Chapter 8 Run Levels and Boot Files (Tasks)

This chapter provides overview information and tasks that are related to run levels and boot files.

This is a list of the step-by-step instructions in this chapter.

• How to Use a Run Control Script to Stop or Start a Service

• How to Add a Run Control Script

• How to Disable a Run Control Script

This is a list of the overview information in this chapter.

• Run Levels

• The /etc/inittab File

• Run Control Scripts

• x86: Boot Files

Run Levels

A system's run level (also known as an init state) defines what services and resources are available to users. A system can be in only one run level at a time.

The Solaris environment has eight run levels, which are described in the following table. The default run level is specified in the /etc/inittab file as run level 3.

How to Determine a System's Run Level

Display run level information by using the who -r command.

$ who -r

Use the who -r command to determine a system's current run level for any level, except run level 0.

Example—Determining a System's Run Level

This example displays information a system's current run level and information about previous run levels.

$ who -r
 .    run-level 31  Dec 13 10:102   33   04 S5
$

1. Identifies the current run level

2. Identifies the date of last run level change

3. Also identifies the current run level

4. Identifies the number of times the system has been at this run level since the last reboot

5. Identifies the previous run level

The /etc/inittab File

When you boot the system or change run levels with the init or shutdown command, the init daemon starts processes by reading information from the /etc/inittab file. This file defines three important items for the init process:

• The system's default run level

• What processes to start, monitor, and restart if they terminate

• What actions to take when the system enters a new run level

Each entry in the /etc/inittab file has the following fields:

id:rstate:action:process

The following table describes the fields in an inittab entry.

Example—Default inittab File

The following example shows an annotated default inittab file that is installed with the Solaris release:

 

1 ap::sysinit:/sbin/autopush -f /etc/iu.ap
2 ap::sysinit:/sbin/soconfig -f /etc/sock2path
3 fs::sysinit:/sbin/rcS sysinit   >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
4 is:3:initdefault:
5 p3:s1234:powerfail:/usr/sbin/shutdown -y -i5 -g0 >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/...
6 sS:s:wait:/sbin/rcS              >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
7 s0:0:wait:/sbin/rc0              >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
8 s1:1:respawn:/sbin/rc1           >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
9 s2:23:wait:/sbin/rc2             >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
10 s3:3:wait:/sbin/rc3             >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
11 s5:5:wait:/sbin/rc5             >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
12 s6:6:wait:/sbin/rc6             >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
13 fw:0:wait:/sbin/uadmin 2 0      >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
14 of:5:wait:/sbin/uadmin 2 6      >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
15 rb:6:wait:/sbin/uadmin 2 1      >/dev/msglog 2<>/dev/msglog </dev/console
16 sc:234:respawn:/usr/lib/saf/sac -t 300
17 co:234:respawn:/usr/lib/saf/ttymon -g -h -p "`uname -n` console login: " 
   -T terminal-type -d /dev/console -l console
-m ldterm,ttcompat  

1. Initializes STREAMS modules

2. Configures socket transport providers

3. Initializes file systems

4. Defines default run level

5. Describes a power fail shutdown

6. Defines single-user level

7. Defines run level 0

8. Defines run level 1

9. Defines run level 2

10. Defines run level 3

11. Defines run level 5

12. Defines run level 6

13. Defines an unused level, firmware

14. Defines an unused level, off

15. Defines an unused level, reboot

16. Initializes Service Access Controller

17. Initializes console and identifies the terminal type

What Happens When the System Is Brought to Run Level 3

1. The init process is started and reads the /etc/default/init file to set any environment variables. By default, only the TIMEZONE variable is set.

2. Then init reads the inittab file and does the following:

   1. Identifies the initdefault entry, which defines the default run level (3).

   2. Executes any process entries that have sysinit in the action field so that any special initializations can take place before users login.

   3. Executes any process entries that have a 3 in the rstate field, which matches the default run level, 3.

      For a detailed description of how the init process uses the inittab file, see init(1M).

The following table describes the keywords used for run level 3's action field.

The following table describes the processes (or commands) that are executed at run level 3.

Run Control Scripts

The way system services are started and stopped in the Solaris environment might change in some future release.

The Solaris software environment provides a detailed series of run control (rc) scripts to control run-level changes. Each run level has an associated rc script that is located in the /sbin directory:

• rc0

• rc1

• rc2

• rc3

• rc5

• rc6

• rcS

For each rc script in the /sbin directory, there is a corresponding directory named /etc/rcn.d that contains scripts to perform various actions for that run level. For example, /etc/rc2.d contains files that are used to start and stop processes for run level 2.

