# Devfsd

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> Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Devfsd.md
> Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devfsd
> Source revision: 1064573381
> License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/)

{{Refimprove|date=June 2011}}
{{Lowercase title}}
{{Infobox Software
|name                       = devfsd
|logo                       = 
|screenshot                 = 
|caption                    = 
|collapsible                = 
|author                     = 
|developer                  = Richard Gooch
|released                   = 
|frequently_updated         =
|programming language       = 
|operating system           = [Linux kernel](/source/Linux_kernel)
|discontinued               = yes
|platform                   = 
|size                       = 
|language                   = 
|genre                      = [daemon](/source/Daemon_(computing))
|license                    = [GNU General Public License](/source/GNU_General_Public_License) (GPL)
|website                    = {{URL|http://www.safe-mbox.com/~rgooch/linux/}}
}}
'''devfsd''' is a device manager for the [Linux kernel](/source/Linux_kernel). Primarily, it creates [device node](/source/device_node)s in the {{mono|[/dev](/source/Filesystem_Hierarchy_Standard)}} directory when kernel drivers make the underlying hardware accessible.<ref name=gooch>{{cite web |url=http://www.safe-mbox.com/~rgooch/linux/docs/devfs.html |author=Richard Gooch |title=Linux Devfs (Device File System) FAQ. |date=20 August 2002 |accessdate=2011-06-21}}</ref> The nodes exist in a virtual [device file](/source/device_file) system named [devfs](/source/devfs). In systems that support many different types of hardware, each of which has its own device nodes, this is more convenient than creating all possible device nodes beforehand and in a real [filesystem](/source/filesystem).

While devfs was a step forward, it had several disadvantages of its own.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/udev_vs_devfs |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110411233322/http://kernel.org/pub/linux/utils/kernel/hotplug/udev_vs_devfs |title=udev and devfs - The final word |accessdate=2014-05-10 |archivedate=2011-04-11 |format=Plain text |author=[Greg Kroah-Hartman](/source/Greg_Kroah-Hartman)}}</ref> Since version 2.5 of the Linux kernel, devfs has been succeeded by [udev](/source/udev) and devtmpfs.<ref>{{cite web
 | url = https://lwn.net/Articles/331818/
 | title = The return of devfs
 | date = 2009-05-06 | accessdate = 2015-11-22
 | author = Jake Edge | publisher = [LWN.net](/source/LWN.net)
}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Linux|Free and open-source software}}
* [sysfs](/source/sysfs)

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
* {{Official website|http://www.safe-mbox.com/~rgooch/linux/}}

{{Linux}}
{{Linux kernel}}

Category:Computer configuration
Category:Linux file system-related software
Category:Linux kernel-related software
Category:Unix file system-related software

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Devfsd](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devfsd) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Devfsd?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.