[RFC] change in /proc/devices

[Alexander Viro]

On Thu, 27 Jan 2000, Guest section DW wrote:

> On Thu, Jan 27, 2000 at 07:04:44AM -0500, Alexander Viro wrote:
> 
> > Excuse me? Names here are without numbers. And while 2100 is readable
> > 8448 is _not_.
> 
> Probably you understood me perfectly well, but just to be sure:
> 
> # ls -l /dev/hde12
> brw-rw----   1 root     disk      33,  12 Nov  8 20:48 /dev/hde12
> 
> Aha. Users are confronted with 12 (in the name: hde12) and 33,12
> (in the ls output). Also the kernel itself (in the boot messages)
> will call this partition hde12.
> 
> So, if there is some need to print major and minor somewhere,
> a decimal version is to be preferred over a hexadecimal version.

If. They. Are. Splitted. Into major and minor. Which IMO is better to
avoid if possible. Besides, users also see 33,  76 along with /dev/hdf12.
Now, the kdevname() in mounting root is worth replacing with check for
device existence + more detailed flame (either "you asked root on 8:12 and
I don't know a device with such major:minor; recompile the kernel or FOAD"
or "no valid filesystem on /dev/sdb2").


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