Device Naming

SunOS release 5.7 device names make it easier to infer certain device characteristics from a device name. SunOS release 4.x systems convey type rather than device attributes, which makes it difficult for programs and scripts to derive necessary information about devices. SunOS release 5.7 conventions are slightly different from AT&T SVR4 device names because SunOS release 5.7 allows only eight user-configurable slices on a disk.

In addition, special device files are now stored in the hierarchical /devices directory, with symbolic links to the hierarchical /dev directory, which is used by administrators and users to access devices. The /dev directory contains subdirectories, such as /dev/dsk/*, used to access disk devices, and /dev/rdsk/*, used to access raw disk devices. For more information, see "Device Naming Conventions". For discussions on device naming conventions, see "Device Naming From a Developer's Perspective".