From: jmorriso@rflab.ee.ubc.ca (John Paul Morrison) Subject: Re: MORE Serial Device Names Date: 4 May 1993 10:29:55 GMT
In article <1s35vqINNssq@uwm.edu> rick@ee.uwm.edu (Rick Miller - Linux Device Registrar) writes:
>
>I've had some very reasonable replies regarding the use of capital
>letters in device names (being A Bad Thing), and a couple of constructive
>suggestions as well. So, here's the latest shot at standardizing serial
>device names:
agreed, the capital letters are UGLY.
>
>There's *plenty* of namespace down around "ttyc0", so it sounds like the
>most reasonable suggestion. (I like the way it suggests "COM" port, like
>the way "ttyp0" suggests "Psuedo-terminal".) Forget about getting more
>than 64 serial devices though. With the way the Major/minor numbers are
>currently layed out, you can only have 64. You want to change the driver?
>Go right ahead! ...just let me know and I'll issue you a Major number.
>
>SO...
I like the ttya[0-f] ttyb[0-f] idea better. It's tedious to have too
many numbers, and that's why tty00 etc. isnt nice. Sun names serial
lines ttya, ttyb etc, so this would more compatible with a "standard"
UNIX. Using ttyc[0-f] just for the sake of suggesting "COM", ie DOS
COM ports, is silly to me; we might as well call them /dec/com1,
/dev/com2 etc!
tty[a-d] etc would be a *clean, simple and compatible* (with other
UNIXs) naming convention, especially since most people can't
even use all four standard serial ports anyway. tty[e-z] could be used
for multi serial port cards (that's 22 extra right there), or maybe go
back to tty0[0-f] for the 4,8,16 port cards. The multi port cards
arent that important as far as naming goes: a handful of people have
them, so who cares ;-) Seriously, unless linux gets into coprocessed
serial controllers, anyone with 8 or more ttys running at 9600bps is
going to get crappy serial io. If people want to cripple their machines
with 64 simultaneous 19,200 bps serial connections, let them worry about
it, or use tty[0-f][0-f] for all of those ttys.
**************************
>
> How 'bout using "tty[c-f][0-f]" as the 'official' serial names?
ttya, ttyb, ttyc, ttyd for normal people. (with options on tty[e-z] or
tty[0-f][0-f] for people who can afford to run that many modems/terminals)
tty[a-o][0-f] etc. if we really have to.
> **************************
>
>Rick Miller <rick@ee.uwm.edu> | <ricxjo@discus.mil.wi.us> Ricxjo Muelisto
>Send a postcard, get one back! | Enposxtigu bildkarton kaj vi ricevos alion!
> RICK MILLER // 16203 WOODS // MUSKEGO, WIS. 53150 // USA
-- ______________________________________________________________________________ John Paul Morrison | University of British Columbia, Canada | Hey hey!! Ho ho!! Electrical Engineering | Tax & spend liberals jmorriso@ee.ubc.ca VE7JPM | have got to go!! ________________________________________|____________________________________