Peripheral Configuration in its Simplest Terms

Any peripheral device requires three steps to communicate with an HP-UX system: configure, install, reboot.

Configure the device drivers into the kernel. Device drivers are like translators that speak both the language of the peripheral device and the language of the computer.
Install the hardware. Perform any hardware-specific installation procedures required to physically connect the peripheral device to your computer. Then, turn on the power to the peripheral devices and then to the computer.
Reboot the system. As the system reboots, HP-UX automatically creates the necessary device special files required for the peripheral. At least one device special file must exist for the device driver to communicate with the peripheral device. Device special files tell the operating system which device driver to use, how to find the peripheral device, and what special characteristics the peripheral device employs.

Figure 1-1 The Essentials of Peripheral Configuration




	NOTE: Often, if you anticipate having to add a new external peripheral device, you can configure the device drivers into the kernel at a time when no one else is on the system. Then, when the peripheral arrives, you can physically install it with minimal user disruption.

Using SAM to Configure Peripherals

The HP-UX System Administration Manager (SAM) provides the easiest way to:

view your system's configuration.
configure the peripheral device's drivers into the kernel.
regenerate the kernel after configuring the software.

To invoke SAM, type /usr/sbin/sam.

SAM's user interface and online help system allow you to discover the configuration information as you proceed through its screens. Once you provide SAM with basic information about the device being configured,

SAM checks your currently running kernel configuration file for the required device drivers,
reports whether or not the drivers are present,
adds them if necessary, and
reconfigures the kernel.

For some devices, SAM also automates other necessary steps. For example, when adding a terminal to your system, SAM edits the /etc/inittab file to add the terminal entry. You have to perform this step manually if you are not using SAM to configure the terminal.

Using HP-UX Commands to Configure Peripherals

You must use HP-UX commands to configure peripherals to the system if the device cannot be automatically configured or if SAM is not on your system.

Virtually all Hewlett-Packard disk drives, tape drives, printers, plotters and terminals are configurable automatically. Each peripheral-specific chapter of this book gives procedures for using HP-UX commands for configuration.

Exceptions: Drivers insf Cannot Recognize

Third-party drivers and certain drivers used for instrumentation or black-box applications are not recognized by insf to create device files automatically during the reboot process.

If you are adding a peripheral device requiring a driver that cannot be configured automatically, you must configure the device driver and create the device files using the ioscan and mksf or mknod commands.

For guidance in these cases, consult "Appendix C: Major and Minor Numbers," at the end of this book. "Chapter 7: Configuring Printers and Plotters" also has information on configuring instruments that require manual manipulation.

Peripheral Configuration in its Simplest Terms

Technical documentation

» Table of Contents

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Using SAM to Configure Peripherals

Using HP-UX Commands to Configure Peripherals

Exceptions: Drivers insf Cannot Recognize