Hello everyone... it's my first time posting here, so please bear with me. ;o)

Not long ago I started digging into the Linux world, and currently have SuSE 10.1 Installed on my Dell Inspiron 8500 Laptop. I have a quick question, though... in Windows (err... can use the 'W' word in a Linux Forum? lol) you can disable a removable device (such as a CD-ROM, or PCMCIA card) so that it automatically powers down so that it can be safely removed from the computer system.

The question is... is there a method to perform a similar approach in Linux? How can I disable a removable device (specifically in my case, the CD/DVD ROM) so that I can remove it safely from my laptop?

I know that un-mounting the cd-rom would probably be a step, but I don't think that actually POWERS down the device. Plus.. un-mounting only applies to file systems, not 'devices' in general.

Any ideas?

Thanks in advance!

- J o s c c i -