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"mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda" will create/format an ext4 partition taking up the entire device, which will then easily be automounted.

"mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1" can work, but only if you have already created a partition table on /dev/sda and created at least one partition in it.  It probably won't automount because the system doesn't know which of the possibly several partitions on the device should be mounted, but I haven't tested.

On 10/23/24 10:34 PM, syscon edm wrote:
It was my error, the command should be:
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda
The usb was auto-mounted as soon as the command finished.

It has been some time since I run it, but looking at some documentation on-line a lot of instructions show to run:
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1

eg:
https://unix.stackexchange.com/questions/422656/how-to-make-an-ext4-formatted-usb-drive-with-full-rw-permissions-for-any-linux-m
Even Google AI if one search: "gentoo format usb as ext4"
it shows to run:
sudo mkfs -t ext4 /dev/sdb1

this will work but the disk will not automount in XFCE, 
it should be:
sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX



On Wed, Oct 23, 2024 at 8:20 PM Mitchell Dorrell <mwd@psc.edu> wrote:
On Wed, Oct 23, 2024, 20:35 syscon edm <syscon780@gmail.com> wrote:
I format usb as ext4
mkfs.ext4 /dev/sda1

but XFCE does not automount the partition 
my other usb (ext4 as well) shows up automatically under
/run/media/joseph/disk_name

I think you're correct that if something is automounting your USB storage device, it's probably XFCE (or some part of it).

I don't personally use XFCE, but I'm sure others here probably do. If you don't get any responses on this mailing list, then perhaps try the #gentoo-xfce IRC channel. If that's also quiet, you might try another venue that focuses specifically on XFCE, such as the official XFCE links at https://www.xfce.org/community .

-Mitchell Dorrell