mksf(1M)

NAME

mksf — make a special (device) file

SYNOPSIS

/sbin/mksf {(-C class | -d driver) | -I instance | -H hw_path} [-D directory] [-q|-v] [driver-options] [special-file]

/sbin/mksf {(-C class | -d driver) | -I instance | -H hw_path} [-D directory] [-q|-v] [-r] -m minor special-file

DESCRIPTION

The mksf command makes a special file in the devices directory, normally /dev, for an existing device, a device that has already been assigned an instance number by the system. The device is specified by supplying some combination of the -C, -d, -H and -I options. If the options specified match a unique device in the system, mksf creates a special file for that device; otherwise, mksf prints an error message and exits. If required, mksf creates any subdirectories relative to the device installation directory that are defined for the resulting special file.

For most drivers, mksf has a set of built-in driver options, driver-options, and special file naming conventions. By supplying some subset of the driver options, as in the first form above, the user can create a special file with a particular set of characteristics. If a special-file name is specified, mksf creates the special file with that special file name; otherwise, the default naming convention for the driver is used.

In the second form, the minor number and special-file name are explicitly specified. When -D is not used, the special file must be specified with the absolute path. In this case, if any other path other than the absolute path is specified, the path is treated relative to the default devices directory. This form is used to make a special file for a driver without using the built-in driver options in mksf. The -r option specifies that mksf should make a character (raw) device file instead of the default block device file for drivers that support both.

Options

mksf recognizes the following options:

-C class: Match a device that belongs to a given device class, class. Device classes can be listed with the lsdev command (see lsdev(1M)). They are defined in the files in the directory /usr/conf/master.d. This option is not valid for pseudo devices. This option cannot be used with -d.
-d driver: Match a device that is controlled by the specified device driver, driver. Device drivers can be listed with the lsdev command (see lsdev(1M)). They are defined in the files in the directory /usr/conf/master.d. This option cannot be used with -C.
-D directory: Override the default device installation directory /dev and install the special files in directory instead. directory must exist; otherwise, mksf displays an error message and exits. See WARNINGS.
-H hw_path: Match a device at a given hardware path, hw-path. Hardware paths can be listed with the ioscan command (see ioscan(1M)). A hardware path specifies the addresses of the hardware components leading to a device. It consists of a string of numbers separated by periods (.), such as 52 (a card), 52.3 (a target address), and 52.3.0 (a device). If a hardware component is a bus converter, the following period, if any, is replaced by a slash (/) as in 2, 2/3, and 2/3.0. This option is not valid for pseudo devices.
-I instance: Match a device with the specified instance number. Instances can be listed with the -f option of the ioscan command (see ioscan(1M)). This option is not valid for pseudo devices. This option must be used with the -d or -C option.
-m minor: Create the special file with the specified minor number minor. The format of minor is the same as that given in mknod(1M) and mknod(5). This option cannot be used to create persistent special files.
-q: Quiet option. Normally, mksf displays a message as each driver is processed. This option suppresses the driver message, but not error messages. See the -v option.
-r: Create a character (raw) special file instead of a block special file.
-v: Verbose option. In addition to the normal processing message, display the name of each special file as it is created. See the -q option.

Naming Conventions

Some persistent special files follow a classinstance naming convention, where class is the driver class, and instance is the instance number assigned by the operating system to the device (see ioscan(1M)).

Some legacy special files are named using the ccardttargetddevice naming convention. These variables have the following meaning wherever they are used.

card: The unique interface card identification number from ioscan (see ioscan(1M)). It is represented as a decimal number.
target: The device target number, for example the address on a HP-FL or SCSI bus. It is represented as a decimal number with a typical range of 0 to 15.
device: A address unit within a device, for example, the unit in a HP-FL device or the LUN in a SCSI device. It is represented as a decimal number with a typical range of 0 to 15.

Special Files

The driver-specific options (driver-options) and default special file names (special-file) are listed below.

asio0

-a access-mode

Port access mode (0-2). The default access mode is 0 (Direct connect). The access-mode meanings are:

access-mode	Port Operation
`0`	Direct connect
`1`	Dial out modem
`2`	Dial in modem

-c

CCITT.

