get block_device from name

[Tim Barbour <trb@phasechangeit.com>]

Please CC: me on any replies, as I am not subscribed to the list.

I want to do some bio IO on a block device (*no* filesystem involved).

First I need to get hold of the struct block_device. What is the current
recommended way to get from the name of a device (e.g. "/dev/sda1") to the
corresponding struct block_device ? What is the current canonical representation
of a device - dev_t ? Did kdev_t go away ?

Given the struct block_device, can I immediately use it in a bio, or do I need
to prepare the device first ?

I think I understand how to submit a bio, once I have the block_device ready.

I have read that the handling of block_devices is not as straightforward as it
could be... ( http://lwn.net/Articles/247072/ )

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Again, please CC: me on any replies.

Tim
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