Subject: Re: major number unification?
To: Tim Rightnour <root@garbled.net>
From: David Brownlee <abs@NetBSD.org>
List: port-powerpc
Date: 11/29/2007 17:51:41
On Wed, 28 Nov 2007, Tim Rightnour wrote:

>
> So.. one of the few things that keeps us from having a shared ppc userland
> (completely shared) is the major numbers are all different from port to port.
> Would it be possible to maybe look into unifying some of these majors into a
> single majors file for all the ppc ports?
>
> I realize there will be a bit of a flag day for some ports, but many of the
> ports haven't worked in a long time anyway, so if we could do it before they
> start working and getting users, it might be a good time.
>
> macppc has the most users and history, so perhaps we base it on that one?

 	As a possible alternative:

 	We already have logic in init to use an mfs /dev if /dev/console
 	is missing, so one option would be to allocate all new MI major
 	numbers, and adjust the init /dev/console check to also fire if
 	/dev/console is the old MD major.

 	Compatability with the old MD majors is left in the kernels under
 	COMPAT_40 (or similar).

 	Could even migrate across to the new scheme port by port if
 	wanted.


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