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https_force

Member

Registered: 2025-11-24

Posts: 2  

How to use the Init system?

When I install a new distro I typically run 'sudo lsof -i' to see what is [Listening] and work to remove any potentially vulnerable network aware applications.

I'm struggling to learn how the init system works. A small guide on how to use the Devuan init for managing daemons would be nice for the following actions:

Do I need to know about runlevels for daemons?
How to Start a service:
How to stop a service:
How to disable a service:
How to enable a service:

What is the correct procedure to follow before 'sudo apt remove <package>' that also has a service module?

RedGreen925

Member

Registered: 2024-12-07

Posts: 214  

Re: How to use the Init system?

Do I need to know about runlevels for daemons?
How to Start a service:
How to stop a service:
How to disable a service:
How to enable a service:

What is the correct procedure to follow before 'sudo apt remove <package>' that also has a service module?

The runlevels will be in the file that controls the daemon in the /etc/init.d/ directory,

sudo /etc/init.d/service start
sudo /etc/init.d/service stop
sudo update-rc.d service remove
sudo update-rc.d service defaults

Those would be the answers to your next four questions usually you can find the options used with /etc/init.d/service by reading the plain text file it is to see what is available in it. Most times there is a restart option and some of the time a force-reload that can be used as well.

Apt will shut down the service before/during removal as I remember it as never having to do anything special when I have done it, using the --purge option with it when removing will get rid of all of the configuration files installed by the package as well.

fsmithred

Administrator

Registered: 2016-11-25

Posts: 2,772  

Re: How to use the Init system?

Old but still useful -
https://refracta.org/docs/debian-handbook-wheezy.pdf
Last Debian Administrator's Handbook before systemd.

Devarch

Member

Registered: 2022-10-03

Posts: 106  

Re: How to use the Init system?

When I install a new distro I typically run 'sudo lsof -i' to see what is [Listening] and work to remove any potentially vulnerable network aware applications.

I'm struggling to learn how the init system works. A small guide on how to use the Devuan init for managing daemons would be nice for the following actions:

Do I need to know about runlevels for daemons?
How to Start a service:
How to stop a service:
How to disable a service:
How to enable a service:

What is the correct procedure to follow before 'sudo apt remove <package>' that also has a service module?

Yep, most people here do not like to use ai too much ... but ... you can try to ask ai to get some answers.

unixuser

Member

Registered: 2024-09-13

Posts: 33  

Re: How to use the Init system?

@fsmithred

Thank you, very nice find

GlennW

Member

From: Brisbane, Australia

Registered: 2019-07-18

Posts: 686  

Re: How to use the Init system?

I often do this when tidying up the start process... for services I use and not everything available, especially for accessability services.

rc-update del sudo default
rc-update add sudo off
rc-update add ssh off
rc-update del ssh default
rc-update del saned default
rc-update add saned off
rc-update add nethack-common off
rc-update del nethack-common default
rc-update del fetchmail default
rc-update add fetchmail off
rc-update add exim4 off
rc-update del exim4 default

.... (plus a whole lot more where I profer to start them myself when required.)

If you type rc-update you'll get a complete list for your system. (I'm using open-rc)

---

pic from 1993, new guitar day.

EDX-0

Member

Registered: 2020-12-12

Posts: 184  

Re: How to use the Init system?

if ya miss the systemctl heuristics there's this script i call initctl which wraps update-rc.d(8) and service(8) in a familiar way while ya learn the ropes of using those commands.

https://github.com/eylles/devuan-script … er/initctl

swanson

Member

Registered: 2020-04-22

Posts: 131  

Re: How to use the Init system?

sysv-rc-conf

isn't bad either.

kapqa

Member

Registered: 2019-01-02

Posts: 571  

Re: How to use the Init system?

maybe we can simulate this init start thing?

would like to start this program boinc "automatically" at startup.

https://boinc.berkeley.edu/wiki/Stop_or … after_boot

thank you very much.

https://github.com/BOINC/boinc/wiki/Sto … after_boot

Last edited by kapqa (Today 12:51:28)