daemons -- who needs'em?
ever wonder what all those background processes are for?
me too, and i still do. if you have some answers, please
post them for us newbies.
# ps t\?
PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
1 ? S 0:06 init [2]
2 ? SW 0:00 [kflushd]
3 ? SW< 0:00 [kswapd]
4 ? SW 0:00 [md_thread]
5 ? SW 0:00 [md_thread]
9757 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache
1319 ? S 0:01 update
1885 ? S 0:00 /sbin/syslogd
1887 ? S 0:00 /sbin/klogd
1894 ? S 0:00 /sbin/kerneld
1897 ? S 0:01 /usr/sbin/named
1918 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/exim -bd -q30m
2002 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/rwhod
2001 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/rinetd
2018 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/afpd -n server
2020 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/papd
2026 ? S 0:00 proftpd (accepting connections)
2031 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/atd
9758 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache
9756 ? S 0:01 /usr/sbin/apache
9759 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache
9760 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache
9761 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache
2206 ? S 0:00 /sbin/portmap
2215 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/inetd
5922 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/cron
NOTE: if there are some important ones missing, it's
part of my shakily unstable 'apt-get dist-upgrade' restart
the other day... (from slink to potato)
here are the daemons i KNOW:
inetd = listens for network connections & hands them off
to appropriate processes
proftpd = ftp server
apache = httpd server
named = dns nameserver (xlate 'www.site.org' to '123.45.678.90')
exim = email stuff
cron = periodic script-runner (try "crontab -e")
atd = like cron; but for running scheduled 'at <time>' commands
update = flushes disk buffers now & then so if ever you crash
(remember windows? macos?) you'll lose less.
these i can GUESS at:
*logd = system loggers:
syslogd and klogd both log important messages to your log files.
we need them _both_ because... well... um...
kerneld = linux 2.0 and earlier--some voodoo regarding modules
(dynamic module loading in 2.1+ [aka 'kmod'] makes this obsolete?)
rwhod = server for 'whois bubba@edu.org.com'
rinetd = like inetd, but different?
afpd = portion of appletalk network protocols, maybe?
papd = some more appletalk stuff?
portmap = something to do with Remote-Procedure-Call?
there are more that i have NO IDEA about.
i used to have ypbind hovering around, but with my shaky
(stab stab stab until we can connect to the 'net) startup
it's gone. i don't miss it, yet...?
the manpages inform you that "the frammistat daemon listens
for clavis connections and then frobs the syntactic claudication
bidirectionally," which is perfectly clear only to those who
know that a "syntactic frob" is desirable to begin with...
clarify, please, anyone?
Reply to: