smdev ebuilds and guide for switching from udev

defer- · Last edited by defer- on Wed Oct 08, 2014 1:16 am; edited 2 times in total

usmdev[0] is device manager for linux. I maintain ebuilds[1] for smdev in my overlay[2]. The ebuilds contains initscript for gentoo and supports savedconfig. It's easy to switch from udev.

I have working sound, wlan, touchpad, trackpoint, keyboard and opengl with default smdev config and the initscript i wrote for the ebuild..

[0] http://git.suckless.org/smdev/
[1] https://github.com/causes-/causelay/tree/master/sys-fs/smdev
[2] https://github.com/causes-/causelay

Migrate from udev

Disable udev dependent features
evdev depends to udev so you should use mouse and keyboard/kbd drivers instead.

Disable udev USE flag and evdev x.org driver.
/etc/portage/make.conf

krinn · Watchman Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 7470

Is there a real reason to block users from using xorg with udev flag and prevent evdev presence?

khayyam · Posted: Mon Aug 11, 2014 7:49 pm Post subject:

defer- ... good work. I'm currently using mdev (in conjunction with mdev-like-a-boss) so probably no reason to switch. Some feedback and a question, you should probably add virtual/dev-manager to the overlay and add sys-fs/smdev as a provider. Does smdev support /etc/mactab?

krinn · Watchman Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 7470

My point is :
If there are incompatibilities to have them both, then i understand the block.
But if the block is just there, because you cannot use evdev with smdev that's limiting people for no reason.

Remove the block, add a message to explicitly tell people to not use evdev with smdev.
But this will allow anyone to have both install and start/stop the one it wish with or without evdev depending on the one in use.

It only said evdev depend on udev, it's different than "evdev will prevent smdev working".
You can have evdev and keyboard/mouse and use the one you need.

khayyam · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 3:21 am Post subject:

krinn · Watchman Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 7470

That's not what i see here :
I have /etc/init.d/udev stop and restart xdm and it just works, evdev is happy running (of course udev is stopped but it has create the devices already and the devtmpfs is mount with them).
The only problem : if i unplug the mouse and replug the mouse... nothing

So without udev, evdev manage to still works when xorg is starting if the devs entries are there.

To me, evdev runtime dependency on udev is for unplug/plug devices while running xorg, but it doesn't need it at all to just start it.
And everyone knows already xorg will works without evdev but keyboard/mouse, something anyone can select with a proper xorg.conf

So i don't see any problem with someone using xorg[udev] flag and switching its xorg.conf with evdev and keyboard/mouse depending if it run udev or smdev.
I'm not really in mood to actually test, but if smdev create the needed devices for evdev to detect the devices attach to it, i'm "sure" evdev will also happy works and people might just use smdev with evdev (while of course lacking the plug/unplug devices in xorg).

I'm not really feeling that good, because generally if you say something and other something else ; is a good hint you are wrong

But in this case, i think you both assume something that doesn't exist...

khayyam · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:40 am Post subject:

krinn ...

at the time of my switching to mdev I did test if the udev useflag could be enabled, it failed. I forget the exact circumstances, and the error, and perhaps it was due to something else but in my case xorg failed to start. Anyhow, if you say it works then fine, but I'm not really seeing the need for switching between the two if {,s}mdev can function with 10-keyboard.conf, and in my case I didn't want/need udev installed. Is there a "real reason"? Well, I don't really see the use case where there would be a need to switch back and forth.

best ... khay

defer- · Posted: Tue Aug 12, 2014 11:54 am Post subject:

I removed unnecessary dependencies and added sys-fs/smdev to virtual/dev-manager.

krinn · Watchman Joined: 02 May 2003 Posts: 7470

steveL · Posted: Thu Aug 14, 2014 1:46 pm Post subject:

defer: I'd write that like this:

defer- · Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:21 am Post subject:

I have been using smdev for two weeks without problems. I sent ebuild to Gentoo bugzilla.

https://bugs.gentoo.org/show_bug.cgi?id=520920
_________________
https://github.com/defer-

SlashBeast · Retired Dev Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2922

Hi,

So the smdev is just an mdev with config placed into binary during compile time, not readed during runtime from /etc?

defer- · Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 5:33 pm Post subject:

SlashBeast · Retired Dev Joined: 23 May 2006 Posts: 2922

So I just checked the code and yes, its on pair with mdev in terms on functionality excluding the REGEX support for variables like DEVTYPE etc, which is like old-old mdev.c, but the config is bundled, meaning all config changes need recompilation.

I do like in general the fact that there's yet another dev manager like mdev or hotplug2. The code of smdev is small and clean, but I miss some comments that mdev do have, really help hacking it around, maybe if they add some features like the outstanding $ENV matching that mdev have I would switch to it.

NeddySeagoon · Posted: Fri Aug 29, 2014 8:45 pm Post subject:

khayyam,

You can build Xorg with udev support then tell it not to use evdev in xorg.conf.
Going that path, you are compelled to use the old input drivers or Xorg will crash when it finds no input devices.