Puzzled by linux 2.6 and /dev

[Alan Chandler <alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk>]

A few weeks ago I managed to install the kernel-images for linux 2.6, and at 
the same time removed devfsd (reading that it had been depreciated with 2.6)

Even so, something (hotplug?) was overwriting the entries in /dev with valid 
links.  For instance I had manually made device nodes for hda, hda1 ... hda9 
and then discovered that hda and the hda(n) entries that matched the 
partitions actaly on the disk were being changed to symlinks.

However, I have just reinstalled everything from scratch again - this time 
avoiding even installing devfsd - but installing a kernel-image-2.6.0 -1 -k7 
nevertheless.  hotplug is also installed and /sys is also mounted.

But now I am not getting any devices being built automatically in /dev.

I saw some talk about a "udev" package being put together in the development 
mailing list, but I don't see a package in either unstable or experimental.

SO - what was creating these links on my first run through with 2.6, and  what 
have I failed to install this time to get the same effect
-- 
Alan Chandler
alan@chandlerfamily.org.uk