RedHat Linux - Disable floppy driver/module

[Seth Clarke]

I have an HP BL20P Blade server running Redhat Linux AS 3. The Blades don't have a floppy drive but I continuously see these error messages in /var/log/messages


Feb 26 10:49:18 dbqldap1 kernel: Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
Feb 26 10:49:21 dbqldap1 kernel: floppy0: no floppy controllers found
Feb 26 10:49:21 dbqldap1 insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.21-27.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.o: init_module: No such device
Feb 26 10:49:21 dbqldap1 insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.21-27.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.o: insmod block-major-2 failed
Feb 26 10:49:21 dbqldap1 kernel: inserting floppy driver for 2.4.21-27.ELsmp
Feb 26 10:49:21 dbqldap1 kernel: Floppy drive(s): fd0 is 1.44M
Feb 26 10:49:24 dbqldap1 kernel: floppy0: no floppy controllers found
Feb 26 10:49:24 dbqldap1 insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.21-27.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.o: init_module: No such device
Feb 26 10:49:24 dbqldap1 insmod: /lib/modules/2.4.21-27.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.o: insmod block-major-2 failed


The floppy drive isn't listed in /etc/modules.conf or /etc/fstab and "modprobe -r floppy" doesn't seem to do anything.

modprobe -l | grep floppy
/lib/modules/2.4.21-27.ELsmp/kernel/drivers/block/floppy.o

Does anyone know how to remove or disable the floppy drivers/modules so that I don't see these messages?

[Ivan Ferreira]

To remove the floppy modules you must recompile the kernel and unselect the modules during configuration. Probably, you don't want to do that just to remove the floppy module, but you can tune your kernel removing all options that you don't need.

[Stuart Browne]

Try this in '/etc/modprobe.conf':

install floppy /bin/true

This should stop the module from being loaded, and do it silently.

Use '/bin/false' if you want an error (FATAL: Error running install command for floppy) to show up.

[Matti_Kurkela · Accepted solution]

This is RHEL AS 3, with a 2.4.xx kernel.

It probably does not have /etc/modprobe.conf, as the module tools were slightly different before the 2.6 kernel series.

The correct file is /etc/modules.conf.
Add to it a line:
alias floppy off

and run "depmod -a" after modifying the file (it normally gets run automatically when the system is rebooted, but running it manually is a good check to ensure you didn't make any typos).

[Seth Clarke]

Thanks for your repsonses. Went with adding alias floppy off in /etc/modules.conf and then depmod -a

Thanks again