# [SOLVED] Where is my /dev/parport0

## naresh

hi there! i have problem with my parport... dmesg shows this:

```
parport_pc: VIA 686A/8231 detected

parport_pc: probing current configuration

parport_pc: Current parallel port base: 0x378

parport0: PC-style at 0x378 (0x778), irq 7 [PCSPP,TRISTATE]

parport_pc: VIA parallel port: io=0x378, irq=7
```

but there is no /dev/parport0  :Neutral:  any ideas?Last edited by naresh on Tue Aug 08, 2006 8:09 am; edited 1 time in total

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## papal_authority

They're called /dev/lp0 to /dev/lpMAX IIRC.

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## naresh

well /dev/lp0 is paralel port but for printers and /dev/parport0 is just a paralel port. i need that for programing purposes (kernel parport api)

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## papal_authority

Maybe it's changed since 2.4 then. It used to be that parport was the kernel module and the names in /dev were seperate. According to this, it still appears to be the case in 2.6.17 though  :Confused: 

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## naresh

in my opinion it hasn't changed... only when i do modprobe lp then lp0 appears... but if i do only modprobe parport, modprobe parport_pc there is nothing in /dev/ that points to parallel port

// EDIT

in linux headers there is still parport interface (/usr/include/linux/parport.h) and dmesg shows parport0... so i dont get it... why it doesnt appear in /dev/

// EDIT 2

Also i checked udev rules and in /etc/udev/rules.d/50-udev.rules at line 208 i found:

```
# lp devices

KERNEL=="lp*",          NAME="%k", GROUP="lp"

KERNEL=="irlpt",        NAME="%k", GROUP="lp"

KERNEL=="usblp",        NAME="%k", GROUP="lp"

KERNEL=="lp*",          NAME="%k", GROUP="lp"

KERNEL=="parport*",     NAME="%k", GROUP="lp"
```

so it seems like parport device should be created but it wasn't  :Neutral:  any ideas?

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## Dominique_71

Same problem here. All was working fine. I uppgraded xorg to modular xorg. Was still working. As it was a very strange display with mc, I done 

```
emerge --update --deep --newuse mc
```

, and it doesn't work anymore.

I must do a modprobe lp to get the device.

EDIT:

I think at to add lp in /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6 will fix this problem. lp will be loaded at boot time. I don't try that yet (no time to rebbot just now) but it must work.

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## unraveled

Bump, I have the same problem. I can get /dev/lp0, but not /dev/parport0. Normally this wouldn't a big deal, but VMware only works with /dev/parport0 and I need to frequently print from there. I thought that the problem may have come from switching to kernel 2.6.17, but booting from kernel 2.6.16 didn't fix the problem.

Suggestions???

Thanks,

Brent

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## naresh

ok folks... here is solution:

You must configure your kernel:

```
Device Drivers ---> Character devices ---> <M> Support for user-space parallel port device drivers
```

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## Dominique_71

 *naresh wrote:*   

> ok folks... here is solution:
> 
> You must configure your kernel:
> 
> ```
> ...

 

I already have this in my kernel configuration. As it appear in my box after an emerge --world, I thing at it is something that have changed in sys-apps/baselayout, sys-apps/hotplug-base or sys-fs/udev.

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## javeree_work

you also need to explicitly modprobe ppdev

The kernel doesn't autoload it.

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## Dominique_71

 *javeree_work wrote:*   

> you also need to explicitly modprobe ppdev
> 
> The kernel doesn't autoload it.

 

It was doing it before, but now I must have lp in /etc/modules.autoload.d/kernel-2.6 or run "modprobe lp" in order to be able to print. 

But before it was just to print and it worked. As it worked, I don't check before if lp was loaded at boot time, or with the first print command.

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## Mgiese

lsmod : 

```
parport_pc             26820  0

parport                21832  3 ppdev,lp,parport_pc

parport_pc             26820  0

parport                21832  3 ppdev,lp,parport_pc

```

 and still nothing in /dev   :Sad:  

```
pcuno init.d # ls /dev/lp*

ls: Zugriff auf /dev/lp* nicht möglich: Datei oder Verzeichnis nicht gefunden

pcuno init.d # ls /dev/parport*

ls: Zugriff auf /dev/parport* nicht möglich: Datei oder Verzeichnis nicht gefunden

```

 any suggestions ?

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