I have an HP EliteDesk 800 GM D1 mini box where I have (repeatedly) installed Ubuntu 22.04.1 and 22.04.3 (both fresh and fully updated) on its internal SSD. In all cases the USB3 ports fail to recognize USB3 drives. I have swapped this internal SSD with an SSD (Ubu 22.04.3) from a Lenovo W500 lappy and the USB issue stays with the HP box (all drives automount in the Lenovo box).
To eliminate the ports as culprits, which were working fine with the previous Ubuntu (16.04), I tried several different drives attached to each of the ports (the same ports supporting this USB3 keyboard and mouse and the USB3 hub connecting them). The results were a bit confusing.
Only two drives were able to automount; both Kingston USB2 drives each formatted as an installer (Ubuntu 22.04.1 and ProxMox). The other drives (USB3 WD with EXT4 and UDF, USB3 thumbs with FAT32 and UDF, a memory card with FAT32 (USB3 card reader)) all failed to mount. Further, tools like lsusb, lsblk, blkid, Disks, and GParted show no attached anything for these failures. Finally, dmesg shows no entries surrounding the attaching and detaching of any of these failures, and journalctl shows no activity for them either.
I took one of the USB3 thumbs with UDF and created an Ubu 22.04.3 installer. It remained unrecognized. I then took the USB2 Ubu 22.04.1 installer (these installers are all ISO9660) and created that as 22.04.3. This automounted.
Edit 2: Looks like the drives which function are USB2 while those that fail are trying to run over USB3. However, USB3 hubs work as expected; I can even attached the USB2 installer and it automounts via the USB3 hub.
The below output is with a Kingston USB2 installer (22.04.3) and a WD USB3 EXT4 attached.
$ sudo lsblk
NAME MAJ:MIN RM SIZE RO TYPE MOUNTPOINTS
loop0 7:0 0 4K 1 loop /snap/bare/5
loop1 7:1 0 62M 1 loop /snap/core20/1587
loop2 7:2 0 63.5M 1 loop /snap/core20/2015
loop3 7:3 0 73.9M 1 loop /snap/core22/864
loop4 7:4 0 163.3M 1 loop /snap/firefox/1635
loop5 7:5 0 236.9M 1 loop /snap/firefox/3131
loop6 7:6 0 400.8M 1 loop /snap/gnome-3-38-2004/112
loop7 7:7 0 349.7M 1 loop /snap/gnome-3-38-2004/143
loop8 7:8 0 485.5M 1 loop /snap/gnome-42-2204/126
loop9 7:9 0 496.9M 1 loop /snap/gnome-42-2204/132
loop10 7:10 0 91.7M 1 loop /snap/gtk-common-themes/1535
loop11 7:11 0 45.9M 1 loop /snap/snap-store/582
loop12 7:12 0 12.3M 1 loop /snap/snap-store/959
loop13 7:13 0 40.8M 1 loop /snap/snapd/20092
loop14 7:14 0 284K 1 loop /snap/snapd-desktop-integration/14
loop15 7:15 0 452K 1 loop /snap/snapd-desktop-integration/83
sda 8:0 0 119.2G 0 disk
├─sda1 8:1 0 512M 0 part /boot/efi
└─sda2 8:2 0 118.7G 0 part /var/snap/firefox/common/host-hunspell
/
sdb 8:16 1 14.5G 0 disk
├─sdb1 8:17 1 4.7G 0 part /media/X/Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS amd64
├─sdb2 8:18 1 4.9M 0 part
└─sdb3 8:19 1 300K 0 part
$ sudo blkid
/dev/sda2: UUID="87549ab1-a5e5-4de2-ba03-d7379bd2107d" BLOCK_SIZE="4096" TYPE="ext4" PARTUUID="80e7635e-d96e-4b12-af65-6eb1cbddcbdb"
/dev/loop1: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop8: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/sdb2: SEC_TYPE="msdos" LABEL_FATBOOT="ESP" LABEL="ESP" UUID="F7DB-4D56" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="vfat" PARTLABEL="Appended2" PARTUUID="f45e2fa1-c5a6-4d79-876d-c8245af921e0"
/dev/sdb3: PARTLABEL="Gap1" PARTUUID="f45e2fa1-c5a6-4d79-876c-c8245af921e0"
/dev/sdb1: BLOCK_SIZE="2048" UUID="2023-08-08-01-19-05-00" LABEL="Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS amd64" TYPE="iso9660" PARTLABEL="ISO9660" PARTUUID="f45e2fa1-c5a6-4d79-876e-c8245af921e0"
/dev/loop15: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop6: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop13: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop4: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop11: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop2: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop0: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop9: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop7: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/sda1: UUID="665D-3D08" BLOCK_SIZE="512" TYPE="vfat" PARTLABEL="EFI System Partition" PARTUUID="26c459fa-c12f-4bd2-b634-742e3371f6a4"
/dev/loop14: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop5: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop12: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop3: TYPE="squashfs"
/dev/loop10: TYPE="squashfs"
$ sudo lsusb
Bus 001 Device 009: ID 0930:6544 Toshiba Corp. TransMemory-Mini / Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 Stick
Bus 001 Device 002: ID 8087:8000 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 001 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
Bus 002 Device 002: ID 8087:8008 Intel Corp. Integrated Rate Matching Hub
Bus 002 Device 001: ID 1d6b:0002 Linux Foundation 2.0 root hub
This output does not change with or without the WD USB3 EXT4 drive attached:
$ ls -l /dev/* | wc -l
514
(With the Kingston USB2 attached it raises to 528.)
