Mac OS X for Unix Geeks

The /dev Directory

The /dev directory contains files that represent devices attached to the system, including physical devices, such as serial ports, and pseudodevices, such as a random number generator. Table A-6 lists the contents of the /dev directory.

Table A-6. The /dev directory

File or directory	Description
bpf[0-3]	Berkeley Packet Filter devices. See bpf(4).
console	The system console. This is owned by whoever is currently logged in. If you write to it, the output will end up in /var/tmp/console.log, which you can view with the Console application (/Applications/Utilities).
cu.modem	Modem device for compatibility with the Unix cu (call up) utility.
disk[0-n]	Disk.
disk[0-n]s[0-n]	Disk partition. For example, /dev/disk0s1 is the first partition of /dev/disk0.
fd/	Devices that correspond to file descriptors. See the fd manpage for more details.
klog	Device used by syslogd to read kernel messages.
kmem	Image of kernel memory.
mem	Image of the system memory.
null	Bit bucket. You can redirect anything here, and it will disappear.
ptyp[0-f]	Master ends of the first sixteen pseudo-ttys.
pty[q-w][0-f]	Master ends of the remaining pseudo-ttys.
random	Source of pseudorandom data. See random(4).
rdisk[0-n]	Raw disk device.
rdisk[0-n]s[0-n]	Raw disk partition.
stderr	Symbolic link to /dev/fd/2.
stdin	Symbolic link to /dev/fd/0.
stdout	Symbolic link to /dev/fd/1.
tty	Standard output stream of the current ...