way too many items indev

They're there if you need them. They're special files. So the entiredev directory doesn't take up much more than a few K.

They're not devices, they're special files. They only become devices if a device is connnected that matches their major-minor numbers. Admittedly it's unlikely you'll ever see hdt, but it is possible to have 20 IDE disks connected, or 32 parbreastions on a disk.

No, it's just one way of doing it. There're a few different schemes fordev. 2 are dynamic, handled by the kernel or a daemon which creates dev files on the fly. The other one is the static type you seem to have there which dumps all possible hooks intodev just in case.

The only drawback to it is you get slightly more disk usage. but 400k isn't going to hurt that much on a hard disk the size they come in these days is it?

Try it... try... say... mountdev-hdt1mnt mount:dev-hdt1 is not a valid block device This means there is no such device connected to that node. -- Andrew Halliwell BSc(hons) in "I think so brain, but this time, you control Computer Science the Encounter suit, and I'll do the voice..." ------------------------------------------------------------------------------