diff -urpN busybox-1.17.1/testsuite/mdev.tests busybox-1.17.1-mdev/testsuite/mdev.tests
--- busybox-1.17.1/testsuite/mdev.tests	2010-07-06 04:25:54.000000000 +0200
+++ busybox-1.17.1-mdev/testsuite/mdev.tests	2010-08-23 02:38:21.000000000 +0200
@@ -38,6 +38,16 @@ brw-rw---- 1 0 0 8,0 sda
 SKIP=
 
 # continuing to use directory structure from prev test
+optional STATIC FEATURE_MDEV_CONF FEATURE_LS_TIMESTAMPS FEATURE_LS_USERNAME
+testing "mdev deletes /block/sda" \
+	"env - PATH=$PATH ACTION=remove DEVPATH=/block/sda chroot mdev.testdir /mdev 2>&1;
+	ls -ln mdev.testdir/dev | $FILTER_LS" \
+"\
+" \
+	"" ""
+SKIP=
+
+# continuing to use directory structure from prev test
 rm -rf mdev.testdir/dev/*
 echo ".* 1:1 666" >mdev.testdir/etc/mdev.conf
 echo "sda 2:2 444" >>mdev.testdir/etc/mdev.conf
diff -urpN busybox-1.17.1/util-linux/mdev.c busybox-1.17.1-mdev/util-linux/mdev.c
--- busybox-1.17.1/util-linux/mdev.c	2010-07-06 04:25:54.000000000 +0200
+++ busybox-1.17.1-mdev/util-linux/mdev.c	2010-08-23 02:38:21.000000000 +0200
@@ -132,6 +132,7 @@ static void make_device(char *path, int 
 			major = -1;
 		}
 	}
+	/* else: for delete, -1 still deletes the node, but < -1 suppresses that */
 
 	/* Determine device name, type, major and minor */
 	device_name = (char*) bb_basename(path);
@@ -279,7 +280,7 @@ static void make_device(char *path, int 
 				if (aliaslink == '!' && s == a+1) {
 					val = st;
 					/* "!": suppress node creation/deletion */
-					major = -1;
+					major = -2;
 				}
 				else if (aliaslink == '>' || aliaslink == '=') {
 					val = st;
@@ -379,7 +380,7 @@ static void make_device(char *path, int 
 				free(command);
 			}
 
-			if (delete && major >= 0) {
+			if (delete && major >= -1) {
 				if (ENABLE_FEATURE_MDEV_RENAME && alias) {
 					if (aliaslink == '>')
 						unlink(device_name);