This book provides system programmers with complete detailed information about the configuration subsystem, the communications subsystem, the LFT subsystem, printer subsystems, the SCSI subsystem, Integrated Device Electronics, the SSA subsystem, and the serial DASD subsystem for the AIX® operating system. This book is intended for system programmers wishing to extend the kernel, and to use the book effectively, you should be familiar with operating system concepts and kernel programming. This book is also available on the documentation CD that is shipped with the operating system.
This book is part of the six-volume technical reference set, AIX Version 6.1 Technical Reference, that provides information on system calls, kernel extension calls, and subroutines in the following volumes:
The following highlighting conventions are used in this book:
| Bold | Identifies commands, subroutines, keywords, files, structures, directories, and other items whose names are predefined by the system. Also identifies graphical objects such as buttons, labels, and icons that the user selects. |
| Italics | Identifies parameters whose actual names or values are to be supplied by the user. |
| Monospace | Identifies examples of specific data values, examples of text similar to what you might see displayed, examples of portions of program code similar to what you might write as a programmer, messages from the system, or information you should actually type. |
Everything in the AIX® operating system is case-sensitive, which means that it distinguishes between uppercase and lowercase letters. For example, you can use the ls command to list files. If you type LS, the system responds that the command is "not found." Likewise, FILEA, FiLea, and filea are three distinct file names, even if they reside in the same directory. To avoid causing undesirable actions to be performed, always ensure that you use the correct case.
ISO 9000 registered quality systems were used in the development and manufacturing of this product.
Beginning with Version 5.2, the operating system is designed to support The Open Group's Single UNIX Specification Version 3 (UNIX 03) for portability of UNIX-based operating systems. Many new interfaces, and some current ones, have been added or enhanced to meet this specification, making Version 5.2 even more open and portable for applications, while remaining compatible with previous releases of AIX®.
To determine the proper way to develop a UNIX® 03-portable application, you may need to refer to The Open Group's UNIX® 03 specification, which can be accessed online or downloaded from http://www.unix.org/ .
The following books contain information about or related to application programming interfaces: