[comp.os.minix] /dev/null in Minix 1.3

HELMER%SDNET.BITNET@vm1.nodak.edu (Guy Helmer) (06/20/89)

Does someone know where I can find the patch for the null device
(/dev/null) in Minix 1.3?  I'm referring to the problem where
cat /dev/null > a_file does not result in a file with 0 bytes,
but a file that grows until you kill the cat command.  Thanks in
advance.

-- Guy Helmer                      BITNET: HELMER@SDNET
   Dakota State College (11 days to being a University!!!)
   Madison, SD                     AT&T: (605) 256-5315

jnall%FSU.BITNET@cornellc.cit.cornell.edu (John Nall 904-644-5241) (06/21/89)

>  Does someone know where I can find the patch for the null device
>  (/dev/null) in Minix 1.3?  I referring to the problem where
>  cat /dev/null > a_file does not result in a file with 0 bytes,
>  but a file that grows until you kill the cat command.

I have not seen any patches for the problem, but in my case it was
fixed by changing /dev/null back to a character device.  Somehow, it
gets changed to a block device, and that causes the problem referred
to.  Fixing it is easy:

     cd /dev
     rm null
     mknod null c 1 3

(and, of course, changing it on the original root image)

John Nall