illumos: manual page: fdi.5

FDI(5) Standards, Environments, and Macros FDI(5)

NAME

fdi - HAL device information file format

SYNOPSIS

/usr/share/lib/xml/dtd/fdi.dtd.1

DESCRIPTION

The hardware abstraction layer facility, described in hal(7), uses an
XML-based file format to merge arbitrary properties onto device objects.
The way device information files works is that once all physical
properties are merged onto a device object, it is tried against the set
of installed device information files. Device information files are used
for both merging facts and policy settings for devices.

Each device information file has a number of match directives that are
tested against the properties of the device object. The directives have
the form:

<match key="property" [string|int|bool|..]="value">

If all the match directives pass, then the device information can include
the following property directives in the form:

<[merge|append|prepend] key="property" type="[string|int|bool|..]">

These directives are used to merge new properties or append to existing
properties on the device object. Any previously property stemming from
device detection can be overridden by a device information file.

The match, merge, append, and prepend directives require that the key
attribute be either a property name on the device object in question or a
path to a property on another device object. The path to a property is
expressed either through direct specification of the UDI, such as
/org/freedesktop/Hal/devices/computer:foo.bar or through indirect
references such as "@info.parent:baz", meaning that the device object
specified by the UDI in the string property "info.parent" should be used
to query the property "baz". It is also possible to use multiple
indirections. For example, for a volume on a USB memory stick, the
indirection
"@block.storage_device:@storage.physical_device:usb.vendor_id" references
the "usb.vendor_id" property on the device object representing the USB
interface.

When the property to match has been determined, the following attributes
can be used within the "match" tag:

string
Match a string property. For example, <match key=
"foo.bar" string="baz"> matches only if "foo.bar" is
a string property assuming the value "baz".

int
Match an integer property

uint64
Match property with the 64-bit unsigned type

bool
Match a boolean property

double
Match a property of type double

exists
Used as <match key="foo.bar" exists="true">. This
attribute can be used with "true" and "false",
respectively to match when a property exists or does
not exist.

empty
This attribute can only be used on string properties
with "true" and "false". The semantics for "true" is
to match only when the string is non-empty.

is_absolute_path
Matches only when a string property represents an
absolute path (the path does not have to exist). This
attribute can be can be used with "true" or "false".

is_ascii
Matches only when a string property contains ASCII
characters. This attribute can be used with "true" or
"false".

compare_lt
This attribute can be used with int, uint64, double
and string properties to compare with a constant. It
matches when the given property is less than the
given constant using the default ordering.

compare_le
Similar to compare_lt, but matches when the given
property is less than or equal than the given
constant using the default ordering.

compare_gt
Similar to compare_lt, but matches when the given
property is greater than the given constant using the
default ordering.

Similar to compare_lt, but matches when the given
property is greater than or equal than the given
constant using the default ordering.

This attribute can only be used with string and
strlist (string list). For a string key, this matches
when the property contains the given (sub)string. For
a string list, this matches if the given string
matches a item in the list.

contains_ncase
Similar to contains, but the property and the given
key are converted to lowercase before it is checked.

The merge, append, and prepend directives all require the attribute type
which specifies what is to be merged. The following values are supported:

string
The value is copied to the property. For example, <merge
key="foo bar" type="string"> baz</merege> merges the
value "baz" into the property "foo.bar".

strlist
For merge, the value is copied to the property and the
current property is overwritten. For append and prepend,
the value is appended or prepended to the list as a new
item.

bool
This attribute can merge the values "true" or "false"

int
Merges an integer

uint64
Merges an unsigned 64-bit integer

double
Merges a double precision floating point number

copy_property
Copies the value of a given property; supports paths
with direct and indirect UDI's. For example, <merge
key="foo.bar"
type="copy_property">@info.parent:baz.bat</merge> merges
the value of the property "baz.bat" on the device object
with the UDI from the property "info.parent" into the
property "foo.bar" on the device object being processed.

The remove directive requires only a key and can be used with all keys.
For strlist, there is also a special syntax to remove a item from the
string list. For example, to remove item "bla" from property "foo.bar",
use the following syntax:

<remove key="foo.bar" type="strlist">bla</merge>

Device Information files are stored in the following standard hierarchy
with the following default top level directories information, policy and
preprobe:

information
Device information files to merge device information.

10freedesktop
Device information files included with
the hal tarball.

20thirdparty
Device information files from the device
manufacturer and installed from media
accompanying the hardware.

30user
Device information for specific devices.

policy
Device information files to merge policy properties.

10osvendor
Device information files included with the
hal tarball and supplied by the operating
system vendor for policy rules.

20thirdparty
Policy rules from the device manufacturer
and installed from media accompanying the
hardware.

30user
Policy rules for specific devices.

preprobe
Device information files to merge information before probe
devices.

10osvendor
Device information files included with the
hal tarball and supplied by the operating
system vendor.

20thirdparty
Device information files from the device
manufacturer and installed from media
accompanying the hardware.

30user
Device information for specific devices.

All device information files are matched for every hal device object.

ATTRIBUTES

NAME

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

ATTRIBUTES

SEE ALSO