Hi,

When I start kde I get a pop-up window:

Informational - artsmessage
Sound server informational message:
Error while initializing the sound driver
device /dev/dsp can't be opened (Permission denied)
The sound server will contine, using the null output device.


/dev/dsp is a symbolic link to /dev/sound/dsp and the permissions on this are:
crw------- 1 root root 14, 3 Jan 1 1970 /dev/sound/dsp

So, as root, I type 'chmod a+rw /dev/sound/dsp'.

This is fine until I reboot when the permissions are reset and the artsmessage reappears.

I guess that the driver file is recreated on each boot. So how can I get the kernel to give it the proper permissions?

I'm running Slackware 9 on a xeon dell, with my own recompiled 2.4.21-based kernel.

/sbin/lspci gives:

00:1f.5 Multimedia audio controller: Intel Corp. 82801DB AC'97 Audio (rev 01)


Thanks in advance,

John

While searching for the answer to this precise problem - I've found lots of people posting the same problem, but less succinctly than the above post.

I have the same problem. If I "startx" as root - I have sound, and all is happy. If I "startx" as any other user - I get the "permission denied" issue as listed in the post above. I am using "Slackware 9.1", and at least in my case, "/dev/dsp" is actually a softlink to "/dev/dsp0".

lrwxrwxrwx root root /dev/dsp -> dsp0
-rw-rw--w- root sys /dev/dsp0

In another thread someone suggested changing the group of the /dev/dsp0 device to "sound" and making sure local users are also part of the "sound" group. Sounds good, but how can this be set permenantly (so as not to get reset on boot). In other-words, what's the "right" way to change permissions / ownership on a device.

Thanks

O.K. I admit it - my last paragraph was written before I had checked all of the options (to the point that I am tempted to edit, and erase my own stupidity).

Anyway - it appears (through my observation of my Slackware 9.1 laptop) that the group ownership does not get reset on boot - only the actual permission mode flags. That means for SLACKWARE 9.1 - I was able to make the following changes...

chgrp users /dev/dsp0 # keep in mind that on 9.1 this is where my /dev/dsp softlink points
chgrp -R users /dev/snd/ # this entire directory may not need to be changed

For the original poster (whom probably gave up trying to find an answer here), I would suggest doing the same "chgrp -R users /dev/sound", as it appears that on your version all sound related info is at the same place.

Some folks may take issue with giving all users permission to any device - however - I'm on a laptop - so I want to make sure that all locally logged on users can use all available sound related devices. [edit to add the following:] If anybody knows any reason as to why the permissions for sound related devices should be tighter, I would be very interested to know what they are.

Hi,

I was able to solve this problem, but can't remember exactly how. It may have been by recompiling (which I was doing anyway) to include support for devfs and omit support for all the cards I didn't have.

ls -l /dev/sound/dsp
crw-rw-rw- 1 root root 14, 3 Jan 1970 /dev/sound/dsp

I don't know what that initial 'c' means. Maybe it has a bearing?

John

It means "character device". Under linux, devices are categorized into "random access devices", or "block devices" (= "b" at the begining of a "ls -l" line) and "serial devices" or "character devices" (= "c" at the begining of a "ls -l" line).
Examples of character devices are mouses, sound cards,...
Examples of block devices are hard disks, floppy and disks in general
(take a look at "/usr/src/linux/Documentation/devices")
Regards

edit: syntax error