inetd(1M) MISC. REFERENCE MANUAL PAGES inetd(1M)
NAME
inetd - Internet services daemon
SYNOPSIS
inetd [ -d ] [ -s ] [ configuration-file ]
DESCRIPTION
inetd, the Internet services daemon, is normally run at boot
time by the Service Access Facility (SAF). When started,
inetd reads its configuration information from
configuration-file, the default being /etc/inetd.conf. See
inetd.conf(4) for more information on the format of this
file. It listens for connections on the Internet addresses
of the services that its configuration file specifies. When
a connection is found, it invokes the server daemon speci-
fied by that configuration file for the service requested.
Once a server process exits, inetd continues to listen on
the socket.
The -s option allows you to run inetd ``stand-alone,'' out-
side the Service Access Facility (SAF).
Rather than having several daemon processes with sparsely
distributed requests each running concurrently, inetd
reduces the load on the system by invoking Internet servers
only as they are needed.
inetd itself provides a number of simple TCP-based services.
These include echo, discard, chargen (character generator),
daytime (human readable time), and time (machine readable
time, in the form of the number of seconds since midnight,
January 1, 1900). For details of these services, consult
the appropriate RFC, as listed below, from the Network
Information Center.
inetd rereads its configuration file whenever it receives a
hangup signal, SIGHUP. New services can be activated, and
existing services deleted or modified in between whenever
the file is reread.
SEE ALSO
comsat(1M), ftpd(1M), rexecd(1M), rlogind(1M), rshd(1M),
telnetd(1M), tftpd(1M), inetd.conf(4).
Postel, Jon, ``Echo Protocol,'' RFC 862, Network Information
Center, SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., May 1983.
Postel, Jon, ``Discard Protocol,'' RFC 863, Network Informa-
tion Center, SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., May
1983.
Last change: TCP/IP 1
inetd(1M) MISC. REFERENCE MANUAL PAGES inetd(1M)
Postel, Jon, ``Character Generater Protocol,'' RFC 864, Net-
work Information Center, SRI International, Menlo Park,
Calif., May 1983.
Postel, Jon, ``Daytime Protocol,'' RFC 867, Network Informa-
tion Center, SRI International, Menlo Park, Calif., May
1983.
Postel, Jon, and Ken Harrenstien, ``Time Protocol,'' RFC
868, Network Information Center, SRI International, Menlo
Park, Calif., May 1983.
Last change: TCP/IP 2