linux-kernel - Dynamic major/minor numbers (or dropping them completely)

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Date:	Thu, 02 Aug 2007 20:45:23 +0300
From:	Eduard-Gabriel Munteanu <maxdamage@...din.ro>
To:	linux-kernel@...r.kernel.org
Subject: Dynamic major/minor numbers (or dropping them completely)

*This message was transferred with a trial version of CommuniGate(r) Pro*
Currently, the kernel has the following properties:
1) initramfs can be used to boot the system. We don't need any 
predefined /dev entries.
2) udev can be started from the initramfs to create the required entries 
in /dev. udev doesn't care about major/minor numbers.
3) Most distros already use udev and maybe initramfs. If there are 
exceptions, they can be easily converted.

For the first part, I'm asking: is there any reason why new char/block 
drivers shouldn't use dynamic major/minor numbers? Is there any reason 
against converting the whole kernel to dynamic major/minor numbers?

Okay, maybe the previous questions looked useless from a pragmatic POV. 
But why shouldn't the whole major/minor numbering system be dropped 
completely? sysfs already maintains a hierachy of device drivers and 
kernel subsystems, one which is better than the major/minor system. The 
current system could be replaced by a single-numbered, 
dynamically-allocated scheme.

Device files could be stored on a tmpfs filesystem, so that we don't 
make any changes to current filesystems. Apps won't need to be modified, 
since they access /dev entries by name, provided udev maintains the 
current naming scheme.

Any thoughts on this?
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