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This article is part of the HOWTO series.

Installation • Kernel & Hardware • Networks • Portage • Software • System • X Server • Gaming • Non-x86 • Emulators • Misc

[edit] Prerequisites

• Linux >= 2.6.0, with sysfs support compiled in and no devfs automount.
• baselayout >= 1.8.12

[edit] Instructions

1. emerge udev
2. edit /etc/conf.d/rc
3. edit /etc/udev/*
4. update your kernel boot options to include "nodevfs udev devfs=nomount"
5. reboot
6. enjoy

(I'm going to write a somewhat longer article about this soon)

Hint 1:You can do a emerge -C devfsd, after udev works.

Seems that 'emerge -C devfsd' won't remove /dev/.devfsd. This .devfsd file causes trouble while booting up, if you disable '/dev file system support' in the kernel.

Hint 2:(Deprecated in new genkernel versions because it's enabled by default) If you are using genkernel, you will need to use version 3.0.2f or later, and specify --udev on the command-line. Otherwise, the initrd will always mount the devfs.

Hint 3:If your graphics screen does not run and you get stuck in command-line mode, try editing /etc/X11/xorg.conf and change the mouse device to "/dev/input/mice". If you cannot find it in your xorg.conf, create a link from /dev/input/mice to /dev/mouse: ln -s /dev/input/mice /dev/mouse (note: what is meant here? The command and instructions appear to conflict)

Hint 4:In /etc/conf.d/rc, You might need to enable the rc-scripts dep-cache directory.

[edit] Weblinks

• A good HowTo for Gentoo: UDEV Primer
• UDEV Overview