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.





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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.












































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