Packages allowed to create /dev symlinks?

[Paul Slootman <paul@wau.mis.ah.nl>]

Policy 3.3.6 states the following:

   3.3.6 Device files 

   No package may include device files in the package file tree.

   If a package needs any special device files that are not included in
   the base system, it has to call makedev in the postinst script, after
   asking the user for permission to do so.

   No package should remove any device files in the postrm or any other
   script. This is left to the system administrator.

   Debian uses the serial devices /dev/tty*. Programs using the old
   /dev/cu* devices should be changed to use /dev/tty*.


One might assume that a package may create symlinks in /dev. For
example, the ISDN utilities traditionally use a /dev/isdnctrl file
which is a symlink to isdnctrl0.  The old makedev package created
/dev/isdnctrl along with the other /dev/isdnctrl? files; however,
the current makedev package doesn't.  The makedev maintainer feels
that the isdnutils package should now be responsible for this, I
feel that it's a bit of an uncalled-for change to the situation (I
had no warning, and the current situation is that a new installation of
isdnutils won't work).

I had interpreted the policy to intend that packages shouldn't do
anything with the stuff under /dev, but that isn't spelled out.
So, I'd like some clarity on this ASAP please. What are your opinions on
this?  Apparently the pcmcia packages do things to /dev/modem, and other
things such as /dev/mouse and /dev/pilot are also manipulated by
packages already...


Paul Slootman
-- 
home: paul@wurtel.demon.nl | work: paul@murphy.nl | debian: paul@debian.org
http://www.wurtel.demon.nl | Murphy Software,   Enschede,   the Netherlands