errno 15 (ENOTBLK): meaning and diagnosis

Status / error code:		Category:

Constant name:
Source:		Operating System:
Description: Solaris expected a block-special device, usually in a mount or device-management path.

Could be also:
Constant	Type	OS
ERROR_INVALID_DRIVE	Win32 error	Windows
KERN_INVALID_NAME	Kern return	Mac
ippStsLSFLowAndHigh	Intel Ipp Status	Any
ENOTBLK	errno	Linux
ENOTBLK	errno	Mac
SPIN_LOCK_ALREADY_OWNED	BugCheck Code	Windows

ENOTBLK

Block-special device requirement

On Solaris, ENOTBLK is errno value 15. The base message is Block device required, but the useful diagnostic context is narrower than the short message: solaris expected a block-special device, usually in a mount or device-management path.

Use the Solaris-specific errno table first, then compare with POSIX only for portable behavior. Some Solaris values share names with other UNIX systems but have different numbers or more specific historical meanings.

What to check

Verify that the pathname names a block device rather than a regular file, character device, directory, or symlink to the wrong object.
For mount-style failures, compare the device node, filesystem type, and privileges used by the caller.
Do not treat this as a media I/O failure; it is usually an object-type mismatch.

References

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