idenable -- Command

Enable or disable a device driver
/etc/conf/bin/idenable [-f file] [-de] driver

The command idenable lets you enable  or disable a device driver within the
COHERENT kernel.  driver is the device driver to enable or disable

The flag -e tells idenable to enable driver. This is the default.

The flag -d tells idenable to disable it.

For example,  to enable STREAMS and disable the  pseudo-tty driver pty, use
the following commands:

    /etc/conf/bin/idenable streams
    /etc/conf/bin/idenable -d pty

idenable's command  line can name  more than one driver.   For example, the
command

    /etc/conf/bin/idenable streams -d pty

is the  equivalent of the  two commands given  above.  The command  line is
parsed from left to right, so  whatever you say last about a driver is what
ultimately happens.

The option -f forces idenable to  enable a driver.  If idenable is directed
to enable a  device that will conflict with another  enabled device in some
way, it normally reports the conflict  and not make the change.  -f directs
idtune to  ``force'' the driver  to be enabled  by simply shutting  off all
other drivers with which a conflict occurs.  For example, this is used with
keyboard drivers, only one of which can occupy a major number at a time.

To   implement   your   changes,  you   must   then   invoke  the   command
/etc/conf/bin/idmkcoh  to  build  a new  kernel,  which  will reflect  your
changes, and then boot the new kernel.

idenable works  by modifying the  file /etc/conf/sdevice. It  consists of a
series of lines with the following format:

    streams N   0   0   0   0   0x0   0x0   0x0   0x0
    console Y   0   0   0   0   0x0   0x0   0x0   0x0
    cohmain Y   0   0   0   0   0x0   0x0   0x0   0x0

The first column names the driver in question.  The second column indicates
whether it is incorporated into the kernel.  The other columns give ``magic
cookies'' that describe how the driver works.

You  can  read  /etc/conf/sdevice  to  see  how your  kernel  is  currently
configured.  Note,  however, that  you must  never modify sdevice  by hand.
idenable performs consistency checking  to ensure, for example, that you do
not  load two  competing  keyboard drivers  or hard-disk  drivers.  If  you
modify sdevice  by hand, you  run the risk  of building a  kernel that that
will not boot or will trash your file system.

See Also

cohtune,
commands,
device drivers,
idmkcoh,
idtune,
vtkb,
vtnkb

© 2012 by Stephen A. Ness