diff --git a/doc/rascsi.1 b/doc/rascsi.1
index bca94ebb..5f0ac645 100644
--- a/doc/rascsi.1
+++ b/doc/rascsi.1
@@ -54,10 +54,10 @@ The rascsi server port, default is 6868.
 .BR \-v\fI " " \fI
 Display the rascsi version.
 .TP
-.BR \-ID\fIn " " \fIFILE
+.BR \-ID\fIn " " \fIFILE[:TYPE]
 n is the SCSI ID number (0-7)
 .IP
-FILE is the name of the image file to attach to that ID. If FILE starts with '/dev/' the extension, which encodes the device type, is stripped, so that device files can conveniently be used as image files.
+FILE is the name of the image file to attach to that ID. An optional explicit device type (SASI_HD, SCSI_HD, CD, MO, BR, NUVOLINK, DAYNAPORT) can be provided after a colon.
 .TP 
 .BR \-HD\fIn " " \fIFILE
 n is the SASI ID number (0-15)
@@ -73,8 +73,8 @@ Launch RaSCSI with no emulated drives attached:
 Launch RaSCSI with an Apple hard drive image as ID 0 and a CD-ROM as ID 2
    rascsi -ID0 /path/to/harddrive.hda -ID2 /path/to/cdimage.iso
 
-Launch RaSCSI with a SCSI hard drive image as ID 0 and the raw device file /dev/hdb (e.g. a USB stick) as an image file:
-   rascsi -ID0 /dev/hdb.hds
+Launch RaSCSI with a SCSI hard drive image as ID 0 and the raw device file /dev/hdb (e.g. a USB stick) as a SCSI hard disk image file:
+   rascsi -ID0 /dev/hdb:SCSI_HD
 
 To create an empty, 100MB HD image, use the following command:
    dd if=/dev/zero of=/path/to/newimage.hda bs=512 count=204800
diff --git a/doc/rascsi_man_page.txt b/doc/rascsi_man_page.txt
index 26fe4de6..722ab5e6 100644
--- a/doc/rascsi_man_page.txt
+++ b/doc/rascsi_man_page.txt
@@ -63,13 +63,15 @@ OPTIONS
 
        -v     Display the rascsi version.
 
-       -IDn FILE
+       -IDn FILE[:TYPE]
               n is the SCSI ID number (0-7)
 
               FILE is the name of the image file to attach to that ID. If FILE
               starts  with  '/dev/'  the  extension,  which encodes the device
               type, is stripped, so that device files can conveniently be used
-              as image files.
+              as  image  files.  An  optional  explicit  device type (SASI_HD,
+              SCSI_HD, CD, MO, BR, NUVOLINK, DAYNAPORT) can be provided  after
+              a colon.
 
        -HDn FILE
               n is the SASI ID number (0-15)
diff --git a/src/raspberrypi/rascsi.cpp b/src/raspberrypi/rascsi.cpp
index 817c5073..fc713aae 100644
--- a/src/raspberrypi/rascsi.cpp
+++ b/src/raspberrypi/rascsi.cpp
@@ -552,12 +552,6 @@ bool ProcessCmd(int fd, const PbCommand &command)
 		return ReturnStatus(fd, false, error);
 	}
 
-	string ext;
-	int len = params.length();
-	if (len > 4 && params[len - 4] == '.') {
-		ext = params.substr(len - 3);
-	}
-
 	// Copy the Unit List
 	Disk *map[CtrlMax * UnitNum];
 	memcpy(map, disk, sizeof(disk));
@@ -569,6 +563,28 @@ bool ProcessCmd(int fd, const PbCommand &command)
 			return ReturnStatus(fd, false, error);
 		}
 
+		string file = params;
+
+		// Try to extract the file type from the filename. Convention: "filename:type".
+		size_t separatorPos = file.find(':');
+		if (separatorPos != string::npos) {
+			string t = file.substr(separatorPos + 1);
+			transform(t.begin(), t.end(), t.begin(), ::toupper);
+
+			if (!PbDeviceType_Parse(t, &type)) {
+				error << "Invalid device type " << t;
+				return ReturnStatus(fd, false, error);
+			}
+
+			file = file.substr(0, separatorPos);
+		}
+
+		string ext;
+		int len = file.size();
+		if (len > 4 && file[len - 4] == '.') {
+			ext = file.substr(len - 3);
+		}
+
 		// If no type was specified try to derive the file type from the extension
 		if (type == UNDEFINED) {
 			if (ext == "hdf") {
@@ -584,7 +600,7 @@ bool ProcessCmd(int fd, const PbCommand &command)
 		}
 
 		// File check (type is HD, for CD and MO the medium (=file) may be inserted later)
-		if ((type == SASI_HD || type == SCSI_HD) && params.empty()) {
+		if ((type == SASI_HD || type == SCSI_HD) && file.empty()) {
 			return ReturnStatus(fd, false, "Missing filename");
 		}
 
@@ -625,9 +641,6 @@ bool ProcessCmd(int fd, const PbCommand &command)
 
 		// drive checks files
 		if (type != BR && type != DAYNAPORT && !command.params().empty()) {
-			// Strip the image file extension from device file names, so that device files can be used as drive images
-			string file = params.find("/dev/") ? params : params.substr(0, params.length() - 4);
-
 			// Set the Path
 			filepath.SetPath(file.c_str());