CHKCONFIG linux command manual

CHKCONFIG(8)                                                       CHKCONFIG(8)



NAME
       chkconfig  -  updates and queries runlevel information for system ser-
       vices


SYNOPSIS
       chkconfig --list [name]
       chkconfig --add name
       chkconfig --del name
       chkconfig [--level levels] name 
       chkconfig [--level levels] name


DESCRIPTION
       chkconfig provides a simple  command-line  tool  for  maintaining  the
       /etc/rc[0-6].d  directory hierarchy by relieving system administrators
       of the task of directly manipulating the numerous  symbolic  links  in
       those directories.

       This implementation of chkconfig was inspired by the chkconfig command
       present in the IRIX operating system. Rather than maintaining configu-
       ration  information  outside of the /etc/rc[0-6].d hierarchy, however,
       this version directly manages the  symlinks  in  /etc/rc[0-6].d.  This
       leaves  all  of  the configuration information regarding what services
       init starts in a single location.

       chkconfig has five distinct functions: adding new services for manage-
       ment,  removing  services from management, listing the current startup
       information for services, changing the startup  information  for  ser-
       vices, and checking the startup state of a particular service.

       When  chkconfig is run without any options, it displays usage informa-
       tion.  If only a service name is given, it checks to see if  the  ser-
       vice  is  configured  to be started in the current runlevel. If it is,
       chkconfig returns true; otherwise it returns false. The --level option
       may  be  used  to  have chkconfig query an alternative runlevel rather
       than the current one.

       If one of on, off, or reset is specified after the service name,  chk-
       config changes the startup information for the specified service.  The
       on and off flags cause the service to be started or  stopped,  respec-
       tively,  in  the  runlevels  being changed.  The reset flag resets the
       startup information for the service to whatever is  specified  in  the
       init script in question.

       By  default, the on and off options affect only runlevels 2, 3, 4, and
       5, while reset affects all of the runlevels.  The --level  option  may
       be used to specify which runlevels are affected.

       Note  that  for every service, each runlevel has either a start script
       or a stop script.  When switching runlevels, init will not re-start an
       already-started  service,  and  will not re-stop a service that is not
       running.


OPTIONS
       --level levels
              Specifies the run levels an operation should pertain to. It  is
              given  as a string of numbers from 0 to 7. For example, --level
              35 specifies runlevels 3 and 5.


       --add name

              This option adds a new service  for  management  by  chkconfig.
              When a new service is added, chkconfig ensures that the service
              has either a start or a kill entry in every  runlevel.  If  any
              runlevel is missing such an entry, chkconfig creates the appro-
              priate entry as specified by the default  values  in  the  init
              script.  Note that default entries in LSB-delimited 'INIT INFO'
              sections take precedence over  the  default  runlevels  in  the
              initscript.


       --del name
              The  service is removed from chkconfig management, and any sym-
              bolic links in /etc/rc[0-6].d which pertain to it are  removed.


       --list name
              This  option  lists  all  of the services which chkconfig knows
              about, and whether they are stopped or  started  in  each  run-
              level.  If name is specified, information in only display about
              service name.


RUNLEVEL FILES
       Each service which should be manageable by chkconfig needs two or more
       commented  lines added to its init.d script. The first line tells chk-
       config what runlevels the service should be started in by default,  as
       well as the start and stop priority levels. If the service should not,
       by default, be started in any runlevels, a - should be used  in  place
       of the runlevels list.  The second line contains a description for the
       service, and may be extended across multiple lines with backslash con-
       tinuation.

       For example, random.init has these three lines:
       # chkconfig: 2345 20 80
       # description: Saves and restores system entropy pool for \
       #              higher quality random number generation.
       This  says that the random script should be started in levels 2, 3, 4,
       and 5, that its start priority should be 20, and that its stop  prior-
       ity  should be 80.  You should be able to figure out what the descrip-
       tion says; the \ causes the line to be continued.  The extra space  in
       front of the line is ignored.


SEE ALSO
       init(8) ntsysv(8) serviceconf(8)


AUTHOR
       Erik Troan 



4th Berkeley Distribution       Wed Oct 8 1997                   CHKCONFIG(8)