This list tries to cover all the scripts in '/etc/init.d'.
It depends on your scale of installation how many of these services are available
on your system.
In this list services are either 'optional', 'common'
or 'essential'. 'Optional' means you can turn this service safely off without
loosing vital functionality, 'common' means that this service isn't vital
but usually enabled, and 'essential' means you should not turn it
off, unless you know exactly what you are doing and why you are doing it.
- acon
-
Needed for arabic languages to be displayed correctly.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: acon. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/acon-[...]'
- acpid
-
ACPI (Advanced Configuration Power Interface) is
the successor to APM (Advanced Power Management). 'acpid' is maintained by
the ACPI4Linux project. Since
essential functions like 'suspend' and 'resume' haven't been implemented
yet, 'apmd' is still used as the default power management service in Mandrake.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: acpid. Doc: Linux ACPI HOWTO
- adsl
-
Control script for ADSL (Asyncronous Digital Subscriber
Line) connections via PPPoE (Point-to-Point Protocol over Ethernet).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: rp-pppoe. Doc: man pppoe,man
pppoe.conf
- alsa
-
This starts and stops the ALSA (Advanced Linux Sound
Architecture) sound driver. If you don't want sound (or your card uses an
OSS driver), turn it off.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: initscripts. Doc: http://www.alsa-project.org/documentation.php3
- amd
-
The Automounter Daemon. Useful for automatically
mounting (hey!) network file systems or removable media. Since removable
media are handled by 'supermount' in Mandrake and 'amd' does have its handling
quirks, you will possibly only need it for mounting network shares (NFS and
the like). Do not run this if you don't need it as it poses a potential security
hole.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: am-utils. Doc: MU on 'automount', man pages.
- anacron
-
The cousin of the 'cron'-daemon. 'cron' runs tasks
like system maintenance at certain times, but skips them if the system isn't
running at that time. That's where 'anacron' comes in: it checks delayed
'cron'-tasks at boot-time and executes them. If your machine doesn't run
all the time, you should leave it enabled.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: anacron. Doc: man anacron, MUO on using anacron
- apcupsd
-
apcupsd manages
UPS (Uninterruptable Power Supply) hardware manufactured by APC(American Power Conversion).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: apcupsd. Doc: The APCUPSD Users Manual
- apmd
-
The Advanced Power Management
BIOS Daemon. Usually you will only need it if your computer runs on battery,
i.e. a laptop. Some laptop BIOSes do not take kindly to apmd, causing massive
installation problems.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: apmd. Doc: man apmd
- arpwatch
-
Keeps track of Ethernet/IP address pairings (no,
I don't know what's that good for either).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: arpwatch. Doc: man arpsnmp.
- atd
-
The At Daemon. Manages scheduled ('at a certain
time') jobs. Related to 'crond'.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: at. Doc: man atd, man at,
MUO article on 'at'.
- auth2.init, codasrv.init, update.init, venus.init
-
These scripts are parts of the server package for
the Coda File System, a distributed
file system for networks, except for 'venus.init', which belongs to the client
package.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: coda-debug-server (venus.init: coda-debug-client).
Doc: The Coda
HOWTO
- autofs
-
Controls the automount daemon (amd). Usually not
enabled. You might need it if you want to mount network-shares automatically.
Pertinence: Optional. Doc: man autofs, man automount.
- bayonne
-
Bayonne
provides a telephony application server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: bayonne. Doc: Bayonne User Manual.
- bayonnedb
-
Bayonnedb
provides a database backend for the Bayonne telephone server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: bayonnedb. Doc: Bayonne User Manual.
- boa
-
Control script for the Boa Webserver, a lightweight alternative
to Apache.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: boa. Doc: on home page.
- bootparamd
-
Needed to provide boot-information to disk-less
clients. Usually not enabled.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: bootparamd. Doc: man bootparamd.
- bpowerd, bpowerfail
-
Power Control Program for Best Patriot UPS.
Pertinence: Optional. Package bpower. Doc: man bpowerd
- cbq
-
A configuration tool for setting traffic bandwidth
parameters.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: shapecfg. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/shapecfg-{version}'.
- cddbp
-
Control file for the 'cddb-proxy' (CD-Database).
Useful to allow clients behind a firewall making CDDB queries.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: cddb-proxy. Doc: 'readme' in '/usr/share/doc/cddb-proxy-[...]'.
- cfengine
-
The Configuration
Engineprovides software agents and a language for central configuration
and administration of large scale networks.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: cfengine. Doc: Example scripts in '/usr/share/doc/cfengine-[...]',
info cfengine-Reference,info cfengine-Tutorial.
- chronyd
-
chronyd can keep your
system's time in step with the true time or keep a network of computers in
time sync with each other.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: chrony. Doc: FAQ, info
chrony
- courier-imap
-
Courier-Imap
is an IMAP server that uses Maildirs.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: courier-imap. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/courier-imap-{version}/README.*'.
