开始写Linux设备驱动程序的时候，很多时候都是利用mknod命令手动创建设备节点(包括ldd3中不少例子也是这样)，实际上现在Linux内核为我们提供了一组函数，可以用来在模块加载的时候自动在/dev目录下创建相应设备节点，并在卸载模块时删除该节点。
内核中定义了struct class结构体，顾名思义，一个struct
class结构体类型变量对应一个类，内核同时提供了class_create(…)函数，可以用它来创建一个类，这个类存放于sysfs下面，一旦创建
好了这个类，再调用device_create(…)函数来在/dev目录下创建相应的设备节点。这样，加载模块的时候，用户空间中的udev会自动响应
device_create(…)函数，去/sysfs下寻找对应的类从而创建设备节点。
此外，利用device_create_file函数可以在/sys/class/下创建对应的属性文件，从而通过对该文件的读写实现特定的数据操作。
/* This is a #define to keep the compiler from merging different
* instances of the __key variable */
#define class_create(owner, name) \
({ \
static struct lock_class_key __key; \
__class_create(owner, name, &__key); \
}) /**
* class_create - create a struct class structure
* @owner: pointer to the module that is to "own" this struct class
* @name: pointer to a string for the name of this class.
* @key: the lock_class_key for this class; used by mutex lock debugging
*
* This is used to create a struct class pointer that can then be used
* in calls to device_create().
*
* Returns &struct class pointer on success, or ERR_PTR() on error.
*
* Note, the pointer created here is to be destroyed when finished by
* making a call to class_destroy().
*/
struct class *__class_create(struct module *owner, const char *name,
struct lock_class_key *key)
关键的一句是：
* This is used to create a struct class pointer that can then be used
* in calls to device_create().
-->这个函数用来创建一个struct class的结构体指针，这个指针可用作device_create()函数的参数。
也就是说，这个函数主要是在调用device_create()前使用，创建一个struct class类型的变量，并返回其指针。
二、device_create
官方说明：
/**
* device_create - creates a device and registers it with sysfs
* @class: pointer to the struct class that this device should be registered to
* @parent: pointer to the parent struct device of this new device, if any
* @devt: the dev_t for the char device to be added
* @drvdata: the data to be added to the device for callbacks
* @fmt: string for the device's name
*
* This function can be used by char device classes. A struct device
* will be created in sysfs, registered to the specified class.
*
* A "dev" file will be created, showing the dev_t for the device, if
* the dev_t is not 0,0.
* If a pointer to a parent struct device is passed in, the newly created
* struct device will be a child of that device in sysfs.
* The pointer to the struct device will be returned from the call.
* Any further sysfs files that might be required can be created using this
* pointer.
*
* Returns &struct device pointer on success, or ERR_PTR() on error.
*
* Note: the struct class passed to this function must have previously
* been created with a call to class_create().
*/
struct device *device_create(struct class *class, struct device *parent,
dev_t devt, void *drvdata, const char *fmt, ...)
首先解释一下"sysfs"：sysfs是linux2.6所提供的一种虚拟档案系统；在设备模型中，sysfs文件系统用来表示设备的结构，将设备的层 次结构形象的反应到用户空间中，从而可以通过修改sysfs中的文件属性来修改设备的属性值；sysfs被挂载到根目录下的"/sys"文件夹下。
官方说明：
/**
* device_create_file - create sysfs attribute file for device.
* @dev: device.
* @attr: device attribute descriptor.
*/
int device_create_file(struct device *dev,
const struct device_attribute *attr)
使用这个函数时要引用 device_create所返回的device*指针，作用是在/sys/class/下创建一个属性文件，从而通过对这个属性文件进行读写就能完成对应的数据操作。
如：
a.在驱动程序中使用 device_create_file创建属性文件
static DEVICE_ATTR(val, S_IRUGO | S_IWUSR, hello_val_show, hello_val_store); /*读取寄存器val的值到缓冲区buf中，内部使用*/
static ssize_t __hello_get_val(struct xxx_dev* dev, char* buf) {
int val = 0; /*同步访问*/
if(down_interruptible(&(dev->sem))) {
return -ERESTARTSYS;
} val = dev->val;
up(&(dev->sem)); return snprintf(buf, PAGE_SIZE, "%d/n", val);
} /*把缓冲区buf的值写到设备寄存器val中去，内部使用*/
static ssize_t __hello_set_val(struct xxx_dev* dev, const char* buf, size_t count) {
int val = 0; /*将字符串转换成数字*/
val = simple_strtol(buf, NULL, 10); /*同步访问*/
if(down_interruptible(&(dev->sem))) {
return -ERESTARTSYS;
} dev->val = val;
up(&(dev->sem)); return count;
} /*读取设备属性val*/
static ssize_t hello_val_show(struct device* dev, struct device_attribute* attr, char* buf) {
struct xxx_dev* hdev = (struct xxx_dev*)dev_get_drvdata(dev); return __hello_get_val(hdev, buf);
} /*写设备属性val*/
static ssize_t hello_val_store(struct device* dev, struct device_attribute* attr, const char* buf, size_t count) {
struct xxx_dev* hdev = (struct xxx_dev*)dev_get_drvdata(dev); return __hello_set_val(hdev, buf, count);
} /*模块加载方法*/
static int __init xxx_init(void){
... /*在/sys/class/xxx/xxx目录下创建属性文件val*/
err = device_create_file(temp, &dev_attr_val);
if(err < 0) {
printk(KERN_ALERT"Failed to create attribute val.");
goto destroy_device;
} ...
}
b.在用户空间读取属性
...
read(dev->fd, val, sizeof(*val));
...
write(dev->fd, &val, sizeof(val));
...
四、使用示例
/*在/sys/class/目录下创建设备类别目录xxx*/
g_vircdev_class = class_create(THIS_MODULE, VIRCDEV_CLASS_NAME);
if(IS_ERR(g_vircdev_class)) {
err = PTR_ERR(g_vircdev_class);
printk(KERN_ALERT "Failed to create class.\n");
goto CLASS_CREATE_ERR;
} /*在/dev/目录和/sys/class/xxx目录下分别创建设备文件xxx*/
dev = device_create(g_vircdev_class, NULL, devt, NULL, VIRCDEV_DEVICE_NAME);
if(IS_ERR(dev)) {
err = PTR_ERR(dev);
printk(KERN_ALERT "Failed to create device.\n");
goto DEVICE_CREATE_ERR;
} /*在/sys/class/xxx/xxx目录下创建属性文件val*/
err = device_create_file(dev, attr);
if(err < 0) {
printk(KERN_ALERT"Failed to create attribute file.");
goto DEVICE_CREATE_FILE_ERR;
}