A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for restarting pseudo terminal streams. In one embodiment, a device associated with a file descriptor in a set of file descriptors is opened. The set of file descriptors are identified in checkpoint data for restarting the pseudo terminal streams. In response to identifying the device as a pseudo terminal slave device, an entry for the identified pseudo terminal slave device is added to a list of open pseudo terminal slave devices. The entry for the identified pseudo terminal slave device is marked as an open pseudo terminal slave device. The list of open pseudo terminal slave devices permit pseudo terminal master devices and pseudo terminal slave devices to be restored and restarted in random order during a restart of the pseudo terminal streams.