Re: Reserve device major numbers for pkgsrc

[John Nemeth <jnemeth%cue.bc.ca@localhost>]

On Feb 16, 11:25pm, Kamil Rytarowski wrote:
} 
} We started to build and ship kernel modules through pkgsrc.

     This is a really good thing and is part of the reason why
modules exist.

} I would like to reserve 3 major numbers for the HAXM case from the base
} pool of devices and prevent potential future conflicts and compatibility
} breakage due to picking up another major number in a 3rd party software.
} 
} Where and how to reserve these major numbers?

     The ideal thing is to not reserve numbers at all and have them
allocated dynamically.  This requires the module reporting the
number that was allocated to userland somehow.  However, the only
thing that is coming to mind off the top of my head is printf(9)
which would normally land in /var/log/messages.  This is obviously
not very convenient.  Does anybody else have thoughts on this?
Maybe we need to extend modctl(MODCTL_LOAD, ...) to be able to
return information from the loaded module?

     Of course, the real ideal thing would be to get a devfs and
get rid of the concept of major numbers.  Here I go again, starting
contriversies.  :->

}-- End of excerpt from Kamil Rytarowski