Re: [Sheflug] Where is /dev/eth0 ? What are major & minor device numbers?

[Will Newton <xxxxx [at] xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>]

On Thursday 30 May 2002 12:55 pm, James Wallbank wrote:

> However, under Mandrake 8.1 and thereafter, /dev/eth0 doesn't exist! Not
> even as a link to another character device file. Somebody told me that
> "Mandrake uses DevFS to communicate with the ethernet hardware using
> major and minor device numbers" - but I neither know whether (a) this is
> true, or (b) what it means if it is true!

Devfs only shows the device file if the device in question is loaded i.e. 
instead of getting "No such device" on opening the device, it is just not 
shown at all. To make it appear you have to load the driver. There are a 
number of ways to do this, including devfsd, which allows you to load the 
driver when an attempt is made to access eth0. It's been a while since I used 
devfs, so you'll have to track the docs down yourself.
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