Subj : Re: Who creates the /dev/hda* entries?
To   : comp.os.linux
From : Thomas D. Shepard
Date : Sat Jun 26 2004 01:13 pm

Also check out the man and info pages for mknod.

Be aware that the names of the special files in /dev are totally arbitrary
(although they usually follow a traditional scheme). As far as the kernel
is concerned, one of these special files is completely identified by its
MAJOR, MINOR, and TYPE. So first figure out what these three identifiers
should be and make sure a special file with that identity does not exist
before attempting to create it. If it does already exist, that is what you
use in the mount command. If you don't like the name, you can re-create it
and/or symlink it. (I don't think it even matters to the kernel whether
the files are located in /dev or anywhere else in the file system.)

The answer to the original question "Who creates the /dev/hda* entries?"
is "the superuser." Normally these are created when your OS distribution
is installed or by the SuperGeek if you are building your own system.

On Tue, 08 Jun 2004 16:10:12 +0000, Steve Ackman wrote:

> On Sat, 5 Jun 2004 19:26:01 -0500, David A. Ferguson wrote:
>> 
>> I am building a minimal flash based linux system (based on Mdk10oe).
>> After the initial ram disk loads I can't mount /dev/hda1.  The kernel
>> is compiled with devfs support and it creates a bunch of /dev entries.
>> The /dev/ide...  entries are there but none of the 'hda*' symlinks are
>> there.
>> 
>> So am I supposed to create the symlinks manually?
> 
>   Probably not symlinks, but devices.  (Anyway, my
> older Redhat version has no /dev/ide devices, but 
> does have /dev/hdax devices.
> 
>> Is devfs supposed to create them but I have not configured it properly?
>> 
>> Is there a good tutorial on the whole linux device thing?
> 
> $ man MAKEDEV 
> 
> might help.  Then at the bottom of that man file is, 
> See Also "Linux Allocated Devices," so
>>http://www.google.com/linux?hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-8859-1&c2coff=1&q=%22Linux+Allocated+Devices%22&btnG=Google+Search

-- 
Thomas D. Shepard
Sorry, you can't email me.
(Email address is fake.)

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