D.1. Linux Devices
| Appendix D. Random Bits |

## D.1. Linux Devices

In Linux various special files can be found under the directory `/dev`. These files are called device files and behave unlike ordinary files. The most common types of device files are for block devices and character devices. These files are an interface to the actual driver (part of the Linux kernel) which in turn accesses the hardware. Another, less common, type of device file is the named pipe. The most important device files are listed in the tables below.

`fd0` | First Floppy Drive
`fd1` | Second Floppy Drive

`sda` | First hard disk
`sdb` | Second hard disk
`sda1` | First partition of the first hard disk
`sdb7` | Seventh partition of the second hard disk

`sr0` | First CD-ROM
`sr1` | Second CD-ROM

`ttyS0` | Serial port 0, COM1 under MS-DOS
`ttyS1` | Serial port 1, COM2 under MS-DOS
`psaux` | PS/2 mouse device
`gpmdata` | Pseudo device, repeater data from GPM (mouse) daemon

`cdrom` | Symbolic link to the CD-ROM drive
`mouse` | Symbolic link to the mouse device file

`null` | Anything written to this device will disappear
`zero` | One can endlessly read zeros out of this device

Appendix D. Random Bits |  | D.2. Disk Space Needed for Tasks