1CHKCONFIG(8) System Manager's Manual CHKCONFIG(8)
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6 chkconfig - updates and queries runlevel information for system ser‐
7 vices
8
11 chkconfig --list [name]
12 chkconfig --add name
13 chkconfig --del name
14 chkconfig --override name
15 chkconfig [--level levels] name <on|off|reset|resetpriorities>
16 chkconfig [--level levels] name
17
20 chkconfig provides a simple command-line tool for maintaining the
21 /etc/rc[0-6].d directory hierarchy by relieving system administrators
22 of the task of directly manipulating the numerous symbolic links in
23 those directories.
24 This implementation of chkconfig was inspired by the chkconfig command
26 present in the IRIX operating system. Rather than maintaining configu‐
27 ration information outside of the /etc/rc[0-6].d hierarchy, however,
28 this version directly manages the symlinks in /etc/rc[0-6].d. This
29 leaves all of the configuration information regarding what services
30 init starts in a single location.
31 chkconfig has five distinct functions: adding new services for manage‐
33 ment, removing services from management, listing the current startup
34 information for services, changing the startup information for ser‐
35 vices, and checking the startup state of a particular service.
36 When chkconfig is run without any options, it displays usage informa‐
38 tion. If only a service name is given, it checks to see if the service
39 is configured to be started in the current runlevel. If it is, chkcon‐
40 fig returns true; otherwise it returns false. The --level option may be
41 used to have chkconfig query an alternative runlevel rather than the
42 current one.
43 If one of on, off, reset, or resetpriorities is specified after the
45 service name, chkconfig changes the startup information for the speci‐
46 fied service. The on and off flags cause the service to be started or
47 stopped, respectively, in the runlevels being changed. The reset flag
48 resets the on/off state for all runlevels for the service to whatever
49 is specified in the init script in question, while the resetpriorities
50 flag resets the start/stop priorities for the service to whatever is
51 specifed in the init script.
52 By default, the on and off options affect only runlevels 2, 3, 4, and
54 5, while reset and resetpriorities affects all of the runlevels. The
55 --level option may be used to specify which runlevels are affected.
56 Note that for every service, each runlevel has either a start script or
58 a stop script. When switching runlevels, init will not re-start an
59 already-started service, and will not re-stop a service that is not
60 running.
61 chkconfig also can manage xinetd scripts via the means of xinetd.d con‐
63 figuration files. Note that only the on, off, and --list commands are
64 supported for xinetd.d services.
65
68 --level levels
69 Specifies the run levels an operation should pertain to. It is
70 given as a string of numbers from 0 to 7. For example, --level
71 35 specifies runlevels 3 and 5.
72 --add name
75 This option adds a new service for management by chkconfig.
77 When a new service is added, chkconfig ensures that the service
78 has either a start or a kill entry in every runlevel. If any
79 runlevel is missing such an entry, chkconfig creates the appro‐
80 priate entry as specified by the default values in the init
81 script. Note that default entries in LSB-delimited 'INIT INFO'
82 sections take precedence over the default runlevels in the
83 initscript.
84 --del name
87 The service is removed from chkconfig management, and any sym‐
88 bolic links in /etc/rc[0-6].d which pertain to it are removed.
89 Note that future package installs for this service may run chk‐
91 config --add, which will re-add such links. To disable a ser‐
92 vice, run chkconfig name off.
93 --override name
96 If service name is configured exactly as it would be if the
97 --add option had been specified with no override file in
98 /etc/chkconfig.d/name, and if /etc/chkconfig.d/name now exists
99 and is specified differently from the base initscript, change
100 the configuration for service name to follow the overrides
101 instead of the base configuration.
102 --list name
105 This option lists all of the services which chkconfig knows
106 about, and whether they are stopped or started in each runlevel.
107 If name is specified, information in only display about service
108 name.
109
112 Each service which should be manageable by chkconfig needs two or more
113 commented lines added to its init.d script. The first line tells chk‐
114 config what runlevels the service should be started in by default, as
115 well as the start and stop priority levels. If the service should not,
116 by default, be started in any runlevels, a - should be used in place of
117 the runlevels list. The second line contains a description for the
118 service, and may be extended across multiple lines with backslash con‐
119 tinuation.
120 For example, random.init has these three lines:
122 # chkconfig: 2345 20 80
123 # description: Saves and restores system entropy pool for \
124 # higher quality random number generation.
125 This says that the random script should be started in levels 2, 3, 4,
126 and 5, that its start priority should be 20, and that its stop priority
127 should be 80. You should be able to figure out what the description
128 says; the \ causes the line to be continued. The extra space in front
129 of the line is ignored.
130
133 File in /etc/chkconfig.d/servicename are parsed using the same comments
134 that chkconfig notices in init service scripts, and override values in
135 the init service scripts themselves.
136
139 init(8) ntsysv(8) system-config-services(8)
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143 Erik Troan <ewt@redhat.com>
1444th Berkeley Distribution Wed Oct 8 1997 CHKCONFIG(8)