Intro(7)


Intro -- introduction to special device files

Description

This section provides information about device drivers, driver interfaces, and special device files that are included in the UnixWare 7 operating system. These include software drivers and the device drivers that provide support for various hardware peripherals. Some addon drivers may also add pages to this section.

General purpose drivers and drivers for mass storage devices are documented in this section. Drivers for other device types, such as network and graphics adapter drivers, are documented in context-sensitive help files associated with the managers used to administer those devices.

Current information about hardware support is available on the Compatible Hardware Web Page (CHWP). The CHWP includes information about vendor-supplied device support as well as Caldera device support that was added after the operating system was released. For more information, see ``Accessing the SCO Compatible Hardware Web Pages'' in Configuring system hardware.

Backwards compatibility

UnixWare 7 uses versioning schemes to provide support for drivers written for earlier versions of the operating system. This enables the operating system to support older drivers, but prevents old and new features from being intermixed in a single driver. Support for older versions will eventually be removed from the operating system.

The versioning schemes related to device drivers include:


idtools versioning
The ``idtools'', such as idbuild(1M), are used to configure drivers into the kernel. These tools are versioned to support different versions of the configuration files. The idtools version of a driver is defined in the ``$version'' field of the driver's Master(4dsp) file. If no ``$version'' field is present, the driver is version 0, which means that the idinstall(1M) command determines the $interface version for the driver, usually either DDI version 4 or, more typically, $interface nonconforming. The driver's /etc/conf/mdevice.d file shows either $oversion 0 or $oversion 1, followed by a list of nonconforming symbols.

entrytype versioning
For DDI 8 and later interface versions, $entrytype 1 is defined in an Interface(4dsp) file to indicate that the main entry point routines are accessed through a drvops(D4) structure rather than through switch tables using the named entry point scheme; see ``Entry-point routines'' in HDK Technical Reference. If no ``$entrytype'' field is defined, the kernel assumes $entrytype 0.

versioned driver interfaces
Versioned driver interfaces define the kernel functions, driver entry points, and kernel structures that are used in the driver. A driver's interfaces are declared in the ``$interface'' field of the Master(4dsp) files, which may include only one version for each interface type. Supported interface types include

DDI (Device Driver Interface)
Used for all kernel-level drivers, defines basic functionality such as synchronization, I/O movement, configuration, and interrupt handling. DDI also defines the STREAMS interface.

MDI (MAC Driver Interface)
Used for network adapter drivers, to supplement the DDI. See mdi(7).

SDI (Storage Driver Interface)
Used for mass storage HBA and target drivers, to supplement the DDI. See sdi(7).

I2O (Intelligent Input/Output Interface)
Used for all types of devices on an I2O platform, to supplement the DDI.

PSM (Platform Support Module)
Used to implement general support for specific hardware platforms.

HPCI (Hotplug PCI Interface)
Used to implement PCI hotplug support for specific hardware platforms.

Each interface type has a manual page in section 7 that explains the operating system versions that support each interface version.

Drivers that do not conform to the interfaced versions can be installed with $interface nonconformant in their Master files. These drivers must also populate the ``$contact'' field with information about who wrote and supports the driver. Drivers that use $interface nonconformant are discouraged because they are generally less portable and may be less reliable than conformant drivers.

$interface base is used in the Master files for core kernel modules but cannot be used for specific device drivers.

Support for an interface version is retained for at least three years after it is superseded by a new version, to provide compatibility for drivers written to use them. The manual pages retain information about an obsoleted version for one operating system release past where it is supported. We recommends that drivers be ported to newer interface versions to take advantage of new features and to extend the life of the drivers.

DDI version support

O/S release Supported versions
SVR4.0 ddi 1, 2
SVR4.1 ES ddi 1, 2
SVR4MP ddi 1, 2, 3
SVR4.2 ddi 1, 2, 4; sdi 1
SVR4.2MP ddi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5mp; sdi 1
SCO UnixWare 1.X ddi 1, 2, 4; sdi 1
SCO UnixWare 2.X ddi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5mp, 6, 6mp, 7, 7mp; sdi 1, 2
UnixWare 7 ddi 5, 5mp, 6, 6mp, 7, 7mp, 8, 8mp; sdi 1, 2, 4; mdi 2 hpci 1; psm 2; I2O 1

 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |O/S release      | Supported versions                               |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SVR4.0           | ddi 1, 2                                         |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SVR4.1 ES        | ddi 1, 2                                         |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SVR4MP           | ddi 1, 2, 3                                      |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SVR4.2           | ddi 1, 2, 4; sdi 1                               |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SVR4.2MP         | ddi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5mp; sdi 1                    |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SCO UnixWare 1.X | ddi 1, 2, 4; sdi 1                               |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |SCO UnixWare 2.X | ddi 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5mp, 6, 6mp, 7, 7mp; sdi 1, 2 |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+
 |UnixWare 7       | ddi 5, 5mp, 6, 6mp, 7, 7mp, 8, 8mp; sdi 1, 2, 4; |
 |                 | mdi 2 hpci 1; psm 2; I2O 1                       |
 +-----------------+--------------------------------------------------+

sdi: 4 and mdi: 2 require ddi: 7, 7mp, 8, or 8mp. See ``SDI'' in HDK Technical Reference and ``DDI interface versioning'' in HDK Technical Reference. hpci: 1 requires either ddi: 7mp or ddi: 8mp. See ``HPCI (Hot Plug Controller Interface)'' in HDK Technical Reference.

When a driver is installed on the system, it declares the DDI version(s) being used in the ``$interface'' field of the Master(4dsp) file. Drivers that use one of the mp ddi sets must also use $interface: Version 2 in the Master file and, for DDI versions before DDI 8, set devflag(D1) to D_MP.

A simple awk(1) script can identify all drivers using certain interface versions that are installed on your system. For example, the following script reports all drivers that use DDI version 5/5mp and earlier:

   # cd /etc/conf/mdevice.d
   # awk '$1 == "$interface" && $2 == "ddi" && $3 ~ /^[0-5]/ { \
   	printf("%s: %s\n", FILENAME, $0); }' *

See also

mdi(7), sdi(7)

Section 4dsp manual pages in Section 4dsp manual pages


© 2004 The SCO Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
UnixWare 7 Release 7.1.4 - 25 April 2004