-f

Hardware flow control (RTS/CTS).

-i

Modem dialer. Cannot be used with -l.

-l

Line printer. Cannot be used with -i.

-p port

Multiplexer port number (0 for built-in serial port; 0-1 for SAS console ports). The default port number is 0.

-r fifo-trigger

fifo-trigger should have a value between 0 and 3. The following table shows the corresponding FIFO trigger level for a given fifo-trigger value.

fifo-trigger	Receive FIFO Trigger Level
`0`	1
`1`	4
`2`	8
`3`	14

-t

Transparent mode (normally used by diagnostics).

-x xmit-limit

xmit-limit should have a value between 0 and 3. The following table shows the corresponding transmit limit for a given xmit-limit value.

xmit-limit	Transmit Limit
`0`	1
`1`	4
`2`	8
`3`	12

special-file

The default special file name depends on the access-mode and whether the -i and -l options are used.

access-mode	`-i`	`-l`	Special File Name
—	no	yes	`ccardp0_lp`
`2`	no	no	`ttydcardp0`
`1`	no	no	`culcardp0`
`0`	yes	no	`cuacardp0`
`0`	no	no	`ttycardp0`

audio

-f format

Audio format (0-3). The format meanings are:

		File Name Modifier
format	Audio Format	format-mod
`0`	No change in audio format
`1`	8-bit Mu-law	`U`
`2`	8-bit A-law	`A`
`3`	16-bit linear	`L`

-o output-dest

Output destination (0-4). The output-dest should have a value between 0 and 4. The following table shows the corresponding output destinations for a given output-dest value.

		File Name Modifier
output-dest	Output Destinations	output-mod
`0`	All outputs	`B`
`1`	Headphone	`E`
`2`	Internal Speaker	`I`
`3`	No output	`N`
`4`	Line output	`L`

-r

Raw, control access. This option cannot be used with either the -f or -o options.

special-file

The default special file name depends on the options specified.

Options	Special File Name
`-r`	`audioCtl_card`
`-f 0`	`audio_card`
all others	`audiooutput-modformat-mod_card`

The optional output-mod and format-mod values are given in the tables above. Note the underscore (_) before card in each special file name. Also note that for card 0, each file will be linked to a simpler name without the trailing _card.

CentIf

-h handshake-mode

Handshake mode. Valid values range from 1 to 6:

handshake-mode	Handshake operation
`1`	Automatic NACK/BUSY handshaking
`2`	Automatic BUSY only handshaking
`3`	Bidirectional read/write
`4`	Stream mode (NSTROBE only, no handshaking)
`5`	Automatic NACK/BUSY with pulsed NSTROBE
`6`	Automatic BUSY with pulsed NSTROBE

special-file

The default special file name is ccardt0d0_lp for handshake-mode 2 and ccardt0d0hhandshake-mode_lp for all others. For SCentIf, the only valid handshake value is 2 (Automatic BUSY only handshaking).

consp1

-r fifo-trigger

fifo-trigger should have a value between 0 and 3. The following table shows the corresponding FIFO trigger level for a given fifo-trigger value.

fifo-trigger	Receive FIFO Trigger Level
`0`	1
`1`	4
`2`	8
`3`	14

-t

Transparent mode (normally used by diagnostics).

-x xmit-limit

xmit-limit should have a value between 0 and 3. The following table shows the corresponding transmit limit for a given xmit-limit value.

xmit-limit	Transmit Limit
`0`	1
`1`	4
`2`	8
`3`	12

special-file

The default special file name is as follows:

Special File Name
`ttycardp0`

disc3

-f

Floppy.

-r

Raw; create character, not block, special file.

-s section

The section number.

special-file

The default special file name depends on whether the -r and -s options are used:

`-r`	`-s`	Special File Name
yes	no	`rdsk/ccardttargetddevice` and
		`rfloppy/ccardttargetddevice`
yes	yes	`rdsk/ccardttargetddevicessection`
no	no	`dsk/ccardttargetddevice` and
		`floppy/ccardttargetddevice`
no	yes	`dsk/ccardttargetddevicessection`

esctl

-r: Raw; create character, not block, special file.
special-file: The default special file name is pt/pt_ctlinstance.

eschgr

-r

Raw; create character, not block, special file.

