NAME

rcorder — print a dependency ordering of interdependent files

SYNOPSIS

DESCRIPTION

The rcorder utility reads the dependency declarations of the named files, which are normally the scripts in /etc/rc.d, and prints the files so that every file appears after all files it depends on. rc(8) uses it to decide the order in which services start.

A file declares its dependencies in one of two ways. Classic rc.subr(8) scripts use comment lines at the top of the file:

# PROVIDE: cron
# REQUIRE: LOGIN FILESYSTEMS
# BEFORE:  securelevel
# KEYWORD: shutdown

The lines must be contiguous; the first other line after them ends the header. Scripts written in the init_sh(8) dialect instead declare a service block, whose provide, require, before and keyword fields have the same meanings:

service cron {
	require LOGIN FILESYSTEMS
	keyword shutdown
}

A service block that has no provide field provides its own name. The block is parsed but never run. A set of files may mix both forms.

“PROVIDE” names the conditions a file provides, “REQUIRE” the conditions that must be provided first, and “BEFORE” conditions that must come after this file. Several files may provide the same condition; a file requiring it comes after all of them. Files not otherwise constrained keep the order given on the command line.

The options are as follows:

-g

Print the dependency graph in the dot(1) language instead of a list. Edges point in the order files run; edges removed to break a cycle, and requirements nobody provides, are drawn in red.

-k keep

Print only files that have the keyword keep. May be given more than once, to keep files having any of the keywords.

-p

Print files that may run at the same time on one line. Each line depends only on lines before it.

-s skip

Do not print files that have the keyword skip. May be given more than once.

Filtered files are still used to order the others.

EXIT STATUS

The rcorder utility exits 0 on success, and 1 if a file cannot be read or the dependencies contain a cycle. A cycle is broken where it is found and reported, and a complete order is still printed, so the system can boot. A requirement that no file provides is reported but is not an error.

EXAMPLES

Print the order in which services start, and the ones stopped at shutdown:

$ rcorder /etc/rc.d/*
$ rcorder -k shutdown /etc/rc.d/*

SEE ALSO

rc.conf(5), init_sh(8), rc(8), rc.subr(8)

HISTORY

An rcorder utility first appeared in NetBSD 1.5. This implementation was written for OxideBSD.