From owner-freebsd-stable Sun Mar 15 14:23:03 1998 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) id OAA15991 for freebsd-stable-outgoing; Sun, 15 Mar 1998 14:23:03 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG) Received: from dingo.cdrom.com (dingo.cdrom.com [204.216.28.145]) by hub.freebsd.org (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id OAA15970 for ; Sun, 15 Mar 1998 14:22:56 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from mike@dingo.cdrom.com) Received: from dingo.cdrom.com (localhost [127.0.0.1]) by dingo.cdrom.com (8.8.8/8.8.5) with ESMTP id OAA12091; Sun, 15 Mar 1998 14:19:35 -0800 (PST) Message-Id: <199803152219.OAA12091@dingo.cdrom.com> X-Mailer: exmh version 2.0zeta 7/24/97 To: Cy Schubert - ITSD Open Systems Group cc: Mike Smith , gkshenaut@ucdavis.edu, stable@FreeBSD.ORG Subject: Re: More problems with new slice code In-reply-to: Your message of "Sun, 15 Mar 1998 10:57:59 PST." <199803151858.KAA07972@cwsys.cwsent.com> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Date: Sun, 15 Mar 1998 14:19:33 -0800 From: Mike Smith Sender: owner-freebsd-stable@FreeBSD.ORG Precedence: bulk > > > Actually, I've always wondered by MAKEDEV sits in /dev--of course, > > > there is now a considerable tradition for it, but doesn't it make > > > more sense to split it into a standard utility, "makedev", which > > > lives in /sbin, plus a standard-but-modifiable database which lives > > > in /etc called "devtab" and "devtab.local" or whatever? > > > > Makedev will (god willing) not be a standard part of the system in 3.0; > > device nodes will appear and disappear by magic. > > > > (I am, incidentally, not kidding.) > > Kind of like boot -r under Solaris... Right? Or will these device > nodes appear when a new kernel is built, like DEC UNIX? The nodes are completely dynamic; when a device is found (eg. at boot time, or when a PCCARD is inserted, or when a PCI LKM is loaded, or whenever) they appear, and when a device goes away (card removed, etc.) they disappear. > If this is done automatically without a SysAdmin being aware, e.g. > asking via an option, like Solaris, or installing a new kernel, like > DEC UNIX, won't this cause some confusion? I expect there to be a moderately loud acclimatisation period, yes. 8) However the tradeoff is that you will never have to explain to anyone what MAKEDEV is all about, or why there are devices listed in /dev/ that don't exist on the system. -- \\ Sometimes you're ahead, \\ Mike Smith \\ sometimes you're behind. \\ mike@smith.net.au \\ The race is long, and in the \\ msmith@freebsd.org \\ end it's only with yourself. \\ msmith@cdrom.com To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe freebsd-stable" in the body of the message