Managing xinetd Programs

The xinetd RPM is installed by default in Fedora Linux and uses /etc/xinetd.conf as its main configuration file. Fortunately you usually don't have to edit this file, so day-to-day xinetd operation is frequently limited to only starting and stopping xinetd-managed applications.

Controlling xinetd

The scripts in the /etc/init.d directory control the starting and stopping of the xinetd daemon, and chkconfig controls its behavior at boot time.

You can start, stop, and restart xinetd after booting by using:

     [root@bigboy tmp]# service xinetd start
     [root@bigboy tmp]# service xinetd stop
     [root@bigboy tmp]# service xinetd restart

To get xinetd configured to start at boot, you can use the chkconfig command.

     [root@bigboy tmp]# chkconfig xinetd on

Controlling xinetd-Managed Applications

Xinetd-managed applications all store their configuration files in the /etc/xinetd.d directory. Each configuration file has a disable statement that you can set to yes or no. This governs whether xinetd is allowed to start them or not.

You don't have to edit these files to activate or deactivate the application. The chkconfig command does that for you automatically and also stops or starts the application accordingly too! Here is an example of the activation and deactivation of the Samba SWAT Web GUI management application:

     [root@bigboy tmp]# chkconfig swat on
     [root@bigboy tmp]# chkconfig swat off