My question was, why there are no ethernet special device files are showing up
in the /dev directory on Alphas under OSF/1 and dUNIX as opposed to other UNIX
systems like SUNs, HPs, IBMs and SGIs.
The answers were, that dUNIX is using a streams subsystem to manage network
devices. This means, one cannot do ordinary file I/O as network communication
is always processed through an internal kernel stack. Ordinary applications
software should never directly interact with network devices.
Finally I quote here the original answers:
>From: Dr. Tom Blinn, 603-881-0646 (tpb_at_zk3.dec.com) Lines: 65
>Date: Fri Jan 26, 11:49am Chars: 3051
>Subject: Re: No Ethernet Devices
>
>Digital UNIX uses a streams subsystem to manage network devices. As such,
>the device special names that you might expect simply aren't needed, nor are
>they useful.
>
>I don't know what the software you are trying to install expects, but it's
>possible that it doesn't use a streams interface to the network (and that it
>doesn't use a sockets interface either, both of which are fully supported by
>Digital UNIX). If it's dependent on having a raw device interface to get to
>your network devices, it probably won't work on Digital UNIX.
>
>I don't know why your other UNIX systems have the special device files for
>network devices -- perhaps their network software works differently.
>
>Tom
>
> Dr. Thomas P. Blinn, UNIX Software Group, Digital Equipment Corporation
> 110 Spit Brook Road, MS ZKO3-2/U20 Nashua, New Hampshire 03062-2698
> Technology Partnership Engineering Phone: (603) 881-0646
> Internet: tpb_at_zk3.dec.com Digital's Easynet: alpha::tpb
>From: Martyn Johnson (Martyn.Johnson_at_cl.cam.ac.uk) Lines: 32
>Date: Fri Jan 26, 5:43pm Chars: 1299
>Subject: Re: No Ethernet Devices
>
>Network devices are different - they don't have entries in /dev. You can't do
>ordinary file I/O on them as they are always accessed through a protocol stack
>in the kernel.
>
>Ordinary applications software should never need to know anything about
>network devices as such. It's not entirely clear what your software actually
>needs, but it's not a device special file!
>
>--
>Martyn Johnson maj_at_cl.cam.ac.uk
>University of Cambridge Computer Lab
>Cambridge UK
--
Gernot M. Fuchs University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
voice: 919-966-3263 UNC Hospitals/School of Medicine
email: gfuchs_at_pasteur.med.unc.edu CB #7260, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27599
www : http://russell.med.unc.edu/~gfuchs
Received on Tue Jan 30 1996 - 16:47:30 NZDT