HP-UX

Is it possible to create the CDROM device file for a drive attached to the parallel port? I have a removable CDROM drive (gift - I'm trying not to return it, but may have to anyways) that attaches via parallel port. The only device that I can attach to that hardware address is /dev/c1t0d0_lp, a printer device. I may be going about this all wrong, since I'm very new with HP-UX / hp9000's, but I can't seem to get the major/minor/driver/etc. correct...

Also, I think I already know the answer to this, but is it possible to create /dev/zero and /dev/(u)random on an HP-UX system? I didn't see anything in Sam's kernel config, so I doubt it, but it's worth a try, I suppose...

Please help us.

I think what you are asking for is not possible for HP UX platform. I am not sure, but I don't think there are drivers built in the O/S for what you are wanting. We have 10 HP UX-9000 series K and M and L class servers, and they all have built in CD-ROM drives that are attached via SCSI controller.

Yeah, I thought not... After all, would we really want PC hardware on a specialized Unix workstation? Heck, we might as well just use peecees for everything in that case.

I was able to find a device driver for Linux systems, however, and that will do just fine.

Thanks for the reply.

One part of your question is easy... I just made a /dev/zero on an HP-UX 10.20 box:

cd /dev
mknod zero c 3 3
chmod 444 zero

Ah ha!
Right on...

It might seem silly to some, but I missed /dev/zero...

Thanks perderabo!

Since yall brought this up, I have a question.

What is the difference between. These two commands

1) cat /dev/null > somefile

2) cat /dev/zero > somefile

3) > somefile



Zeroing out a file.

I know that "dd can be used to create a file of X bytes for testing and to "hold" space in a filesytem and for doing "disk dumps" an d for destroying data on a disk ( not the prescribed method).

I think I know another reason for /dev/zero. That would be to zero out a disk for reuse.

Any insight would be informative.