xref: /386bsd/usr/share/man/cat5/inetd.0 (revision a2142627)
1INETD(8)                386BSD System Manager's Manual                INETD(8)
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3NNAAMMEE
4     iinneettdd - internet ``super-server''
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6SSYYNNOOPPSSIISS
7     iinneettdd [--dd] [_c_o_n_f_i_g_u_r_a_t_i_o_n _f_i_l_e]
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9DDEESSCCRRIIPPTTIIOONN
10     IInneettdd should be run at boot time by /_e_t_c/_r_c._l_o_c_a_l (see rc(8)).  It then
11     listens for connections on certain internet sockets.  When a connection
12     is found on one of its sockets, it decides what service the socket
13     corresponds to, and invokes a program to service the request.  After the
14     program is finished, it continues to listen on the socket (except in some
15     cases which will be described below).  Essentially, iinneettdd allows running
16     one daemon to invoke several others, reducing load on the system.
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18     The option available for iinneettdd::
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20     --dd      Turns on debugging.
21
22     Upon execution, iinneettdd reads its configuration information from a
23     configuration file which, by default, is /_e_t_c/_i_n_e_t_d._c_o_n_f. There must be
24     an entry for each field of the configuration file, with entries for each
25     field separated by a tab or a space.  Comments are denoted by a ``#'' at
26     the beginning of a line.  There must be an entry for each field.  The
27     fields of the configuration file are as follows:
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29           service name
30           socket type
31           protocol
32           wait/nowait
33           user
34           server program
35           server program arguments
36
37     The _s_e_r_v_i_c_e-_n_a_m_e entry is the name of a valid service in the file
38     /_e_t_c/_s_e_r_v_i_c_e_s. For ``internal'' services (discussed below), the service
39     name _m_u_s_t be the official name of the service (that is, the first entry
40     in /_e_t_c/_s_e_r_v_i_c_e_s).
41
42     The _s_o_c_k_e_t-_t_y_p_e should be one of ``stream'', ``dgram'', ``raw'', ``rdm'',
43     or ``seqpacket'', depending on whether the socket is a stream, datagram,
44     raw, reliably delivered message, or sequenced packet socket.
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46     The _p_r_o_t_o_c_o_l must be a valid protocol as given in /_e_t_c/_p_r_o_t_o_c_o_l_s.
47     Examples might be ``tcp'' or ``udp''.
48
49     The _w_a_i_t/_n_o_w_a_i_t entry is applicable to datagram sockets only (other
50     sockets should have a ``nowait'' entry in this space).  If a datagram
51     server connects to its peer, freeing the socket so iinneettdd can received
52     further messages on the socket, it is said to be a ``multi-threaded''
53     server, and should use the ``nowait'' entry.  For datagram servers which
54     process all incoming datagrams on a socket and eventually time out, the
55     server is said to be ``single-threaded'' and should use a ``wait'' entry.
56     Comsat(8) (biff(1))  and talkd(8) are both examples of the latter type of
57     datagram server.  Tftpd(8) is an exception; it is a datagram server that
58     establishes pseudo-connections.  It must be listed as ``wait'' in order
59     to avoid a race; the server reads the first packet, creates a new socket,
60     and then forks and exits to allow iinneettdd to check for new service requests
61     to spawn new servers.
62
63     The _u_s_e_r entry should contain the user name of the user as whom the
64     server should run.  This allows for servers to be given less permission
65     than root.
66
67     The _s_e_r_v_e_r-_p_r_o_g_r_a_m entry should contain the pathname of the program which
68     is to be executed by iinneettdd when a request is found on its socket.  If
69     iinneettdd provides this service internally, this entry should be
70     ``internal''.
71
72     The _s_e_r_v_e_r _p_r_o_g_r_a_m _a_r_g_u_m_e_n_t_s should be just as arguments normally are,
73     starting with argv[0], which is the name of the program.  If the service
74     is provided internally, the word ``internal'' should take the place of
75     this entry.
76
77     IInneettdd provides several ``trivial'' services internally by use of routines
78     within itself.  These services are ``echo'', ``discard'', ``chargen''
79     (character generator), ``daytime'' (human readable time), and ``time''
80     (machine readable time, in the form of the number of seconds since
81     midnight, January 1, 1900).  All of these services are tcp based.  For
82     details of these services, consult the appropriate RFC from the Network
83     Information Center.
84
85     IInneettdd rereads its configuration file when it receives a hangup signal,
86     SIGHUP. Services may be added, deleted or modified when the configuration
87     file is reread.
88
89SSEEEE AALLSSOO
90     comsat(8),  fingerd(8),  ftpd(8),  rexecd(8),  rlogind(8),  rshd(8),
91     telnetd(8),  tftpd(8)
92
93HHIISSTTOORRYY
94     The iinneettdd command appeared in 4.3BSD.
95
964.3 Berkeley Distribution       March 16, 1991                               2
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