These are my step notes for replacing systemd-udev with vdev in a Devuan
desktop installation.
1) Devuan CD installation: with DE, Xfce, printer server, ssh server
and standard utilities. This typically red-screens me once during the
package installation, but works fine when repeating the step.
2) install git, build-essential and emacs24-nox (optional :-))
3) git clone
https://git.devuan.org/unsystemd/vdev
4) Follow instructions of INSTALL.md, but:
+ before making 'example', edit example/vdevd.conf to use
"corrected" paths (all else the same):
acls=/etc/vdev/acls
actions=/etc/vdev/actions
ifnames=/etc/vdev/ifnames.conf
pidfile=/run/vdev/vdevd.pid
hwdb=/lib/vdev/hwdb/hwdb.squashfs
logfile=/run/vdev/vdev.log
+ after making 'example', verify and correct /etc/vdev/vdevd.conf
5) # mkdir /etc/vdev/acls
# cp example/acls/00-whitelist-root.acl /etc/vdev/acls/
# make -C hwdb PREFIX=
# make -C hwdb install PREFIX=
7) # make -C example initramfs
# cp example/initrd<TAB> /initrd.img
** NOTE: the above overwrites initramfs. You might want to instead
** copy to /boot under new name, and merely change /initrd.img
8) # cd /etc/rcS.d
# rm S03udev S10udev-finish
# ln -s ../init.d/vdev K02vdev
# update-rc.d vdev enable S
** Gains a warning: "insserv: script udev: service udev already
** provided!" which I ignore.
9) # reboot