@node Utilities
@chapter Included utilities

The following utilities are included in the fdutils package

@table @code
@item floppycontrol

This program sets the various error tresholds (error reporting,
operation abortion, and read track), prints out drive drive types, and
flushes buffers. There is a -h help option.
This program provides examples on how to use the new ioctl's.
 
To compile this program just type make in the util directory.

See also the included manpage. (in the utils directory)

@item MAKEFLOPPIES
This shell script creates the new floppy block
device files.  It uses the floppycontrol program to translate the
minor device numbers into meaningful names. It also uses these names
to decide wether to create a given block device file or not, depending
on the type of the physical drive (for instance, for a 3 1/2 drive,
the formats corresponding to a 5 1/4 drive are not created).
If you have more than two floppy drives, the kernel cannot find out
the types of these additional drives, and you need to specify them
with the environmental variables FD2 and FD3. The following types are
available: H1440 ( HD 3''1/2), h1200 (HD 5''1/4), D720 (DD 3''1/2) and
d360 (DD 5''1/4).
Sample command line:
@example
  FD2=1.44M FD3=1.2M MAKEFLOPPIES
@end example

The names of the device are a letter describing the _drive_ types,
followed by a letter describing the size of the _format_.
The letters are
@table @code
@item E
3.5"  ED drive
@item H
3.5"  HD drive
@item D
3.5"  DD drive
@item h
5.25" HD drive
@item d
5.25" DD drive
@end table

Example: @file{h360} is a device for accessing a @file{360KB} disk in a
@file{5.25" HD} drive.

This convention is the same as used by Slackware and the @code{MAKEDEV}
script, except for the ED drives (which are named @code{H2880} by
@code{MAKEDEV}, and don't yet exist in Slackware)

@strong{Important}: The @code{MAKEFLOPPIES} script needs the
floppycontrol program on the search @code{PATH}.

@item Setfdprm
This program is used to set the media parameters for a drive.

@item Superformat
This program is used to format floppy disks. The old fdformat doesn't
work for disks with bigger sectors. WARNING: DO READ THIS MANPAGE
CAREFULLY. IMPROPER USAGE MAY LEAD TO DATA LOSS.

@item Others: see the manpages
@end table
