Date: Mon, 16 Feb 1998 16:05:35 -0700 From: Nate Williams <nate@mt.sri.com> To: "Justin T. Gibbs" <gibbs@plutotech.com> Cc: Mike Smith <mike@smith.net.au>, "John S. Dyson" <toor@dyson.iquest.net>, bde@zeta.org.au (Bruce Evans), dyson@FreeBSD.ORG, wollman@khavrinen.lcs.mit.edu, committers@FreeBSD.ORG, eivind@yes.no Subject: Re: devfs persistence Message-ID: <199802162305.QAA25582@mt.sri.com> In-Reply-To: <199802161829.LAA19996@pluto.plutotech.com> References: <199802161156.DAA06121@dingo.cdrom.com> <199802161829.LAA19996@pluto.plutotech.com>
next in thread | previous in thread | raw e-mail | index | archive | help
> >The prototype mechanism in the current system is implemented in > >the /dev/MAKEDEV script. DEVFS as it currently stands moves this > >prototyping into the kernel, and makes it nonconfigurable. > > And most people never modify /dev/MAKEDEV. Instead, they simply chmod/ > chown devices after they are created by MAKEDEV. In a DEVFS scenario, > you have the same capabilities. Except that with MAKEDEV, you don't get to use the device until you make it, so you never have any significant point in time where the 'defaults' aren't OK. When they are created by default, you do if they aren't the same as the kernel. (Think about non-standard devices, or sound stuff that isn't 'created' by default until it's used, or better yet PCMCIA/CardBus hardware.) With MAKEDEV the user doesn't get access to the device until the administratory explicitly creates it, and when he does he will also modify the defaults if necessary for that machine. With DEVFS, no such 'safety' margin exists, since the device is created possibly with the administrator realizing it. If you provide a way to modify the 'defaults', then the administrator can be assured that things will be as open (or closed) as desired w/out having to modify the kernel sources. Not being generic enough is as bad of a problem as being too generic. Nate To Unsubscribe: send mail to majordomo@FreeBSD.org with "unsubscribe cvs-all" in the body of the message
Want to link to this message? Use this URL: <https://mail-archive.FreeBSD.org/cgi/mid.cgi?199802162305.QAA25582>