-P

Create a pass through special file.

special-file

The default special file name is rchgr/autochinstance.

The default pass through special file name for autochanger is pt/pt_autochinstance.

esdisk

-r

Raw; create character, not block, special file.

-s section

The section number.

-P

Create a pass through special file.

special-file

The default special file name depends on whether the -r and -s options are used:

`-r`	`-s`	Special File Name
yes	no	`rdisk/diskinstance`
yes	yes	`rdisk/diskinstance_`p`section`
no	no	`disk/diskinstance`
no	yes	`disk/diskinstance_`p`section`

The default pass through special file name for disk is pt/pt_diskinstance.

estape

All the stape driver specific options can be used with this driver also.
-P
Create a pass through special file.
special-file
Put all tape special files in the /dev/rtape directory. This is required for proper maintenance of the Tape Property Table. Device files located outside the /dev/rtape directory may not provide consistent behavior across system reboots. The default special file names are dependent on the tape drive being accessed and the options specified. All default special files begin with rtape/tapeinstance. See intro(7) for a complete description of the default persistent special file naming scheme. The default pass through special file name for tape is pt/pt_tapeinstance.
hil
- Note that only one of -a, -k, or -r is allowed.
-a address
The link address (1-7).
-k
Cooked keyboard.
-n
The hil controller device.
special-file
The default special file name depends on the -a, -k, and -r options:
Option Special File Name
-a hil_card.address
-k hilkbd_card
-r rhil_card
Note the underscore (_) before card. Also note that for card 0, each file will be linked to a simpler name without _card, either hiladdress, hilkbd, or rhil.
lan0 lan1 lan2 lan3
- Note that only one of -e or -i is allowed.
-e
Ethernet protocol.
-i
IEEE 802.3 protocol.
-t
Transparent mode (normally used by diagnostics).
special-file
The default special file name depends on the -e, -i, and -t options:
Option -t Special File Name
-e no ethercard
-e yes diag/ethercard
-i no lancard
-i yes diag/lancard
lantty0
-e
Exclusive access.
special-file
The default special file name depends on whether the -e option is used:
-e Special File Name
no lanttycard
yes diag/lanttycard
lpr2 lpr3
-c
Capital letters. Convert all output to uppercase.
-e
Eject page after paper-out recovery.
-n
No form-feed.
-o
Old paper-out behavior (abort job).
-r
Raw.
-t
Transparent mode (normally used by diagnostics).
-w
No wait. Don't retry errors on open.
special-file
The default special file name depends on whether the -r option is used:
-r Special File Name
no ccardttargetddevice_lp
yes ccardttargetddevice_rlp
mux0 mux2 mux4 pci_mux0 pci_mux1
-a access-mode
Port access mode (0-2). The default access mode is 0 (Direct connect). The access-mode meanings are:
access-mode Port Operation
0 Direct connect
1 Dial out modem
2 Dial in modem
-c
CCITT.
-f
Hardware flow control (RTS/CTS).
-i
Modem dialer. Cannot be used with -l.
-l
Line printer. Cannot be used with -i.
-p port
Multiplexer port number (0-15 for mux0 and mux2; 0-1 for mux4; a1-a16, b1-b16, c1-c16, and so on, for the pci_mux0 or pci_mux1). Some MUX cards controlled by a particular driver have fewer than the maximum supported ports.
-t
Transparent mode (normally used by diagnostics).
special-file
The default special file name depends on the access-mode and whether the -i and -l options are used. The term "card" below refers to the Instance number of the mux card.
access-mode -i -l Special File Name
— no yes ccardpport_lp
2 no no ttydcardpport
1 no no culcardpport
0 yes no cuacardpport
0 no no ttycardpport
ps2
- Note that only one of -a, or -p is allowed.
-a auto_device
Autosearch device. An auto_device value of 0 means first mouse; a value of 1 means first keyboard.
-p port
PS2 port number.
special-file
The default special file name depends on the -a, and -p options:
Option Special File Name
-a 0 ps2mouse
-a 1 ps2kbd
-p ps2_port
Note the underscore (_) before port.
SAS console ports See asio0.
SCentIf See CentIf.
scc1
-a access-mode
Port access mode (0-2). The default access mode is 0. The access-mode meanings are:
access-mode Port Operation
0 Direct connect
1 Dial out modem
2 Dial in modem
-b
Port B.
-c
CCITT.
-i
Modem dialer. Cannot be used with -l.
-l
Line printer. Cannot be used with -i.
special-file
The default special file name depends on the access-mode and whether the -i and -l options are used.
