Re: Reserve device major numbers for pkgsrc

[mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost (Michael van Elst)]

n54%gmx.com@localhost (Kamil Rytarowski) writes:

>=46rom end-user point of view major and minor numbers don't matter most o=
>f
>the time (are there exceptions?) and it might be picked by the kernel
>dynamically.

When the kernel choses major numbers dynamically, it must also provide
a dynamically generated mapping to userland.

Minor numbers usually translate 1:1 into device units, they cannot be
chosen dynamically.

End-users are usually concerned with major/minor numbers in that they
don't change (e.g. for find -xdev) and sometimes don't change over
reboots or even re-installations (think about backup).

The most simple method to assign major numbers is to assign them
during installation. Can be as simple as a file in /etc as a registry,
MAKEDEV to create /dev entries and a system call (probably sysctl)
that augments the device switches. Combining the system call with
the module loader is possible, but won't work for autoloaded modules
(not a problem for HAXM).

-- 
-- 
                                Michael van Elst
Internet: mlelstv%serpens.de@localhost
                                "A potential Snark may lurk in every tree."