... uucp in /dev/ttyS... directory listings

[skyhawk]

During the course of trying to install a USR/3Com modem, Model No. 3CP2977, ... (no success yet) ... I discovered that my ttyS0, ttyS1, ttyS3, and ttyS4 files in /dev have: "... my_user_name uucp ..." contained in their listings when ls -l is invoked using Konsole, where "my_user_name" is my real user name on the system. Each of those serial devices are followed by: ttys0, ttys1, ttys2, and ttys3, respectively. Note the difference: "S" upper-case, and "s" lower-case. The serial devices named using all lower-case characters seem to have root priviledge access only. The file listings I have mentioned are followed by ttys4 through ttys9, all filenames having all lower-case characters.

 

I have searched for a definition for the "uucp" nomenclature, and all Linux-relevant search results yield references to remote access for mail transmission. Being a PFC in the Linux camp, all this does not make any sense to me. I am wondering what those "... my_user_name uucp ..." lines really mean. My guess is that "... cp" represents "... communications port." I have discovered that I can make symbolic links to those ttyS0, ttyS1, etc. files, but I cannot make a symbolic /dev/modem link to ttys4, just as an example. Comments, please! I mention this because one HOWTO I found recommends not making a symbolic /dev/modem link to ttyS0 through ttyS3; the author likes to link PCI modems to ttyS4.

 

I also want to mention that I found a Linux driver for the 3CP2977 modem, but it was written back in the Redhat 6.0 era (1999), so I doubt its usefulness, other than providing some elementary training in unpacking rpm's. I will probably need to reinstall my Conexant RD01-D270 Winmodem and use the up-to-date Linuxant driver, written specifically for my Linux kernel. I am running Mandriva Free 2007 (distribution 2007.0, kernel 2.6.17-5mdv) on a Compaq Deskpro EN P3 933MHz.