xref: /freebsd/sbin/devd/devd.8 (revision a3e8fd0b7f663db7eafff527d5c3ca3bcfa8a537)
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26.\" $FreeBSD$
27.\"
28.Dd October 17, 2002
29.Dt DEVD 8
30.Os
31.Sh NAME
32.Nm devd
33.Nd "Device state change daemon"
34.Sh SYNOPSIS
35.Nm
36.Op Fl d
37.Sh DESCRIPTION
38The
39.Nm
40daemon provides a way to have userland programs run when certain
41kernel events happen.
42.Pp
43The following options are accepted.
44.Bl -tag -width indent
45.It Fl d
46Enable debugging messages and run in the foreground instead of
47becoming a daemon.
48.El
49.Sh IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
50.Nm
51is a system daemon.
52It runs in the background all the time.
53When ever a device is added to or removed from the device tree, devd
54will cause a certain action to take place.
55In addition, when a device that is not matched enters the system, devd
56will also perform an action.
57.Pp
58.Nm
59hooks into the
60.Xr devctl 4
61device driver.
62This device driver has hooks into the device configuration system.
63When nodes are added or deleted from the tree, this device will
64deliver information about the even to
65.Nm .
66Once
67.Nm
68has parsed the message, it will search its action list for that kind
69of event, and perform the action with the highest matching value.
70For most mundane uses, the default handlers are adequate.
71However, for more advanced users, the power is present to tweak every
72aspect of what happens.
73.Pp
74.Nm reads /etc/devd.conf, and that drives the rest of the process.
75While the format of this file is described in
76.Xr devd.conf 5
77some basics are covered here.
78In the options section, one can define multiple directories to search
79for config files.
80All files in each of these directories are parsed.
81These files are intended to be installed by third party vendors that
82wish to hook into the devd system without modifying the user's other
83config files.
84.Sh SEE ALSO
85.Xr devctl 4 ,
86.Xr devd.conf 5
87.Sh AUTHORS
88.An M. Warner Losh
89