What is the next step to unpack or solve this mystery?
Edit: Requested in comments (@waltinator).
$ sudo journalctl --follow
Sep 23 23:34:48 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.5.4: USB disconnect, device number 27
Sep 23 23:34:48 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.5.4.1: USB disconnect, device number 28
Sep 23 23:34:48 MYMACHINE acpid[565]: input device has been disconnected, fd 15
Sep 23 23:34:48 MYMACHINE acpid[565]: input device has been disconnected, fd 16
Sep 23 23:34:49 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.5.4.2: USB disconnect, device number 29
Sep 23 23:34:49 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.5.4.4: USB disconnect, device number 30
Sep 23 23:34:49 MYMACHINE acpid[565]: input device has been disconnected, fd 17
Sep 23 23:34:49 MYMACHINE acpid[565]: input device has been disconnected, fd 18
Sep 23 23:34:53 MYMACHINE sudo[5048]: pam_unix(sudo:session): session closed for user root
Sep 23 23:35:02 MYMACHINE sudo[5192]: ME : TTY=pts/1 ; PWD=/home/ME ; USER=root ; COMMAND=/usr/bin/journalctl --follow
Sep 23 23:35:02 MYMACHINE sudo[5192]: pam_unix(sudo:session): session opened for user root(uid=0) by ME(uid=1000)
__detached and re-attached EXT4__
__detached and re-attached installer__
Sep 23 23:35:49 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: USB disconnect, device number 25
Sep 23 23:35:49 MYMACHINE udisksd[604]: Cleaning up mount point /media/ME/Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS amd64 (device 8:17 no longer exists)
Sep 23 23:35:49 MYMACHINE systemd[1]: media-ME-Ubuntu\x2022.04.3\x20LTS\x20amd64.mount: Deactivated successfully.
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: new high-speed USB device number 31 using ehci-pci
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: New USB device found, idVendor=0930, idProduct=6544, bcdDevice= 1.00
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: New USB device strings: Mfr=1, Product=2, SerialNumber=3
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: Product: DataTraveler 2.0
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: Manufacturer: Kingston
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb 1-1.2: SerialNumber: 50E549C6942EC1B1E9025DA5
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: usb-storage 1-1.2:1.0: USB Mass Storage device detected
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE kernel: scsi host6: usb-storage 1-1.2:1.0
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE mtp-probe[5218]: checking bus 1, device 31: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2"
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE mtp-probe[5218]: bus: 1, device: 31 was not an MTP device
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE mtp-probe[5222]: checking bus 1, device 31: "/sys/devices/pci0000:00/0000:00:1d.0/usb1/1-1/1-1.2"
Sep 23 23:35:55 MYMACHINE mtp-probe[5222]: bus: 1, device: 31 was not an MTP device
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: scsi 6:0:0:0: Direct-Access Kingston DataTraveler 2.0 1.00 PQ: 0 ANSI: 4
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: Attached scsi generic sg1 type 0
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] 30310400 512-byte logical blocks: (15.5 GB/14.5 GiB)
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write Protect is off
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Mode Sense: 45 00 00 00
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Write cache: disabled, read cache: enabled, doesn't support DPO or FUA
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: GPT:Primary header thinks Alt. header is not at the end of the disk.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: GPT:9839183 != 30310399
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: GPT:Alternate GPT header not at the end of the disk.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: GPT:9839183 != 30310399
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: GPT: Use GNU Parted to correct GPT errors.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sdb: sdb1 sdb2 sdb3
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: sd 6:0:0:0: [sdb] Attached SCSI removable disk
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE systemd-udevd[5216]: sdb: Process '/usr/bin/unshare -m /usr/bin/snap auto-import --mount=/dev/sdb' failed with exit code 1.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE systemd-udevd[5229]: sdb3: Process '/usr/bin/unshare -m /usr/bin/snap auto-import --mount=/dev/sdb3' failed with exit code 1.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE systemd-udevd[5228]: sdb2: Process '/usr/bin/unshare -m /usr/bin/snap auto-import --mount=/dev/sdb2' failed with exit code 1.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE systemd-udevd[5216]: sdb1: Process '/usr/bin/unshare -m /usr/bin/snap auto-import --mount=/dev/sdb1' failed with exit code 1.
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: ISO 9660 Extensions: Microsoft Joliet Level 3
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: ISO 9660 Extensions: Microsoft Joliet Level 3
Sep 23 23:35:56 MYMACHINE kernel: ISO 9660 Extensions: RRIP_1991A
Sep 23 23:35:57 MYMACHINE udisksd[604]: Mounted /dev/sdb1 at /media/ME/Ubuntu 22.04.3 LTS amd64 on behalf of uid 1000
__detached and re-attached EXT4__
^C
You can see detaching and attaching the USB2 installer shows output but not the USB3 EXT4 drive.
After testing Ubu 20.04, 18.04, and 16.04 as well as LinuxMint 21, I starting wondering if I have done something to the hardware (this machine was working with 16.04 and USB3 auto-mounts before the rebuild).
I detached everything, opened the box, and removed the SSD and the RAM to take a look around. This is very basic hardware and I saw nothing that could have been nudged or disconnected. Then I put the RAM and SSD back in place, closed the box, and re-attached everything.
Upon booting USB3 drives again auto-mounted and were recognized by all the aforementioned tools. I am not able to explain why there was this peculiar relationship but there you have it. With any luck this will prevent someone else from pulling their hair out.