access-mode -i -l Special File Name
— no yes ccardpport_lp
2 no no ttydcardpport
1 no no culcardpport
0 yes no cuacardpport
0 no no ttycardpport
schgr
- Note that -i cannot be used with -r.
-i
Ioctl; create picker control special file.
-r
Raw; create character, not block, special file.
special-file
The default special file name will be
rac/ccardttartgetddevice
sctl
-r
Raw; create character, not block, special file.
special-file
The default special file name will be
rscsi/ccardttartgetddevice
sdisk
-r
Raw; create character, not block, special file.
-s section
The section number.
special-file
The default special file name depends on whether the -r and -s options are used:
-r -s Special File Name
yes no rdsk/ccardttargetddevice
yes yes rdsk/ccardttargetddevicessection
no no dsk/ccardttargetddevice
no yes dsk/ccardttargetddevicessection
stape
-a
AT&T-style rewind/close.
-b bpi
Bits per inch or tape density. The recognized values for bpi are:
BEST, D1600, D3480, D3480C, D3590, D3590C, D6250, D6250C, D800, D8MM_8200, D8MM_8200C, D8MM_8500, D8MM_8500C, DDS1, DDS1C, DDS2, DDS2C, NOMOD, QIC_1000, QIC_11, QIC_120, QIC_1350, QIC_150, QIC_2100, QIC_24, QIC_2GB, QIC_525, QIC_5GB, DLT_42500_24, DLT_42500_56, DLT_62500_64, DLT_81633_64, DLT_62500_64C, DLT_81633_64C, or a decimal number density code.
-c [code]
Compression with optional compression code. The optional decimal code is used to select a particular compression algorithm on drives that support more than one compression algorithm. This option must be specified at the end of an option string. See mt(7) for more details.
-e
Exhaustive mode. This option allows the driver to experiment with multiple configuration values in an attempt to access the media. The default behavior is to use only the configuration specified.
-n
No rewind on close.
-p
Partition one.
-s [block-size]
Fixed block size mode. If a numeric block-size is given, it is used for a fixed block size. If the -s option is used alone, a device-specific default fixed block size is used. This option must be specified at the end of an option string.
-u
UC Berkeley-style rewind/close.
-w
Wait (disable immediate reporting).
-x index
Use the index value to access the tape device driver property table entry. Recognized values for index are decimal values in the range 0 to 30.
special-file
Put all tape special files in the /dev/rmt directory. This is required for proper maintenance of the Tape Property Table (see mt(7)). Device files located outside the /dev/rmt directory may not provide consistent behavior across system reboots. The default special file names are dependent on the tape drive being accessed and the options specified. All default special files begin with rmt/ccardttargetddevice. See mt(7) for a complete description of the default special file naming scheme for tapes.
tape2
-a
AT&T-style rewind/close.
-b bpi
Bits per inch or tape density. The recognized values for bpi are:
BEST, D1600, D3480, D3480C, D6250, D6250C, D800, D8MM_8200, D8MM_8200C, D8MM_8500, D8MM_8500C, DDS1, DDS1C, DDS2, DDS2C, NOMOD, QIC_1000, QIC_11, QIC_120, QIC_1350, QIC_150, QIC_2100, QIC_24, QIC_2GB, QIC_525, QIC_5GB, DLT_42500_24, DLT_42500_56, DLT_62500_64, DLT_81633_64, DLT_62500_64C, DLT_81633_64C, or a decimal number density code between the range of 0 to 255.
-c [code]
Compression with optional compression code. The optional decimal code is used to select a particular compression algorithm on drives that support more than one compression algorithm. This option must be specified at the end of an option string. See mt(7) for more details.
-n
No rewind on close.
-o
Console messages disabled.
-t
Transparent mode, normally used by diagnostics.
-u
UC Berkeley-style rewind/close.
-w
Wait (disable immediate reporting).
-x index
Use the index value to access the tape device driver property table entry. The recognized values for index are decimal values in the range 0 to 30.
-z
RTE compatible close.
special-file
Put all tape special files in the /dev/rmt directory. This is required for proper maintenance of the Tape Property Table (see mt(7)). Device files located outside the /dev/rmt directory may not provide consistent behavior across system reboots. The default special file names are dependent on the tape drive being accessed and the options specified. All default special files begin with rmt/ccardttargetddevice. See mt(7) for a complete description of the default special file naming scheme for tapes.

