Howdy, everyone: I want to explore the devfs (device file system), now that I've got my 2.4.17 kernel going OK. I'm a little unclear on where *exactly* I should start the daemon (devfsd). I read: http://www.atnf.csiro.au/~rgooch/linux/docs/devfs.html and I've looked at a RedHat example, where they do this: ==================== Begin Included Text ==================== #!/bin/bash # # /etc/rc.sysinit - run once at boot time # # Taken in part from Miquel van Smoorenburg's bcheckrc. # # Rerun ourselves through initlog if [ -z "$IN_INITLOG" ]; then [ -f /sbin/initlog ] && exec /sbin/initlog $INITLOG_ARGS -r /etc/rc.sysinit fi # If we're using devfs, start devfsd now - we need the old device names [ -e /dev/.devfsd -a -x /sbin/devfsd ] && /sbin/devfsd /dev # Set the path PATH=/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin export PATH HOSTNAME=`/bin/hostname` # Read in config data. if [ -f /etc/sysconfig/network ]; then . /etc/sysconfig/network else NETWORKING=no fi if [ -z "$HOSTNAME" -o "$HOSTNAME" = "(none)" ]; then HOSTNAME=localhost fi ==================== End Included Text ==================== I've included a bit more than just the devfsd call, to provide context for "when" during the boot-process this daemon is started. So - my SuSE 7.2 system is a bit different, but tryng to figure out where to launch this devfs daemon led me to: /etc/init.d/boot Is this a good choice? Is there a better choice? Where should I start the daemon - before SuSE's /etc/rc.config line? Or, following the kerneld (down a few lines)? I would appreciate tips and pointers from those who've gone before me... TIA! -Gord -- Gordon Pritchard, P.Eng., Member IEEE Technical University of B.C. - Research Lab Engineer mailto:gordon.pritchard@techbc.ca direct phone: 604-586-6186
Hey Gordon, At 12:00 PM 2/21/2002 -0800, you wrote:
Howdy, everyone:
I want to explore the devfs (device file system), now that I've got my 2.4.17 kernel going OK.
I'm a little unclear on where *exactly* I should start the daemon (devfsd). I read:
I know nothing about devfsd but isn't /etc/init.d/boot.local for things just like this? Not sure if that' seven what you are asking but thought I'd off that as a possible solution. Please excuse me if this is irrelevant. ---------------------------------------------------- Jonathan Wilson System Administrator Cedar Creek Software http://www.cedarcreeksoftware.com
JW writes:
Hey Gordon,
At 12:00 PM 2/21/2002 -0800, you wrote:
Howdy, everyone:
I want to explore the devfs (device file system), now that I've got my 2.4.17 kernel going OK.
I'm a little unclear on where *exactly* I should start the daemon (devfsd). I read:
I know nothing about devfsd but isn't /etc/init.d/boot.local for things just like this?
Not sure if that' seven what you are asking but thought I'd off that as a possible solution.
Please excuse me if this is irrelevant.
I configured devfs on 2 SuSE 7.2 systems. The devfsd is a daemon used with devfs for backward compatibility with the old stuff. For example: /dev/hda2 is really /dev/ide/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part2 I stuck this daemon in /etc/rc.d/boot right after mounting /proc, here is an excerpt. Notice how the pts stuff is commented out. devfs is suppose to handle that too. /etc/rc.d/boot echo -n "Mounting /proc device" mount -n -t proc proc /proc rc_status -v -r echo -n "Starting devfsd ..." /sbin/devfsd /dev #echo -n "Mounting /dev/pts" #optpts="-o mode=0620,gid=5" #mount -n -t devpts $optpts devpts /dev/pts #rc_status -v1 -r I get a lot of error messages at boot, mostly related to blogd, but everything works okay. You do not have to use the devfsd stuff. It is possible to just to use pure devfs, but read the docs first. There are a lot of gotchas.
On Thu, 2002-02-21 at 13:57, Jesse Marlin wrote:
I configured devfs on 2 SuSE 7.2 systems.
