README FOR rcstart 1.7 ---------------------- rcstart enables and disables init scripts used to start processes at boot time on systems using System V-style initialization. Characteristics of this type of system are support for multiple, numbered run levels; the existence of an init.d directory containing scripts to run at boot time; and various rc?.d directories, numbered by run level, containing hard or soft links to the scripts in init.d, numbered by the order in which they should be run with either a "start" (in which case the filename is prefixed by an "S") or "stop" (prefixed by a "K") argument. This tool deals with "S*" files in the rc?.d directories, changing them to "s*" when disabling them, and back to "S*" when enabling them. INSTALLATION ------------ In the Makefile, set INST_DIR to wherever you want the software installed. You may also need to change the INSTALL command, depending on the location and version of "install" on your system. Then run "make install". USE --- It's simple: call rcstart with either a "-y" (to enable) or "-n" (to disable) flag, and a list of services (corresponding to init script names) to enable or disable. For example, this disables several network services: rcstart -n portmap inetd sendmail named snmpd snmptrapd "rcstart -h" prints out a usage summary. You'll need superuser privileges for the changes to work. Note that rcstart does not actually start or stop the specified services, only affect whether they start the next time the system changes run levels (usually at boot time). PLATFORMS --------- rcstart has been written for portability to UNIX systems with SysV-like initialization mechanisms. It's been tested on the following platforms: - HP-UX - version 10.20 - Linux - Red Hat, versions 6.x and 7.x - Solaris - versions 2.6 through 10 Support is also included for IRIX and DYNIX/ptx, but it hasn't been tested. CHANGES ------- You're not required by the license to submit changes back to the source, but I'd appreciate portability improvements or enhancements of general applicability. You can email new versions or contextual diffs ("diff -c old_file new_file") to . Some things to keep in mind if you do this: - Formatting - I use tabs for indentation, and sometimes to align code segments for readability. Please do the same. - Please don't use NotePad or some other Windows editor to make changes. Or if you do, get rid of the DOS linefeeds before submitting changes. - Please try to follow the formatting conventions established in the existing code. - Readability - Usually, I will trade off efficiency (of running time or of development time) in favor of readability. - Insert meaningful comments where appropriate. - Portability - All shell scripts are Bourne-compatible. I won't use shell- specific constructs from bash, ksh, etc. - Don't use OS-specific features, pathnames, etc., unless they're guarded by code checking the OS version, or they're in user-settable variables toward the top of the script. CONTRIBUTORS ------------ Leon Towns-von Stauber Enjoy! Copyright (c) 2000-2007. All rights reserved. See the LICENSE file distributed with this code for restrictions on its use and further distribution. Original distribution available at .