re-create or correct /dev/null

[txolson]

Hello,
Somehow my /dev/null got changed -- Now it doesn't show as a device, it's actually a file. How can I change it back.

INCORRECT:
-rw-rw---- 1 wnocsa mail 84 Jul 12 01:05 /dev/null

CORRECT:
crw-rw-rw- 1 root system 2, 2 Jul 12 00:04 /dev/null

 

[KenCunningham]

Hi, take a look at thread52-200369. I think I'd be worried that your spurious /dev/null seems to have been something to do with mail. Perhaps someone else could advise you further on how this might have occurred. Cheers.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

Do the following on the same line with semi-colons between commands:

rmdev /dev/null; mknod /dev/null c 2 2; chmod 666 /dev/null

The reason for the same line is because if you remove /dev/null and then press enter and do the mknod and there is something that sends anything to /dev/null before you get it recreated you will have to remove it again.

 

[AIXSPadmin]

Also, there have been some maintenance releases of AIX that IBM has acknowledged causes this to happen. They have an APAR that will correct the problem, but you will have to contact them to get the APAR and then download it.