On Wed, 08 Dec 1999 13:03:28 +1100 
 Simon Burge <simonb@netbsd.org> wrote:

 > Is there any reason why root_device appears in machdep on the alpha?
 > 
 > 	thoreau:~ 1> sysctl -a | grep root_device
 > 	kern.root_device = sd0
 > 	machdep.root_device = sd0

...because that's where it appeared first.  It was moved to kern some time
later.

You could deprecate it on the alpha, but you can't exactly recycle the
sysctl node number.

        -- Jason R. Thorpe <thorpej@nas.nasa.gov>