idmknod(1M)                                              idmknod(1M)


       NAME
             idmknod - update device nodes to reflect kernel configuration

       SYNOPSIS
             /etc/conf/bin/idmknod [-o device-dir] [-r config-dir] [[-M module-name] ...]
                   [-s] [-d sdev] [-#]

       DESCRIPTION
             One of the Installable Driver/Tunable Parameters configuration
             tools, idmknod reconstructs nodes (block and character special
             device files) in /dev and its subdirectories, based on the
             Node files for currently configured modules (those with at
             least one Y in their System files).  Any nodes with major
             numbers corresponding to drivers with a K flag set in the
             characteristics fields of their Master file are left
             unchanged.  All other nodes will be removed or created as
             needed to exactly match the configured Node files.

             Any needed subdirectories are created automatically.
             Subdirectories that become empty as a result of node removal
             are removed, also.

             All other files in the /dev directory tree are left unchanged,
             including symbolic links.

          Options
             idmknod takes the following options:

             -o device-dir
                       Install nodes in (or remove them from) the directory
                       specified rather than the default, /dev.

             -r config-dir
                       Use the directory specified, instead of /etc/conf,
                       as the root of the configuration data directories.

             -s        Suppress removing nodes; just add new nodes.

             -M module-name
                       Make new nodes in /dev, as specified in the node
                       file for the specified loadable kernel module.

             -d sdev   Use the sdev file instead of /etc/conf/cf.d/sdevice
                       for current configuration information.




                           Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 1

      idmknod(1M)                                              idmknod(1M)


            -#        Print debugging information.

         Return Values
            idmknod returns 0 on success and a positive number on error.

         Errors
            An exit value of zero indicates success.  If an error is
            encountered due to a syntax or format error in a node entry,
            an advisory message is printed to stdout and the command
            execution continues.  If a serious error is encountered (for
            example, a required file cannot be found), idmknod exits with
            a non-zero value and reports an error message.

      USAGE
            On the next system reboot after a kernel reconfiguration, in
            sysinit state, the idmknod command is run automatically (by
            idmkenv) to establish the correct representation of device
            nodes in the /dev directory tree for the running kernel.
            Also, idmknod (with the -M option) is called by idbuild when
            loadable kernel module configuration is requested.  idmknod
            can be executed as a user level command to test modification
            of the /dev directory before a Driver Software Package (DSP)
            is built.  It is useful in installation scripts that do not
            reconfigure the kernel, but that need to create /dev entries.

      REFERENCES
            idbuild(1M), idinstall(1M), idmkinit(1M), Master(4), mknod(2),
            Node(4), System(4)




















                          Copyright 1994 Novell, Inc.               Page 2