plugged in and unlocked

simple-mtpfs -l

Should show it.
If so, (and all this needs root, sudo, or doas, including the -l mentioned above--that's a lower case L, for list)
if there are no other devices showing then

simple-mtpfs /mnt

should put it on /mnt.

All untested by me, but that works with a Nook and FreeBSD. I _think_ that Kindles now also use mpt to share files.

[jggimi]

Originally Posted by scottro

Does OpenBSD have simple-mtpfs?

Yes, but it isn't needed. This Kindle is using umass(4) and attaches as a virtual SCSI device. It behaves just like any USB disk drive.

scsibus4 at umass0: 2 targets, initiator 0

[acampbell]

Thanks to everyone for very helpful replies. I've learned a lot, as usual.
The kindle is at /dev/sd0i and I was able to mount it knowing that and to transfer the file.

Thanks for the suggestion of simple-mtpfs, Scottro. It didn't find the device - it said there are no raw devices.

[jggimi]

Originally Posted by acampbell

It didn't find the device...

It won't, since it attaches as umass(4).

Media Transfer Protocol (MTP) allows for simultaneous storage access by the handheld and the attached workstation. Modern versions of Android have replaced USB mass storage connection with MTP over USB.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Media_Transfer_Protocol

[scottro]

Actually, acampbell, I just came here to mention what you found. I tried it on OpenBSD and it didn't find the device. (Nor did it see the attached Nook as a drive, but as everything else sees it as an mtp device, that wasn't unexpected.)
It does work on Linux on the same machine with simple-mtps.

[jggimi]

Scott, consider reporting your experience to Antoine Jacoutot, the port maintainer. His Email address may be found with:

$ pkg_info simple-mtpfs

[scottro]

Sure, first let me see if that particular machine works with FreeBSD's version. (Which definitely works on other machines).
Between home and work, I have a few machines. I also will have to try the nook with another machine. I'll update in the next day or so.

Ah, actually maybe not till next week, leaving one machine at work for a few things, and the nook is at home and I'm lazy, especially in summer where I'm not wearing a jacket with pockets. (Which would have made it easy to transport the Nook.

[scottro]

Ok, to follow up. I'm finding that the problem seems to be the Nook. It has a really horrible user interface. When you plug it in, sometimes, it will open a dialog saying use for power or file transfer. If you're not quick, the dialog closes and you can't get it back. According to the manual if you plug it into Windows or Mac it will just show as a drive automatically, but I haven't bothered.

At this point, when I can't reliably use it on Linux or FreeBSD, I'm not going to follow up with the OpenBSD maintainer. If I start having more consistency with it, I will follow up.
Regardless, thank you for the (as always) very good suggestion.

[scottro]

And
TL;DR, simple-mtpfs works perfectly in OpenBSD-6.1 on a fairly vanilla machine.

Longer version, the first machine I mentioned is actually running CURRENT, which I'd forgotten--it's on a yoga2 pro, and CURRENT (well, a snapshot from whenever I did it, but sometime after 6.1), is the only version that will boot.

As for the issue with the Nook that I mentioned above, I suspect that originally, I just tapped it when given the option to use the file transfer mode and it didn't stick. When I made sure to hold my finger on the option till it was highlighted, afterwards, OpenBSD-6.1 saw and mounted it without issue.

[jggimi]

Glad it's working for you, Scott.

Back in the days when MTP applications weren't working for me and my "modern" Android phone of the time, I discovered the Airdroid application. I'm still using that for file transfers and other services, such as sending SMS texts from a real keyboard. There are two modes of operation: on a local wireless network, which they call "lite", and through their central cloud servers, which I have never used.

[scottro]

To the OP by the way, as was pointed out earlier, MTP is for newer android, and MAYBE newer Kindles, though I'm not sure about that. It's gotten much better over the years, though my CentOS-7 machine still seems to have trouble at times. (And part of this is the Nook's fault, if you miss that dialog to use the connection to transfer files, you sometimes have to reboot the Nook, rather than just remove and replace the cable, to get the dialog back.) (Homer Simpson voice) Stupid Nook!