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SubjectStructure of dev_t (was: [patch] replacing "/dev/root" in /proc/mounts)
> Device numbers have always been devided in a major number and a minor
> number. So ls displays them like this. How can this be broken,
> if this is an official part of the Unix API? Read the mknod manpage.

Knowing too much is a bad idea.
It causes trouble when details change.

And `an official part of the Unix API'? Which one?
POSIX does not have mknod, but has replaced it by mkfifo.
SUSv2 does not have mknod (the program) either.
Neither POSIX nor SUSv2 know the concept of major and minor
device number. (But SUSv2 has an unstructured `Device ID'.)

Concerning ls, the SUSv2 writes:
"If the file is a character or block special file, the size of
the file may be replaced with implementation-defined information
associated with the device in question."

No, major and minor device numbers are a historical relict
that no doubt will disappear. Devices will have more complicated
addresses. Already today we use triples, with the minor for a disk
subdivided into a device part and a partition part.
The structure of a device ID is of no concern to userspace.

Andries


P.S. Yes, I know the NFS standard.

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