FreeBSD Handbook
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# 4.11 Devices and Device Nodes

A device is a term used mostly for hardware-related activities in a system, including disks, printers, graphics cards, and keyboards. When FreeBSD boots, the majority of the boot messages refer to devices being detected. A copy of the boot messages are saved to `/var/run/dmesg.boot`.

Each device has a device name and number. For example, `acd0` is the first IDE CD-ROM drive, while `kbd0` represents the keyboard.

Most devices in a FreeBSD must be accessed through special files called device nodes, which are located in `/dev`.

## 4.11.1 Creating Device Nodes

When adding a new device to your system, or compiling in support for additional devices, new device nodes must be created.

### 4.11.1.1 `DEVFS` (DEVice File System)

The device file system, `DEVFS`, provides access to the kernel's device namespace in the global file system namespace. Instead of having to manually create and modify device nodes, `DEVFS` automatically maintains this particular file system. Refer to devfs(5) for more information.

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