Linux:mknod

Techniques: Linux: mknod

Documentation

Name

mknod - make block or character special files

Synopsis

mknod [OPTION]... NAME TYPE [MAJOR MINOR]

Description

Create the special file NAME of the given TYPE. TYPE can be a FIFO, character special file, or block special file.

An exit status of zero indicates success, and a nonzero value indicates failure

The term "special file" (not to be confused with "Special File Type") has a technical meaning on Unix: something that can generate or receive data. Usually this corresponds to a physical piece of hardware, e.g., a printer or a disk. (These files are typically created at system-configuration time.) The `mknod' command is what creates files of this type. Such devices can be read either a character at a time or a "block" (many characters) at a time, hence we say there are "block special" files and "character special" files.

Mandatory arguments to long options are mandatory for short options too.

-m, --mode=MODE

set permission mode (as in chmod), not a=rw - umask. Uses `a=rw' minus the bits set in the umask as the

point of departure. (Editor's note: these last two bits of information seem to flatly contradict each other; the first is from MAN, the second is from info.)

--help

display this help and exit

--version

output version information and exit

Both MAJOR and MINOR must be specified when TYPE is b, c, or u (i.e. the special file is block or character type), and they must be omitted when TYPE is p. If MAJOR or MINOR begins with 0x or 0X, it is interpreted as hexadecimal; otherwise, if it begins with 0, as octal; otherwise, as decimal. TYPE may be:

b

create a block (buffered) special file

c, u

create a character (unbuffered) special file

p

create a FIFO

Author

Written by David MacKenzie.

Reporting Bugs

Report bugs to <bug-coreutils@gnu.org>.

Copyright

Edit History

2005-06-25 This page created from a combination of MAN page and info coreutils (both in Ubuntu hoary).

Linux:mknod

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