non-root usb scanning

[John Thompson]

On Sat, 29 May 2004 11:04:17 -0600
"Peter L. Hurd" <phurd at ualberta.ca> wrote:

> I'm still trying to get my usb scanner to work for non-root users.
> 
> I've found the device file with the 0644 permissions that is causing
> the problem at /proc/bus/usb/001/002.  I can chmod that file a+rw and
> mortal user scanning works, but that needs to be re-chmodded each time
> I reboot.  I suppose I could add a line to rc.local, but that would be
> tacky, and I suppose may fail when other usb devices move around.
> 
> The solution sounds like either one of:
> 
> 1) Make all usb devices have mode 0666.  I added the line 
> none   /proc/bus/usb   usbfs   defaults,devmode=0666  0  0
> to fstab.  But it doesn't work!  The scanner still comes up 0644. 
> Why?
> 
> 2) muck around with hotplug.  I honestly don't intend on hotplugging
> my scanner and the last time I mucked around with hotplug was to get
> my Axim to hotplug/synce/multisync and the whole thing just left me
> with a rash...  I want option 1, 
> 
> Any ideas why option 1 doesn't work.  Has anyone actually gotten
> option 2 to work (please don't say "I havn't but it ought to").

This actually sounds like a pam configuration issue to me.  Check your
/etc/security/console.perms file for a line like this:

<scanner>=/dev/scanner* /dev/usb/scanner*

And this:

<console>  0644 <scanner>    0644 root.users

Then pam won't change the scanner device permissions when you log in or
out.  Change "root.users" to whatever "owner.group" you wish these
devices to be assigned to.

-- 

-John (john at os2.dhs.org)