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DEVD(8) 		     System Manager's Manual			 DEVD(8)

NAME
     devd -- device state change daemon

SYNOPSIS
     devd [-Ddn] [-f file]

DESCRIPTION
     The  devd	daemon provides a way to have userland programs run when certain
     kernel events happen.

     The following options are accepted.

     -D       Enable debugging messages.

     -d       Run in the foreground instead of becoming a daemon.

     -f file  Use configuration file file instead of the default /etc/devd.conf.
	      If option -f is specified more than once, the last file  specified
	      is used.

     -n       Do  not  process all pending events before becoming a daemon.  In-
	      stead, call daemon right away.

IMPLEMENTATION NOTES
     The devd utility is a system daemon that runs in  the  background	all  the
     time.   Whenever a device is added to or removed from the device tree, devd
     will execute actions specified in devd.conf(5).  For  example,  devd  might
     execute  dhclient(8)  when  an Ethernet adapter is added to the system, and
     kill the dhclient(8) instance when the same adapter  is  removed.	 Another
     example  would be for devd to use a table to locate and load via kldload(8)
     the proper driver for an unrecognized device that is added to the system.

     The devd utility hooks into the devctl(4) device driver.  This device  dri-
     ver  has  hooks into the device configuration system.  When nodes are added
     or deleted from the tree, this device will deliver  information  about  the
     event to devd.  Once devd has parsed the message, it will search its action
     list  for that kind of event and perform the action with the highest match-
     ing value.  For most mundane uses, the default handlers are adequate.  How-
     ever, for more advanced users, the power is present to tweak  every  aspect
     of what happens.

     The  devd	utility reads /etc/devd.conf or the alternate configuration file
     specified with a -f option and uses that file to  drive  the  rest  of  the
     process.	While the format of this file is described in devd.conf(5), some
     basics are covered here.  In the options section, one can	define	multiple
     directories  to  search  for  config files.  All files in these directories
     whose names match the pattern *.conf are parsed.  These files are	intended
     to be installed by third party vendors that wish to hook into the devd sys-
     tem without modifying the user's other config files.

     All  messages that devd receives are forwarded to the Unix domain socket at
     /var/run/devd.pipe.

FILES
     /etc/devd.conf	 The default devd configuration file.
     /var/run/devd.pipe  The  socket  used  by	devd  to  communicate  with  its
			 clients.

SEE ALSO
     devctl(4), devd.conf(5)

AUTHORS
     M. Warner Losh

FreeBSD 7.0			November 24, 2005			 DEVD(8)

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