Re: [TCLUG:2034] mknod questions

[UserCx@aol.com]

In a message dated 98-10-31 13:18:15 EST, you write:

<<  can make a "fifo" by running "mknod filename p" but how do imput code
 into it? I can't do jed filename, nor even cat. The man documentation only
 tells me that I made a FIFO. 
 
 Thanks,
 
 Ben
 
 
 P.S. What is a FIFO?
  >>

FIFO stands for "First In First Out". It is a pipe that you can use to send
data between to programs.

To use the fifo you have to have a program that will write data on one end and
another program to read data from the other. If you have one and not the other
then it will not do anything. Whatever the writing program writes first will
be available by the read program first hence "first in" first out..
 
You can see it being used this way:

Run a command like echo and redirect otput to the pipe.
echo "writing to pipe" > "pipefile"

On another window do a 
cat "pipefile"

You will see that the echo command will wait and not return control to window
until the reader which is the "cat" command reads the data.

Hope this explains things.
--
sandipan