RHEL: udev rules basics -

RHEL: udev rules basics

# Tested on RHEL 6 & 7

# 'udev' is a mechanism for maintaining device nodes on a server. It handles the management
# of the devices nodes through the 'udevd' daemon as well as rules defined on the system.
# This way we can manage the creation of device nodes and their properties and names.

# Once a device is recognized by the kernel it triggers a series of events. First it
# populates /sys structures, then the kernel sends a uevent received by 'udev' and,
# finally, 'udev' creates a device node for the new device or parses the 'udev' rules files,
# under /etc/udev/rules.d/, in alphanumeric order, to decide what action should be taken.

# To query the 'udev' database for device information or the properties of a device from its
# sysfs representation we can use 'udevadm info':

# Export the content of the udev database:

udevadm info --export-db

# Print all sysfs properties of the specified device that can be used in 'udev' rules to match
# the specified device. It prints all devices along the chain, up to the root of sysfs that
# can be used in 'udev' rules.

udevadm info --attribute-walk --name=/dev/<sdc>

# For a scsi device, we may use its unique SCSI identifier

# 'udevd' watch for any changes in rules files and will automatically apply any changes to
# those files. If that's not the case, one can ask 'udevd' to reload the rules files
# (reloading rules does not apply any changes to already existing devices) by:

udevadm control --reload-rules

# Request to trigger the execution of all 'udev' rules:

udevadm trigger

# Writing a simple custom rule
# ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

# A 'udev' rule has two parts: one part that tests certain conditions and one part that
# assigns variables (name, permissions, symbolic links, etc) when all conditions are
# fulfilled

# 'udev' rule operators
# ---------------------
#
#   ==   Compare for equality
#   !=   Compare for inequality
#    =   Assign a value to a key
#   += Add the value to a key that holds a list of entries
#   :=   Assign a value to a key and lock the key to prevent any further modification

# Some examples of udev rules:

vi /etc/udev/rules.d/<99-my-custom.rules>

# 1.- Create a symbolic link under /dev/mydisks/ for each matching sd device

   SUBSYSTEM=="block", KERNEL=="sd*", SYMLINK:="mydisks/%k"

# If the new device is a block device, then we test if the internal kernel name starts
# with 'sd'. If both match, we add 'mydisks/%k' to the list of symbolic links to be created
# for this device

# 2.- Create a symbolic link and run a command for each sd matching device

   KERNEL=="sd[b-d]", SUBSYSTEM=="block", SUBSYSTEMS=="scsi", DRIVERS=="sd", SYMLINK+="shared/%k", RUN+="/usr/bin/wall MESSAGE: shared/%k --> $tempnode"

ll /dev/sd*
   brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 0 Jul 2 17:18 /dev/sda
   brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 1 Jul 2 17:18 /dev/sda1
   brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 2 Jul 2 17:18 /dev/sda2
   brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 16 Jul 2 17:18 /dev/sdb
   brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 32 Jul 2 17:18 /dev/sdc
   brw-rw---- 1 root disk 8, 48 Jul 2 17:18 /dev/sdd

udevadm trigger

   Broadcast message from root@mynode (Wed Jul 2 17:18:44 2014):

   MESSAGE: /dev/sdd

   Broadcast message from root@mynode (Wed Jul 2 17:18:45 2014):

   MESSAGE: /dev/sdb

   Broadcast message from root@mynode (Wed Jul 2 17:18:46 2014):

   MESSAGE: /dev/sdc

ll /dev/shared/
   total 0
   lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 6 Jul 2 17:18 sdb -> ../sdb
   lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 6 Jul 2 17:18 sdc -> ../sdc
   lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 6 Jul 2 17:18 sdd -> ../sdd

# 3.- Name a network interface bearing a given mac-address (/etc/udev/rules.d/70-persistent-net.rules)

SUBSYSTEM=="net", ACTION=="add", DRIVERS=="?*", ATTR{address}=="08:00:27:48:a7:ef", ATTR{type}=="1", KERNEL=="eth*", NAME="my_eth0"

# 4.- Create a symbolic link and run a command for a device matching a given SCSI identifier

SUBSYSTEM=="block", KERNEL=="sd?", PROGRAM=="/usr/lib/udev/scsi_id -g -u -d /dev/%k", RESULT=="1ATA_VBOX_HARDDISK_VB0d221c89-8b845902", SYMLINK:="shared/disk01"

ll /dev/shared
total 0
lrwxrwxrwx 1 root root 6 Feb 8 16:18 disk01 -> ../sdb

# 5.- Creating Oracle ASM devices under /dev/oracle/ using disks' SCSI identifiers

ACTION=="add", BUS=="scsi", ENV{ID_SERIAL}=="360c22lm4rr4nzf88df13aa9a0c8", NAME="oracle/DGTEST_01", OWNER="oracle", GROUP="dba", MODE="0660"