B    Device Mnemonics

This appendix identifies and defines the mnemonics that identify hardware or software devices connected to your system, or identifies a source file where you can look up the supported mnemonics.

Normally, these mnemonics are assigned by default when a system is installed. Others are created automatically by utilities such as dsfmgr, which detects new SCSI devices added to a system and creates the appropriate device special files in /dev.

If required, you can specify some mnemonics with the MAKEDEV command to create the character or block special files that represent each of the devices. You also use the mnemonics to specify device special files for the loadable drivers described in the /etc/sysconfigtab configuration database file. Similarly, you can create BSD-style pseudoterminals (ptys). The default SVR4 ptys are created with SYSV_PTY.

Table B-1 lists the mnemonics in six categories: generic, consoles, disks, tapes, terminals, and printers. The generic category lists the mnemonics of a general nature and includes memory, null, trace, and tty devices. The consoles category lists mnemonics for the system console devices that the Tru64 UNIX operating system uses. The disks, tapes, terminals, and printers categories identify the appropriate mnemonics for those devices.

The Description column in Table B-1 identifies the corresponding device name. It does not define the mnemonic's use. For detailed information on the use of each mnemonic in relation to the MAKEDEV command, the cfgmgr configuration manager daemon, and the system configuration file, use the man command. For example, enter the following command to display the reference page for the SCSI disk controller driver:

# man rz 

Where appropriate, the reference page defines the device's syntax as it should appear in the config file. For additional software device mnemonics that the MAKEDEV command uses, refer to the MAKEDEV(8) reference page.

Table B-1:  Device Mnemonics