No /etc/inietd file

[Ronald Cogen]

I'm a bit new to Linux, in this case SuSELinux EnterpriseServer8, and was a bit surprised not to find the inetd file after the intallation. Of course, I can't do anything until I figure this out. Now, don't laugh, but can someone out there tell me how the good old inetd file didn't get installed or got lost in the shuffel, and how I can remedy this odd situation?

[Claudio Cilloni]

I don't know SuSe distribution, but linux usually doesn't use inetd but uses xinetd.
xinetd services are configured with the files containted in /etc/xinetd.d . (speaking about redhat linux).

$ man xinetd
$ man xinetd.conf

Ciao
Claudio

[Ronald Cogen]

Some versions of SuSE Linux also use xinetd. But, in my case, we are definately looking for inetd. The thouht did occur to me to look for xinetd, which I also couldn't find, but after consulting the sysadmin manual it confirmed that the version I currently installed uses inetd. Thanks anyway.

[Mark Grant]

Just making sure you are aware that it's actually supposed to be /etc/inetd.conf not /etc/inetd.

Assuming that you were aware of this, see if inetd is actually running "ps -ef | grep inetd". This will show you for sure which one, if either, is running. If one is running then try "find / -xdev -name inetd.conf -print" which will find it for you.

[Ronald Cogen]

Hello Mark. Thank you for your reply.
Accoring to the administration manual the start file /etc/init.d/inetd starts the inet deamon. I looked into /etc/inetd.conf, which is there, but it dosen't refer to inetd. Of course there are things there for samba and ftp, etc. Anyway I'm a bit confused. What did you expect me to do with /etc/inetd.conf?

[Mark Grant]

Ronald,

I supposed from your original post that it was /etc/inetd.conf taht was missing.

Are you saying that the "inetd" program itself is missing? I'm not sure about SuSe as I haven't run that for some time but my "inetd" is /sbin/inetd.

Anyway, in an effort to help, if I remember my SuSe correctly, there was a file "/etc/SuSeconfig" (or however SuSe write their name these days) in which you had to set a variable, which I think was "STARTINETD", that you needed to change to a "1" if inetd is to start up at boot.

[Vernon Brown_4]

I'm running SuSE 9.0 on my development box here and have been through what you're experiencing. On this box the running init daemon is init; not initd.

/etc/inittab is the config file where you set up runlevels etc.

I'm migrating from RedHat 7.1.

Vern

[Ronald Cogen]

Mark: I looked into SuSEconfig but could not find any parameter for starting the network. there are things there for mail , info_dir, etc_hosts, root_path, etc., that's all. And yes, inetd is simply not on the system. Thanks, however, for the interesting slant on things. Maybe you might think of something else.

Vernon: I'm referring to inetd, which is for the network. You mention initd, which is the "father of all processes on the system". Both belong to the system. Are you sure that you have no inetd running. According to the system manual you should. Let me know.

[Vernon Brown_4]

I have to confess that I used YaST to set up networking. It was very easy to do but left me knowing little about what actually happened.

I set up Apache2 and bind on my local network. The network was not automatically loaded in the first install. I had to get into YaST; go to install/remove software and select the individual packages to install. During the install process it asks your network IP; whether you're going through a proxy to the internet etc. After the install process everything was working. I'm on a LAN going through a local network proxy through a RedHat 7.1 running Apache.

I guess we're all going to be dragged kicking and screaming into the GUI world.

BTW I have no inetd running. Network is up; I'm on it now in gnome using the Epiphany browser.

[Ronald Cogen]

Vernon: Thanks for your explanation. Apparently, inetd is not essential to the working of the network. So, what is it really good for? I must admit that I became aware of this due to a problem with printer configurations. But, I think that is a topic for another forum. And, I will address the problem as soon as I it arises on-site.

[Vernon Brown_4]

I'm working on getting this SuSE box set up to replace the RedHat 7.1; still need masqurading setup. I found "Manual Network Configuration" page 316 of the SuSE Administration Guide for us die hard keyboarding folk. Says the network config stuff is at /etc/sysconfig/network/

I looked; all the usual network config stuff seems to be there.

Vern

[Stuart Browne · Accepted solution]

Ronald, you've not said why you're looking for 'inetd.conf'.

INetD is a SuperDaemon, basically allowing you to launch other daemons without them all having to be listening themselves.

Over the years, certain protocols have grown to rely upon it (for example, 'telnet' cannot be a stand-alone listening daemon, only launchable from a Super daemon of some type).

If you're not using any basic TCP protocols (time/date/echo/etc. etc.), and you're using 'ssh' and other self-sustained daemons for other protocols, then you really don't need an 'inetd' or 'inetd.conf' (or any of the varients, xinetd etc.).

Was there a particular service you were looking to enable?

[Martin P.J. Zinser]

Hi,

invoke yast2, then network services in the left panel and again network services in the right panel. This will give you a choice of inetd/xinetd. Configure the services you want. After exiting (and saving) your changes from yast2 the file will be in /etc.

Alternativly you also can use character cell yast to perform the config.

Greetings, Martin

[Ronald Cogen]

Vernon: In my manual the section on network configuration is on page 247. Be that as it may inetd did not get put into /etc, for whatever reason, during the original installation. But, as it turns out, I don't necessarily need it.

Stuart: I thought I nedded inetd for communication to the network printers, which I haven't been able to print to. I can ping them , telnet on to them, but that's it. I plan to open another thread in the forum for this problem, especially because I'm new to CUPS.

Martin: Thanks for the tip. I will try it this way.