NAME

rc, rc.shutdown, rc.d — system startup and shutdown scripts

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

/etc/rc starts the system's services when it comes up to multi-user mode. init(8) runs it with the argument autoboot when the system boots unattended. It loads the settings in rc.conf(5), orders the scripts in /etc/rc.d and /usr/local/etc/rc.d with rcorder(8), leaving out those with the keyword nostart, and runs each with the command faststart (quietstart when not booting). A script that fails is reported on the console and the boot continues; only a failure of /etc/rc itself makes init(8) fall back to single-user mode.

/etc/rc.shutdown stops services before the system goes down. It runs the scripts that have the keyword shutdown, in the reverse of their start order, with the command faststop. init(8) stops it after rcshutdown_timeout seconds.

Each script in /etc/rc.d manages one service, and is run by init_sh(8). It may be written with the rc.subr(8) functions, in the style of FreeBSD scripts, or as an init_sh(8) service block. Its commands are

start

Start the service, if it is enabled in rc.conf(5).

stop

Stop the service.

restart

Stop the service, then start it.

status

Report whether the service is running; exit 0 if it is.

rcvar

Print the rc.conf(5) variable that enables the service, and its value.

enabled

Exit 0 if the service is enabled.

A script may define more commands. A command may be prefixed with one, to run it even if the service is disabled; force, to also ignore failed preconditions; quiet, to omit some messages; or fast, to skip the check for an already running service.

The scripts FILESYSTEMS, NETWORKING, SERVERS, DAEMON and LOGIN do nothing; they provide points in the boot that other scripts can require.

FILES

/etc/rc

the startup script

/etc/rc.shutdown

the shutdown script

/etc/rc.d/

the base system's service scripts

/usr/local/etc/rc.d/

service scripts for added software

/etc/rc.conf

settings; see rc.conf(5)

/etc/defaults/rc.conf

default settings

EXAMPLES

# /etc/rc.d/hostname status
# /etc/rc.d/cron onestart

SEE ALSO

rc.conf(5), ttys(5), init(8), init_sh(8), rc.subr(8), rcorder(8), shutdown(8)

HISTORY

The rc script appeared in Version 6 AT&T UNIX. The rc.d system first appeared in NetBSD 1.5.