/dev/rdsk/c18t6d6 /dev/dsk contains the logical device names used for mounting and unmounting file systems /dev/rdsk

contains the raw device name that is used for creating file systems In Solaris whenever you create a new slice using format command a raw physical s lice or a Raw Device will be created which is addressed as /dev/rdsk/c#d#s# wher e # is the number for slice. After formatting it with newfs command the slice will be addressed as /dev/dsk/c #d#s# which can now be used for mounting. eg. newfs /dev/rdsk/c0d0s4 mkdir /oracle mount /dev/dsk/c0d0s4 /oracle After mounting /dev/dsk/c#d#s# is called as Block Device /dev actually contains logical device names which are links (Shortcuts in window s terminology) to actual physical devices in /devices directory. Basically raw devices till of before creation of filesystems Block devices are user after creation of file systems. NB: this is just a thumb rule --Logical device:-->used by user. all logiacl device name are kept in /dev dir.log ical name contain the controller number,target number,disk number and slice numb er. /dev/dsk -->block disk device /dev/rdsk-->character disk device ===== Every disk device has an entry in both the /dev/dsk and /dev/rdsk directories for the block and character disk devices, respectively. ======= When you want to create a ufs on a slice you make #newfs /dev/rdsk/c#t#d#s# when you want to mount a slice you can use # mount /dev/dsk/c#t#d#s# ======== /dev/dsk having logical instance. and /dev/rdsk having raw-disk ======= raw disk device /dev/rdsk is using for system management/administration block disk device /dev/dsk is using for I/O operations === /dev/dsk-block device /dev/rdsk -raw device

In /dev/rdsk if the data which is written did not used full 512bytes of a sector then for the next time we cannot use the left space. where as /dev/dsk maintains a buffer memory from where the data is copied to dis k so there is no loss of space.