INTRO(3)INTRO(3)NAME
intro - introduction to the Inferno devices
DESCRIPTION
An Inferno device implements a file tree for client processes. A file
name beginning with a hash (number) symbol, such as names the root of a
file tree implemented by a particular kernel device driver identified
by the character after the hash. Such names are usually bound to con‐
ventional locations in the name space. For example, after
sys->bind("#c", "/dev", sys->MREPL)
an ls(1) of /dev will list the files provided by the console device.
A kernel device driver is a server in the sense of the Inferno File
Protocol, 9P (see Section 5), but with the messages implemented by
local rather than remote procedure calls. Also, several of the mes‐
sages (Nop, Flush, and Error) have no subroutine equivalents.
When a system call is passed a file name beginning with it looks at the
next character, and if that is a valid device character it performs an
attach(5) on the corresponding device to get a channel representing the
root of that device's file tree. If there are any characters after the
device character but before the next or end of string, those characters
are passed as parameter aname to the attach.
Each kernel device has a conventional place at which to be bound to the
name space. The SYNOPSIS sections of the following pages includes a
shell bind command to put the device in the conventional place. Most
of these binds are done automatically by the system when it initial‐
izes; see init(8).
SEE ALSOintro(5), intro(2)INTRO(3)
