System Services IV

Summary:

• Annotated List of Common Services (o-y)

Annotated List of System Services (o-y)

oki4daemon

Needed to support printing from the OKI 4w and similar Windows only printers.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: printer-filters. Doc: Read comment in script

olympusd

Deprecated in ML 8.1. Please see the attic page.

opennap

Deprecated in ML 8.1. Please see the attic page.

pcmcia

Part of the Card Services for Linux Project software which supports PCMCIA (PC-Memory Card International Association) cards frequently used in laptops.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: kernel-pcmcia-cs. Doc:

man pcmcia

pop-before-smtp

Watch log for pop/imap auth, notify Postfix to allow relay. Useful for relaying email when away from home/office and using someone else's IP space.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: pop-before-smtp. Doc:

man pop-before-smtp

portmap

Security tool needed for Remote Procedure Calls, especially in NIS and NFS connections.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: portmap. Doc:

man portmap

portsentry

Starts or stops the Psionic ~PortSentry 'Port Scan Detection and Active Defense System' which monitors ports for scans and blocks scanning hosts immediately.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: portsentry. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/portsentry-{...}'

postfix

The standard mail server software in Mandrake Linux, a replacement for sendmail. You will need it when your mail reader can't get or send its mail on its own or if you want to provide mail services for a network.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: postfix. Doc:

man postfix

postgresql

~PostgreSQL provides a database server similar to ~MySQL.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: postgresql-server. Doc: In package postgresql-docs

powertweakd.init

Powertweak is a program to tune your kernel and hardware settings for optimal performance.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: powertweak. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/powertweak-{...}/Documentation'

pptpd.conf

~PoPToP is a free implementation of a PPTP (Point-to-Point Tunneling Protocol) server, needed to connect Virtual Private Networks (VPN).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: pptpd-server. Doc:

man pptpd

prelude

Prelude is a sophisticated Intrusion Detection System (IDS).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: prelude. Doc: In package 'prelude-doc'

proftpd

Control script for the standard Mandrake Linux FTP server, ~ProFTPd.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: proftpd. Doc: on project home page

psacct

Allows monitoring process activities.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: psacct. Doc:

info accounting

pure-ftpd

~PureFTPd (cl)aims to be a compliant, secure, easy and then some FTP server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: pure-ftpd. Doc:

man pureftpd

pvm

PVM (Parallel Virtual Machine) allows you to use a network of Unix and NT computers as a single virtual parallel machine.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: pvm. Doc:

man pvm

pxe

Linux PXE (Preboot eXecution Environment) package.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: pxe. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/pxe-{version}'.

radiusd

Cistron RADIUS daemon (with PAM). Used at ISP's to authenticate user logins.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: radiusd-cistron. Doc:

man radiusd

radvd

Control script for the Linux IPv6 Router Advertisement Daemon. You'll need this to take advantage of the IPv6 stateless autoconfiguration feature (don't ask ...).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: radvd. Doc:

man radvd

random

No service. Improves the generation of random numbers (needed for security).
Pertinence: Common. Package: initscripts. Doc:

man 4 random

rawdevices

No service. "This scripts assigns raw devices to block devices (such as hard drive partitions)." Useful for databases (or so I'm told).
Pertinence: Common. Package: initscripts. Doc: Example in '/etc/sysconfig/rawdevices'

routed

'routed' is the Network Routing Daemon. You will need this if your machine acts as a router (obviously) for other machines in your network (e.g. as a gateway into another network like the Internet).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: routed. Doc:

man routed

rstatd, rusersd, rwalld, rwhod

Provide access to information (status, users) or services (send messages) useful when maintaining a multiuser network.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: rusers, rwall, rwho. Doc: respective man pages

saslauthd

'saslauthd' is the SASL server. SASL is the Simple Authentication and Security Layer.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: cyrus-sasl. Doc Look in '/usr/share/doc/cyrus-sasl-{version}/doc/'

sendmail

The standard Internet mail server. In Mandrake Linux now replaced by ~PostFix (but still part of the distribution). If your mail client is capable of sending and receiving mail itself (e.g. Netscape Mail, kmail, Pine), you don't need it.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: sendmail. Doc:

man sendmail

sensors

This skript starts or stops 'sensord', a hardware monitoring daemon and part of the lm_sensors hardware monitoring software.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: lm_utils. Doc:

man sensors

shorewall

Shorewall is a firewall / masquerader to be used on single systems (i.e. a desktop firewall).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: shorewall. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/shorewall-{...}/documentation'

single

No service. Executed when putting the system into runlevel 1 ('single user' or 'rescue' mode).
Pertinence: Common. Package: initscripts. Doc: None

smb

Needed for running SAMBA, the Server Message Block Protocol Server. It allows you to provide file and printer sharing services to MS-Windows clients and to access shares on those machines from your Linux box.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: samba. Doc:

man samba

snortd

Control script for the Snort Intrusion Detection System.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: snort. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/snort-{...}'

sound

No service. Starts / stops sound device and loads / saves mixer settings.
Pertinence: Common. Package: initscripts. Doc: None