# ls /etc/rc2.d
K03samba*         S05RMTMPFILES*     S72inetsvc*         S88utmpd*
K03sshd*          S10lu*             S72slpd*            S89PRESERVE*
K05appserv*       S20sysetup*        S73cachefs.daemon*  S89bdconfig@
K05volmgt*        S21perf*           S73nfs.client*      S90wbem*
K06mipagent*      S30sysid.net*      S74autofs*          S91zuluinit*
K07dmi*           S40llc2*           S74syslog*          S93cacheos.finish*
K07snmpdx*        S42ncakmod*        S74xntpd*           S94ncalogd*
K15imq*           S47pppd*           S75cron*            S95IIim*
K16apache*        S69inet*           S75flashprom*       S95svm.sync*
K21dhcp*          S70sckm*           S75savecore*        S98efcode*
K27boot.server*   S70uucp*           S76nscd*            S99audit*
K28kdc*           S71ldap.client*    S77sf880dr*         S99dtlogin*
K28kdc.master*    S71rpc*            S80lp*              S99emul64*
K28nfs.server*    S71sysid.sys*      S80spc*             S99rcapd*
README            S72autoinstall*    S85power*
S01MOUNTFSYS*     S72directory*      S88sendmail*

The /etc/rcn.d scripts are always run in ASCII sort order. The scripts have names of the form:

[KS][0-9][0-9]*

Files that begin with K are run to terminate (kill) a system service. Files that begin with S are run to start a system service.

Run control scripts are also located in the /etc/init.d directory. These files are linked to corresponding run control scripts in the /etc/rcn.d directories.

The actions of each run control script are summarized in the following section.

Run Control Script Summaries

The following sections summarize the run control scripts that are used to start and stop system services when you change run levels.

The /sbin/rc0 Script

The /sbin/rc0 script runs the /etc/rc0.d scripts to perform the following tasks:

• Stops system services and daemons

• Terminates all running processes

• Unmounts all file systems

The /sbin/rc1 Script

The /sbin/rc1 script runs the /etc/rc1.d scripts to perform the following tasks:

• Stops system services and daemons

• Terminates all running user processes

• Unmounts all remote file systems

• Mounts all local file systems if the previous run level was S

The /sbin/rc2 Script

The /sbin/rc2 script runs the /etc/rc2.d scripts to perform the following tasks, grouped by function:

Local system-related tasks:

• Mounts all local file systems if the previous run level was S

• Enables disk quotas if at least one file system was mounted with the quota option

• Saves temporary editor files in the /usr/preserve directory

• Removes any files and subdirectories in the /tmp directory

• Starts system activity data collecting, system accounting, and system auditing, if configured

• Starts the system logging daemon (syslogd), sets the default dump device, and rotates the /var/adm/messages file

• Sets the default scheduling class if the /etc/dispadmin.conf file exists

• Starts LP print service (lpsched) if a local printer is configured and cleans up the print queue

• Configures power management, if appropriate

• Starts the utmpd daemon

• Starts the cron and vold daemons

• Configures serial device stream

• Configures WBEM services

• Syncs volumes, if required, and starts the mdmonitord daemon to monitor the physical components of the volumes

• Starts the CDE desktop login process, dtlogin, if appropriate

Network service or security-related tasks:

• Configures the network interfaces, sets ifconfig netmask, and configures network routing, if appropriate

• Starts network service (inetd and rpcbind) daemons

• Starts the logical link controller (llc2), if configured

• Sets the name service domain name, starts various name services daemons, depending on if the system is configured for a name service, and whether the system is a client or a server

• Starts the keyserv, statd, lockd, and xntpd daemons, if appropriate

• Mounts all NFS entries

• Configures the Solaris Network Cache and Accelerator (NCA) and NCA logging, if appropriate

• Starts the Solaris PPP server or client daemons (pppoed or pppd), if configured

• Starts LDAP cache manager (ldap_cachemgr), if configured

• Starts directory server (slapd) daemon, if configured

• Starts DNS (in.named) daemon, if configured

• Starts Service Location Protocol (slpd) daemon, if configured

• Configures system resource controls and system pools if the /etc/rctladm.conf and /etc/pooladm.conf files exist

• Starts the cachefsd, automount, and sendmail daemons, if appropriate

• Starts the htt_server process

Install-related tasks:

• Configures the boot environment for the Live Upgrade software upon system startup or system shutdown

• Checks for the presence of the /etc/.UNCONFIGURE file to see if the system should be reconfigured

• Reboots the system from the installation media or a boot server if either /.PREINSTALL or /AUTOINSTALL exists

Hardware-related tasks:

• Starts the Sun Fire 15000 key management daemon (sckmd), if appropriate

• Starts the Sun Fire 880 Dynamic Reconfiguration daemon (sf880drd), if appropriate

• Runs the flash PROM update script

• Configures any graphic frame buffers or graphic accelerators

• Runs the FCode interpreter daemon (efdaemon), if necessary

Transitions the following services between run-level changes:

• Apache (tomcat)

• Boot server (in.rarpd), (rpc.bootparamd), or (rpld)

• DHCP (in.dhcpd)

• Kerberos KDC (krb5kdc ) and Kerberos administration (kadmind)

• Mobile IP (mipagent)

• NFS server (nfsd), (mountd), (nfslogd)

• Samba (smdb) and (nmdb)

• Secure shell (sshd)

• Solstice Enterprise Agents (dmispd) and (snmpXdmid)

Many of the system services and applications that are started at run level 2 depend on what software is installed on the system.

