NAME

mknod − create special and fifo files

SYNOPSIS

/etc/mknod name c │ b major minor
/etc/mknod name p
/etc/mknod name n nodename

DESCRIPTION

Mknod makes a directory entry and corresponding inode for a special file.  Name is the path name of the special file to be created. 

In the first SYNOPSIS line shown, the second argument should be b if the special file is block-type (disks, tape), or c if it is character-type (other devices).  Major and minor are numbers specifying the major device type (e.g. device driver number) and the minor device number (typically, but not exclusively, the unit, drive, HP-IB bus address and/or line number).  The assignment of major and minor device numbers is specific to each HP-UX system.  Major and minor may be specified in any of hexadecimal, octal, or decimal, using the C language conventions (Decimal numbers must not have a leading zero, octal must have a leading zero, and hexadecimal must have a leading zero followed by ’x’.) 

Mknod can also be used to create fifo’s (a.k.a named pipes) (second case in SYNOPSIS above). 

Mknod can also be used to create a network special file (third case in SYNOPSIS above).  A network special file addresses another node on a local area network.  Nodename is the name by which the node is known on the network. 

A real ID of 0 (super-user) is required on the first and third synopsis shown above.  All users may use mknod in the form shown in the second synopsis. 

The newly created file has a mode of 0666, as modified by the current setting of the user’s umask. 

HARDWARE DEPENDENCIES

Integral PC
Creation of network special files using the form of mknod shown in the third line of SYNOPSIS is not supported. 

SEE ALSO

lsdev(1M), mknod(2), mknod(4). 

Hewlett-Packard Company  —  Version B.1,  May 11, 2021