Note

For the following drivers, persistent device special files are made: esctl, esdisk, estape, eschgr, c8xx, mpt, side, and td.

Other than these drivers, for all other drivers, legacy device special files are made.

For interface drivers like c8xx, mpt, side, and td the default persistent special files are made in the /dev directory. These special files follow a driverinstance naming convention, where driver is the driver name and instance is the instance number assigned by the operating system to the device (see ioscan(1M)).

RETURN VALUE

mksf exits with one of the following values:

0: Successful completion.
1: Failure. An error occurred.

DIAGNOSTICS

Most of the diagnostic messages from mksf are self-explanatory. Listed below are some messages deserving further clarification. Errors cause mksf to abort immediately.

Errors

Ambiguous device specification

Matched more than one device in the system. Use some combination of the -d, -C, -H, and -I options to specify a unique device.

No such device in the system

No device in the system matched the options specified. Use ioscan to list the devices in the system (see ioscan(1M)).

Device driver name is not in the kernel

Device class name is not in the kernel

The indicated device driver or device class is not present in the kernel. Add the appropriate device driver and/or device class to the kernel using kcmodule.

Device has no instance number

The specified device has not been assigned an instance number. Use ioscan to assign an instance to the device.

Directory directory doesn't exist

The directory argument of the -D option doesn't exist. Use mkdir to create the directory (see mkdir(1)).

Couldn't find driver matching arguments

The specified device could not find the driver that matches the arguments passed.

EXAMPLES

Make a special file named /dev/printer for the line printer device associated with instance number 2.

mksf -C printer -I 2 /dev/printer 

Make a special file, using the default naming convention, for the tape device at hardware path 8.4.1. The driver-specific options specify 1600 bits per inch and no rewind on close.

mksf -C tape -H 8.4.1 -b D1600 -n 

Make a persistent special file, using the default naming convention, for the disk device with instance number 7. The driver-specific options specify the character device file.

mksf -r -d esdisk -I 7 

Make a pass through device special file, using the default naming convention, for the disk device with instance number 17 (/dev/pt/pt_disk17).

mksf -P -C disk -I 17 

Make a pass through device special file named /dev/pt/pt111 for the controller with instance number 4.

mksf -d esctl -I 4 -v /dev/pt/pt111 

Make a persistent special file, using the default naming convention, for the interface driver c8xx with instance number 6 (/dev/c8xx6).

mksf -d c8xx -I 6 

WARNINGS

Many commands and subsystems assume their device files are in /dev; therefore, the use of the -D option is discouraged.

AUTHOR

mksf was developed by HP.

FILES

/dev/config: I/O system special file
/etc/mtconfig: Tape driver property table database

mksf(1M)

Technical documentation

» Table of Contents

» Index

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

Options

Naming Conventions

Special Files

Note

RETURN VALUE

DIAGNOSTICS

Errors

EXAMPLES

WARNINGS

AUTHOR

FILES

SEE ALSO