- crond
-
The Cron Daemon. Manages repeated tasks ('chronological').
Related to 'atd'.
Pertinence: Essential. Package: vixie-cron. Doc: man crond,man
cron, MUO article on 'cron'
- crossfire
-
Crossfire is the daemon for a role-playing graphical
adventure game.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: crossfire. Doc: man crossfire
- cups
-
CUPS is the standard printing service on Mandrake
Linux.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: cups. Doc: /usr/share/doc/cups/documentation.html,
MUO on
using CUPS
- dansguardian
-
Dan's Guardian is a content filtering web proxy.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: dansguardian. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/DansGuardian-{version}'
- devfsd
-
Devfsd is the device filesystem daemon (new in 2.4
kernel series) used for providing old entries in /dev.
Pertinence: Required. Package devfsd. Doc: man devfsd
- dhcp-relay
-
You will need if your DHCP (Dynamic Host Configuration
Protocol) server is located in another subnet than its clients.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: dhcp-relay. Doc: man dhcrelay
- dhcp-server
-
Needed on a machine which has to provide IP adresses
to other machines.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: dhcp-server. Doc: man dhcpd.conf,
man dhcpd
- dhsd
-
DHSD is an IP
updater for the free DHS.ORG dynamic DNS
service.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: dhsd. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/dhsd-[...]'
- diald
-
Daemon that provides on demand IP links via SLIP
or PPP.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: diald. Doc: man diald
- dictd-server
- Daemon that provides dictionary services.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: dictd-server. Doc: man dictd
- dnrd_rc
-
Control script for the gpppwrap
multi-number/provider dialer.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: gpppwrap. Doc: man gpppwrap
- ez-ipupdate
- Client for updating public IP with Dynamic DNS Services.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: ez-ipupdate. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/ez-ipupdate-{version}'.
- fcron
-
Fcron is deprecated since ML 8.1. Refer to the
attic page
for more details.
- fetchmail
-
Daemon for the Fetchmail mail
retriever.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: fetchmail-daemon. Doc: MUO on configuring fetchmail, man
fetchmail
- firestarter
-
FireStarter is a GTK firewall tool.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: firestarter. Doc: Help section in the program.
- functions
-
Contains code blocks to be used by other service
scripts.
Pertinence: Essential. Package: initscripts. Doc: Read the script ;-)
- fwlogwatch
-
Firewall log analyzer, report generator and realtime
response agent.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: fwlogwatch. Doc: man fwlogwatch
- gated
-
GateD is a network
routing daemon.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: gated. Doc: man gated
- gdips
-
GnuDIP
can be used by an Internet provider to assign static DNS names to its clients
even if those clients have their IPs dynamically assigned.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: gnudip-server. Doc: Files in /usr/share/doc/gnudip-server-[...]
- gnu-pop3d
-
This is the GNU POP3 server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: gnu-pop3d. Doc: man gnu-pop3d
- gpm
-
General Purpose Mouse Daemon. Necessary only if
you want to use your mouse on the console (not xterms). If you only
work within X, it's better to turn it off, since incompatibilities with X
are known.
Pertinence: Common. Package: gpm. Doc: man gpm
- half, hlds_ld
-
The half life daemon is a server for half life worlds.
hlds is advanced server management.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: halfd, hlds_ld. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/halfd-{version}'
- halt
-
The script executed when the system gets halted
or rebooted. This script is not meant to be executed directly from the commandline.
Pertinence: Essential. Package: initscripts. Doc: Read script.
- harddrake
-
HardDrake is the standard hardware configuration
recognition and configuration program. This script performs a hardware check
on each boot ('kudzu mode'). You might want to turn this off if your hardware
configuration does not change on a regular basis. This will save you some
seconds on boot time.
Pertinence: Common. Package: harddrake. Doc: ML user manual.
- heartbeat, ldirectord
-
heartbeat is part of the High-Availability Linux Project, used for
clusters.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: heartbeat. Doc: In '/usr/share/doc/heartbeat-[...]/doc'
- hpoj
-
Script for the CUPS HP OfficeJet printer / scanner
driver.
Pertinence: optional. Package: hpoj. Doc: hpoj documentation
index
- httpd, httpd-naat
-
The daemon necessary to run the Apache web-server.
In ML, it runs as a standalone service and not via '(x)inetd'. If you do
not intend to run a web-server, turn it off: it uses a considerable amount
of system resources (more than 15 MB of system memory) and makes your box
vulnerable to outside attacks if not configured properly (via '/etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf').
Httpd-naat is the special configured version for firewall use.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: apache-conf, httpd-naat. Doc: man httpd.
- hylafax
-
Control script for the HylaFAX fax server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: hylafax-server. Doc: The HylaFAX HOW-TO