squid

Squid is a web proxy caching server (and much more). Although configuration isn't trivial, it can speed up net access for clients considerably.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: squid. Doc: vast amount of files in '/usr/share/doc/squid-{...}'

sshd

Control script for an ~OpenSSH server, a terminal services server using strong encryption, bound to replace inherently insecure services such as telnet or ftp.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: openssh-server. Doc: MUO article on SSH

sockd

Dante is a free Socks v4/v5 server implementation.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: dante-server. Doc:

man sockd

sympa

Control script for the Sympa mailing list management software (server end, not client end).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: sympa. Doc:

man sympa

syslog

System Message Logger, i.e. it writes system or service messages to so called log files ('/var/log/*').
Pertinence: Essential. Package: sysklogd. Doc:

man sysklogd

syslog-ng

syslog-ng (ng = next generation) intends to replace sysklogd. It adds the possibility to filter based on message contents using regular expressions.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: syslog-ng. Doc:

man syslog-ng

storage-server, ftpagent, httpagent, linuxagent, visu-engine

A base structure for systems monitoring.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: logtrend, logtrend-~FtpAgent, logtrend-~HttpAgent, logtrend-~LinuxAgent, logtrend-Visu-Engine. Doc: Install 'logtrendDoc' package.

tux

Control script for the kernel based TUX web server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: tux. Doc: 'tux.README' in '/usr/share/doc/tux-{...}'

snmpd

Control script for the project formerly known as 'ucd-snmp', now as NET-SNMP. It is an implementation of the Simple Network Management Protocol (nomen est omen). If you know more, you know more than me.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: ucd-snmp. Doc:

man snmpd

tinyproxy

A lightweight, non-caching, optionally anonymizing http proxy.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: tinyproxy. Doc:

man tinyproxy

udhcpd

Very lightweight dhcp server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: udhcpd. Doc:

man udhcpd

ups

Part of the former 'smartupstools', now called NUT (Network UPS Tools). This package allows the control of Uninterruptable Power Supplies over a network (you might have guessed that).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: smartupstools. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/smartupstools-{...}'

upsmon, upsd, upspowerdown

Part of the NUT project (Network UPS Tools). Refer to ups above. Pertinence: Optional. Package: nut, nut-server. Doc:

man upsd

usb

No service. When called (usually during boot) this script starts or stops USB (Universal Serial Bus) devices by loading or unloading the appropriate drivers (kernel modules). You are advised not to run this script during system operation.
Pertinence: Common. Package: initscripts. Doc: Comments in script, also have a look at '/etc/sysconfig/usb'

vanilla

Netrek Vanilla Server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: nettrek-vanilla. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/netrek-vanilla-{version}'.

vncserver

Part of the Virtual Network Computing software. VNC allows you to remotely display / view / manage the desktop of another machine. It is platform-independent.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: vnc-server. Doc: in package 'vnc-doc'

vpb

A user mode API for voicetronix telephony hardware.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: vpb. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/vpb-{version}'.

vrrpd

Deprecated in ML 8.1. Refer to the attic page.

watchdog

'watchdog' monitors a machine and reboots it if a system freeze is detected (sounds funny, but works).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: watchdog. Doc:

man watchdog

webmin

Webmin is a web based system administration suite (an alternative to Linuxconf).
Pertinence: Optional. Package: webmin. Doc: on project home page and inline

wine

WINE tries to build a Windows compatibility layer software (i.e. it intends to enable you to run Windows programs on Linux). This script enables users to run Windows applications by just clicking on them (well, in theory at least ...)
Pertinence: Optional. Package: wine. Doc: Files in '/usr/share/doc/wine-{...}/wine-doc'

wwwoffled

WWW Offline Explorer - Caching Web Proxy Server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: wwwoffle. Doc:

man wwwoffle

xfs

X Font Server. In the standard X configuration of Mandrake Linux, X won't run without a working font server.
Pertinence: Common. Package: XFree86-xfs. Doc:

man xfs

xinetd

xinetd controls, logs or redirects accesses to other servers running on the same machine. It replaces inetd.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: xinetd. Doc: MUO article on xinetd,

man xinetd

xntpd

Synchronizes system time using the Network Time Protocol (NTP). Same as the ntp package.
Pertinence: Common. Package: xntpd. Doc: Look in '/usr/share/doc/xntp3-{version}'.

ypbind

NIS Binder. Only needed if your computer is part of a NIS (Network Information Service) domain (yp for its old name 'yellow pages').
Pertinence: Optional. Package: ypbind. Doc:

man ypbind

yppasswdd, ypserv, ypxfrd

Scripts to control an NIS server.
Pertinence: Optional. Package: ypserv. Doc:

man ypserv

section index

Related Resources:

~SysAdminGuide, 9

man init

Revision / Modified: Mar. 13, 2002
Author: Tom Berger, Todd Lyons

Legal: This page is covered by the GNU Free Documentation License. Standard disclaimers of warranty apply. Copyright LSTB and Mandrakesoft.