Re: [PATCH] print_dev_t for 2.6.0-test1-mm

Andrew Morton
2003-07-16T22:17:12Z

Andries Brouwer <aebr@win.tue.nl> wrote:
>
>
> > Why do we need the 16:16 option?
>
> It is not very important, but major 0 is reserved, so if userspace
> (or a filesystem) hands us a 32-bit device number, we have to
> split that in some way, not 0+32. Life is easiest with 16+16.
> (Now the major is nonzero, otherwise we had 8+8.)
> Other choices lead to slightly more complicated code.
>

Why would anyone hand the kernel a 32-bit device number? They're either 16
or 64, are they not?