*BSD News Article 84836


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From: peter@nmti.com (Peter da Silva)
Newsgroups: comp.unix.solaris,comp.unix.bsd.misc,comp.unix.internals,comp.unix.osf.osf1
Subject: Re: SysV init [Was: Solaris 2.6]
Date: 11 Dec 1996 16:14:39 GMT
Organization: Network/development platform support, NMTI
Lines: 32
Distribution: inet
Message-ID: <58mmlf$cqm@web.nmti.com>
References: <32986299.AC7@mail.esrin.esa.it> <58invm$s4b@abyss.west.sun.com> <58k7hn$nur@web.nmti.com> <58m3bb$hju@innocence.interface-business.de>
NNTP-Posting-Host: sonic.nmti.com
Xref: euryale.cc.adfa.oz.au comp.unix.solaris:92236 comp.unix.bsd.misc:1777 comp.unix.internals:11573 comp.unix.osf.osf1:16998

In article <58m3bb$hju@innocence.interface-business.de>,
J Wunsch <joerg_wunsch@interface-business.de> wrote:
> The SysV init has good and bad sides.  While i think the idea is not
> too bad, i have yet to see a single SysV that does all state
> transitions right, e.g. where it doesn't tell you ``Starting foobar
> service...''  when you tell it to go down from run-level 3 to 2, or
> ``Stopping mumblefritz'' when you upgrade from S to 1.

The semantics of the scripts that are run from inittab need to be separated
from the System V init model itself. Init itself is a very simple program:
all it basically does is run programs on entering states. In a BSD world,
for example in Digital UNIX, it doesn't even complete the shutdown process
itself... rather the script that run on entering run level 0 finishes off
with a call to "halt" or "reboot".

4 states is plenty.

0 (halt), 1 (single user), 2 (multiuser), and 3 (online).

(call 0 0/6 if you want to use run levels to determine whether you call
 halt or reboot)

I *do* think that sitinguishing between multiuser and online (multiuser
with networking services and modems online) is a valuable tool for a
system administrator. Networking *clients* should continue to run in
single-user mode (and that's something System V boxes don't tend to
get right, sigh).

This can all be done without a zillion /etc/rc.d/rc3.d/S00internet files
if you like. Just have /etc/rc.d/rc(0,1,2,3,6) run on entering that state.
-- 
</peter>