With the file backed storage widget and the cable you described, one can indeed make a virutal usb key.
See http://www.linux-usb.org/gadget/file_storage.html the only caveat is that one cannot update or read the file system while it is mounted by the remote system. Chip On 4/14/06, Aaron S. Joyner <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Ralph Blach wrote: > > >I have two systems, one a knoppix laptop, occasionally, and the other is > a > >knoppix > >system with a usb key. > > > >I noticed that the modern 2.6 kernels have a file backed storage widget. > > > >On my Knoppix system, I use the usb key to store my setup and files. > > > >With the propper cables could I connect the usb connector on the knoppix > >system > >to the my Linux host, bring up the file backed storage widget, and have > >the file backed storage widget act as the usb file system for the knopix > >system? > > > >knoppix-----------usb------------linux-host- with file backed storage > widget > > > > > >thanks > > > >Chip > > > > > Okay, let me prefix this by saying that I know nothing of this 'file > backed storage widget' in the 2.6 kernel, but I do know a bit about USB > hardware. Any USB device must act as either a host, or a device. You > can think of it as acting like a computer, or acting like a usb key. > This is a hardware level function we're talking about, not merely a > software convention of who decides to talk in what way. Thus, a > hardware device (ala the usb port on a computer) designed to accept > connections from devices (such as usb keys) can't be connected directly > to another hardware device of the same type. This is reflected in the > cabling standards, as well. You may find that you won't normally see > USB A <-> A cables, only A<->B cables, etc. USB hubs have a USB B port > on the back and USB A ports on the front (although front/back my be > figurative, in some designs), for this same reason. If you find a USB A > <-> A cable, it's actually a converter, which acts as a device in the > middle for both sides. These are usually billed as "USB File Transfer > Cables" or some such, and are intended to connect two computers together > as you describe. They're a fair bit more complicated than a simple > cable, so expect them to cost upwards of $15-20 (ala a USB serial > adapter kind of cost range). With such a device, the setup you're > describing is not beyond reason from a hardware perspective. With only > a simple cable, it is not. > > Let us know how it works out, > Aaron S. Joyner > -- > TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug > TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ > TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/ > -- TriLUG mailing list : http://www.trilug.org/mailman/listinfo/trilug TriLUG Organizational FAQ : http://trilug.org/faq/ TriLUG Member Services FAQ : http://members.trilug.org/services_faq/