I stuck this daemon in /etc/rc.d/boot right after mounting /proc, here is an excerpt. Notice how the pts stuff is commented out. devfs is suppose to handle that too.
Tnanks, Jesse. I put it where you did, and also a few lines earlier where I'd thought. Both seemed to "work" as far as creating the new-style /dev. But, I couldn't get my mouse to work, either at the console (gpm) nor under X-win. Under X, my mouse used-to-be /dev/psaux. When I boot my orig. kernel (2.4.4, no devfs) it works fine. And, my 2.4.17 pre-devfs also had a mouse. So, it's pretty certain the devfs is somehow not providing something... BTW - the psaux entry does exist with devfs. I'm not even sure where/how to begin troubleshooting this. I'll have to Google/read tomorrow... meanwhile, boot the old 2.4.4 kernel.
I get a lot of error messages at boot, mostly related to blogd, but everything works okay.
I'm glad you mentioned this! I got a boatload of errors too, but oddly - none of them show up in any of the log-files?!?!? Thanks for your reply, Jesse. I appreciate it. -Gord -- Gordon Pritchard, P.Eng., Member IEEE Technical University of B.C. - Research Lab Engineer mailto:gordon.pritchard@techbc.ca direct phone: 604-586-6186
Gordon Pritchard writes:
On Thu, 2002-02-21 at 13:57, Jesse Marlin wrote:
I configured devfs on 2 SuSE 7.2 systems.
I stuck this daemon in /etc/rc.d/boot right after mounting /proc, here is an excerpt. Notice how the pts stuff is commented out. devfs is suppose to handle that too.
Tnanks, Jesse. I put it where you did, and also a few lines earlier where I'd thought. Both seemed to "work" as far as creating the new-style /dev.
But, I couldn't get my mouse to work, either at the console (gpm) nor under X-win. Under X, my mouse used-to-be /dev/psaux. When I boot my orig. kernel (2.4.4, no devfs) it works fine. And, my 2.4.17 pre-devfs also had a mouse. So, it's pretty certain the devfs is somehow not providing something... BTW - the psaux entry does exist with devfs.
I assume that you have ps/2 support compiling as a module in the kernel.
Here is my /etc/devfsd.conf. You can tailor this file to only provide
compatibility for some or all of the old devs. I am pretty much doing
everything.
####################################################################
# Sample /etc/devfsd.conf configuration file.
# Richard Gooch
I'm not even sure where/how to begin troubleshooting this. I'll have to Google/read tomorrow... meanwhile, boot the old 2.4.4 kernel.
I get a lot of error messages at boot, mostly related to blogd, but everything works okay.
I'm glad you mentioned this! I got a boatload of errors too, but oddly - none of them show up in any of the log-files?!?!?
Thanks for your reply, Jesse. I appreciate it. -Gord
-- Gordon Pritchard, P.Eng., Member IEEE Technical University of B.C. - Research Lab Engineer mailto:gordon.pritchard@techbc.ca direct phone: 604-586-6186
On Thu, 2002-02-21 at 12:57, JW wrote:
I want to explore the devfs (device file system), now that I've got my 2.4.17 kernel going OK.
I know nothing about devfsd but isn't /etc/init.d/boot.local for things just like this?
Thanks for your thoughts, Jon. However, a colleague was suggesting that the devfsd really should be started *really* early on. He's a Slackware user (at home), and at work we've got RedHat boxes; all of these use a different boot-up scheme, so I can't straight-way just copy something :-O :-( Because it's a filesystem thingy, and virtualizes/replaces all those entries in your /dev directory, it seems sensible to get the devfsd going before pretty much *anything* tries to access anything connected with /dev. Or, pretty much before there's even much harddrive activity... I was really hoping that someone could explicitly tell me why, or where the devfsd should go. I'll just give it a try tonight. Worst case: I burn the house down. I'd better pick up some marshmallows and wieners on the way home just in case... -Gord -- Gordon Pritchard, P.Eng., Member IEEE Technical University of B.C. - Research Lab Engineer mailto:gordon.pritchard@techbc.ca direct phone: 604-586-6186
participants (3)
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Gordon Pritchard
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Jesse Marlin
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JW