MKDISK(1M) DOMAIN/IX Reference Manual (SYS5) MKDISK(1M)
NAME
mkdisk - create disk device descriptor files
USAGE
/etc/mkdisk [-S | -W | -F] [-c number] [-d number] [-l
number] [-r] devname
DESCRIPTION
The mkdisk command creates the block and character special
device files that describe the disk devices attached to a
node.
DOMAIN/IX nodes currently support three types of disk dev-
ice. The conventional name for each type of disk is as fol-
lows:
Winchester disks W
Storage modules S
Floppy disks F
All disk descriptor files are usually kept in the /dev/dsk
directory for block disk device files and the /dev/rdsk
directory for raw disk device files. By convention, the
names assigned to disk device files on a DOMAIN/IX system
include the disk type name as listed above, concatenated
with a string denoting the drive number and a string denot-
ing the logical volume number. Thus, for example, logical
volume 1 of drive 0 of a storage module disk would conven-
tionally be named /dev/dsk/S0d0s1. In this case, the prefix
``/dev/dsk'' is the name of the directory where all block
disk descriptor files normally live; the ``S'' indicates
that this is a storage module disk; the ``d0'' denotes drive
number 0, and the ``s1'' indicates that this is logical
volume 1 (logical volumes on a physical drive are numbered
from 1). Similarly, /dev/dsk/F0d1s2 would name logical
volume 2 of floppy disk drive 1.
The UNIX operating system makes a distinction between block
and ``raw'' (character) devices. Each disk has a block dev-
ice interface that makes the device byte-addressable. There
are also ``raw'' devices available. Some UNIX systems place
restrictions on the use of raw devices (for example, on some
systems, raw devices must be read or written 512 bytes at a
time). No such restrictions currently exist on DOMAIN/IX
raw devices; in general, raw and block devices can be used
interchangeably on DOMAIN/IX.
Typically, there will be both a raw device descriptor file
and a block device descriptor file for each disk on a
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MKDISK(1M) DOMAIN/IX Reference Manual (SYS5) MKDISK(1M)
DOMAIN/IX system. The raw device descriptor file and the
block device descriptor will usually have the same name,
with the block device descriptor file located in the
/dev/dsk directory and the raw device descriptor file
located in the /dev/rdsk directory.
The mkdisk program creates block and character disk device
descriptor files. If run with no options, mkdisk tries to
figure out the disk type and unit numbers from the disk
descriptor file name you supply, using the naming conven-
tions described above.
OPTIONS
You may use mkdisk to create disk descriptor files whose
names do not follow the conventions described above, by sup-
plying the needed information in options. If an option is
explicitly supplied, it overrides the information mkdisk
deduces from the filename.
-S The disk is a storage module.
-W The disk is a Winchester.
-F The disk is a floppy disk.
-c number Controller number.
-d number Drive number.
-l number Logical volume number.
-r The disk is raw.
EXAMPLE
mkdisk /dev/dsk/W0d1s3 Create a block device descriptor
file for logical volume 3 of drive
1 on the Winchester disk.
DIAGNOSTICS
The diagnostics are intended to be self-explanatory.
RELATED INFORMATION
mount(1M)
umount(1M)
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