[K12OSN] USB mount error - not a valid block device

[Debbie Schiel]

Hello everyone,

I'm having problems accessing my usb pen on my server/local machine. I 
have looked on google for advice and followed the instructions on 
http://www.k12ltsp.org/phpwiki/index.php/Technical:Storage:USB

here's what happens:

[debbie at localhost debbie]$ su
Password:
[root at localhost debbie]# cat /proc/scsi/scsi
Attached devices:
Host: scsi0 Channel: 00 Id: 00 Lun: 00
   Vendor: USB 2.0  Model: Flash Disk       Rev: PROL
   Type:   Direct-Access                    ANSI SCSI revision: 02
[root at localhost debbie]# cat /proc/scsi/usb-storage/0
    Host scsi0: usb-storage
        Vendor: USB 2.0 Flash Disk
       Product: USB Mass Storage Device
Serial Number: None
      Protocol: 8070i
     Transport: Bulk
        Quirks:
[root at localhost debbie]# mkdir /tmp/flash
mkdir: cannot create directory `/tmp/flash': File exists
[root at localhost debbie]# mount /dev/sda1 /tmp/flash
mount: /dev/sda1 is not a valid block device

Everyone uses these usb pens nowadays so it must be fairly simple to 
configure (unless your name is Debbie!).
Any ideas or pointers?

Thanks.

Debbie
--
http://www.redeemer.qld.edu.au