Device methods indicate errors to the Configuration Manager and run-time configuration commands by exiting with a nonzero exit code. The Configuration Manager and configuration commands can understand only the exit codes defined in the cf.h file.
More than one error code can describe a given error. This is because many exit codes correspond to highly specific errors, while others are more general. Whenever possible, use the most specific error code possible.
For example, if your Configure method obtains an attribute from the Customized Attributes (CuAt) object class for filling in the device-dependent structure (DDS), but the value is invalid (possibly due to a corrupted database), you might exit with an E_BADATTR error. Otherwise, you might choose the E_DDS exit code, due to another error condition that occurred while building the DDS.
ODM Device Configuration Object Classes.
The Customized Attributes (CuAt) object class.
The Device Dependent Structure (DDS) Overview in AIX Kernel Extensions and Device Support Programming Concepts.