# Populating /dev

## Creating Initial Device Nodes

The commands in the remainder of the book should be run as the `root` user. Check that ${CLFS} is set in the `root` user’s environment before proceeding.

When the kernel boots the system, it requires the presence of a few device nodes, in particular the `console` and `null` devices. The device nodes will be created on the hard disk so that they are available before `udev` has been started, and additionally when Linux is started in single user mode (hence the restrictive permissions on `console`). Create these by running the following commands:

    mknod -m 600 ${CLFS}/dev/console c 5 1
    mknod -m 666 ${CLFS}/dev/null c 1 3

Before udev starts a tmpfs filesystem is mounted over `/dev` and the previous entries are no-longer available. The folling command creates files that are copied over by the udev bootscript:

    mknod -m 600 ${CLFS}/lib/udev/devices/console c 5 1
    mknod -m 666 ${CLFS}/lib/udev/devices/null c 1 3