Re: PROPOSAL: /proc/dev

Richard Gooch (rgooch@atnf.CSIRO.AU)
Wed, 7 Jan 1998 08:31:07 +1100

david parsons writes:
> In article <linux.kernel.199801060945.UAA27719@vindaloo.atnf.csiro.au>,
> Richard Gooch <rgooch@atnf.CSIRO.AU> wrote:
>
> >Nope: if CONFIG_DEVFS is enabled then drivers can only be accessed
> >through devfs and symlinks to devfs.
>
> Ick. This screams of enforcing policy; if someone wanted to update a
> physical /dev from a devfs /devices (boot the machine, mount /devices,
> update /dev from the contents of /devices, unmount /devices), they'd be
> out of luck. And is it really worth the trouble to clutter up the
> kernel ensuring that people can't do this (and what about device drivers
> that have not been updated to populate a devfs; will support for them be
> dropped, subject to someone going back and eventually coding this change
> in?)

Then don't use devfs. My dev_register() interface will support the
existing major&minor scheme, so once drivers are modified, you can
swap between the two schemes. Old drivers will continue to work if
CONFIG_DEVFS is disabled.

> david parsons \bi/ Working, intermittently, on his own devfs.

When will it be ready?

Regards,

Richard....