The /sbin/rc3 Script

The /sbin/rc3 script runs the /etc/rc3.d scripts to perform the following tasks:

• Starts the Apache server daemon (tomcat), if configured

• Starts the DHCP daemon (in.dhcpd), if appropriate

• Starts Kerberos KDC (krb5kdc) and Kerberos administration (kadmind) daemons, if configured

• Starts Mobile IP daemon (mipagent), if configured

• Starts the Samba daemons (smdb and nmdb), if configured

• Starts the secure shell daemon (sshd), if appropriate

• Starts the Solstice Enterprise Agents (dmispd and snmpXdmid)

• Cleans up the /etc/dfs/sharetab file

• Starts the NFS server daemons nfsd, mountd, and nfslogd, if appropriate

• If the system is a boot server, starts the rarpd, rpc.bootparamd, and rpld daemons

The /sbin/rc5 and /sbin/rc6 Scripts

The /sbin/rc5 and /sbin/rc6 scripts run the /etc/rc0.d/K* scripts to perform the following tasks:

• Kills all active processes

• Unmounts the file systems

The /sbin/rcS Script

The /sbin/rcS script runs the /etc/rcS.d scripts to bring the system up to run level S. The following tasks are performed by these scripts:

• Establishes a minimal network

• Checks and mounts root (/), /usr, /tmp, /var, /var/adm, and /var/run file systems.

• Sets the system name

• Mounts pseudo file systems (/proc and /dev/fd)

• Rebuilds the device entries for reconfiguration boots

• Checks and mounts other file systems to be mounted in single-user level

Using a Run Control Script to Stop or Start Services

The way system services are started and stopped in Solaris environment might change in some future release.

One advantage of having individual scripts for each run level is that you can run scripts in the /etc/init.d directory individually to stop system services without changing a system's run level.

How to Use a Run Control Script to Stop or Start a Service

1. Become superuser.

2. Stop the system service.

   # /etc/init.d/filename stop

3. Restart the system service.

   # /etc/init.d/filename start

4. Verify that the service has been stopped or started.

   # pgrep -f service

Example—Using a Run Control Script to Stop or Start a Service

For example, you can stop the NFS server daemons by typing the following:

# /etc/init.d/nfs.server stop
# pgrep -f nfs
#

Then, you can restart the NFS server daemons by typing the following:

# /etc/init.d/nfs.server start
# pgrep -f nfs 
341
343
347
345
# pgrep -f nfs -d, | xargs ps -fp
 UID   PID  PPID  C    STIME TTY      TIME CMD
  daemon   341     1  0   Aug 21 ?        0:00 /usr/lib/nfs/statd
    root   343     1  0   Aug 21 ?        0:00 /usr/lib/nfs/lockd
    root   347     1  0   Aug 21 ?        0:41 /usr/lib/nfs/nfsd
    root   345     1  0   Aug 21 ?        0:02 /usr/lib/nfs/mountd

Adding a Run Control Script

The way system services are started and stopped in the Solaris environment might change in some future release.

If you want to add a run control script to start and stop a service, copy the script into the /etc/init.d directory. Then, create links in the rcn.d directory where you want the service to start and stop.

See the README file in each /etc/rcn.d directory for more information on naming run control scripts. The following procedure describes how to add a run control script.

How to Add a Run Control Script

1. Become superuser.

2. Add the script to the /etc/init.d directory.

   # cp filename /etc/init.d # chmod 0744 /etc/init.d/filename # chown root:sys /etc/init.d/filename

3. Create links to the appropriate rcn.d directory.

   # cd /etc/init.d # ln filename /etc/rc2.d/Snnfilename # ln filename /etc/rcn.d/Knnfilename

4. Verify that the script has links in the specified directories.

   # ls /etc/init.d/ /etc/rc2.d/ /etc/rcn.d/

Example—Adding a Run Control Script

The following example shows how to add a run control script for the xyz service.

# cp xyz /etc/init.d
# chmod 0744 /etc/init.d/xyz
# chown root:sys /etc/init.d/xyz
# cd /etc/init.d
# ln xyz /etc/rc2.d/S100xyz
# ln xyz /etc/rc0.d/K100xyz
# ls /etc/init.d /etc/rc2.d /etc/rc0.d

Disabling a Run Control Script

You can disable a run control script by renaming it with an underscore (_) at the beginning of the file name. Files that begin with an underscore or dot are not executed. If you copy a file by adding a suffix to it, both files will be run.

How to Disable a Run Control Script

1. Become superuser.

2. Rename the script by adding an underscore (_) to the beginning of the new file.

   # cd /etc/rcn.d # mv filename _filename

3. Verify that the script has been renamed.

   # ls _* # _filename

Example—Disabling a Run Control Script

The following example shows how to rename the S100datainit script.

# cd /etc/rc2.d
# mv S100datainit _S100datainit
# ls _*
# _S100datainit

x86: Boot Files

In addition to the run control scripts and boot files described previously, there are additional boot files that are associated with booting a Solaris x86 system.