--- helpers/dev-root-link.sh
+++ helpers/dev-root-link.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+#!/bin/sh -e
+#
+# dev-root-link.sh: create compability /dev/root symlink
+#
+# Distributed under the terms of the GNU General Public License v2
+
+RULESDIR=/run/udev/rules.d
+
+[ -d $RULESDIR ] || mkdir -p $RULESDIR
+
+eval $(udevadm info --export --export-prefix=ROOT_ --device-id-of-file=/ || true)
+
+[ "$ROOT_MAJOR" -a "$ROOT_MINOR" ] || exit 0
+
+# btrfs filesystems have bogus major/minor numbers
+[ "$ROOT_MAJOR" != 0 ] || exit 0
+
+echo 'ACTION=="add|change", SUBSYSTEM=="block", ENV{MAJOR}=="'$ROOT_MAJOR'", ENV{MINOR}=="'$ROOT_MINOR'", SYMLINK+="root"' > $RULESDIR/61-dev-root-link.rules
--- init.d/udev
+++ init.d/udev
@@ -95,6 +95,10 @@
 
 populate_dev()
 {
+	ebegin "Generate a rule to create /dev/root compability symlink"
+	/lib/udev/dev-root-link.sh
+	eend $?
+
 	get_bootparam "nocoldplug" && rc_coldplug="no"
 	if ! yesno ${rc_coldplug:-${RC_COLDPLUG:-yes}}; then
 		einfo "Setting /dev permissions and symbolic links"
--- Makefile
+++ Makefile
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 INITD ?= $(SYSCONFDIR)/init.d
 
 HELPERS = \
+	helpers/dev-root-link.sh \
 	helpers/net.sh
 
 all: