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inetd (internet service daemon) is a super-server daemon on many Unix systems that provides Internet services. For each configured service, it listens for requests from connecting clients. Requests are served by spawning a process which runs the appropriate executable, but simple services such as echo are served by inetd itself. External executables, which are run on request, can be single- or multi-threaded. First appearing in 4.3BSD, it is generally located at /usr/sbin/inetd. Often called a super-server, inetd listens on designated ports used by Internet services such as , POP3, and telnet. When a TCP packet or UDP packet arrives with a particular destination port number, inetd launches the appropriate server program to handle the connection. For services that are not expected to run with high loads, this method uses memory more efficiently, since the specific servers run only when needed. Furthermore, in inetd's "nowait" mode of service management, no network code is required in the service-specific programs, as inetd hooks the network stream directly to stdin and stdout of the spawned process. For protocols that have frequent traffic, such as HTTP and POP3, either inetd's "wait" mode of operation, or a dedicated server that intercepts the traffic directly may be preferable. The list of services that will be serviced is given in a configuration file, usually /etc/inetd.conf. A GUI for managing the configuration file is an optional accessory. The daemon may need a signal in order to re-read its configuration. For an example, telnet can be configured as follows (line taken from a machine running AIX version 5.1): telnet stream tcp6 nowait root /usr/sbin/telnetd telnetd -a The first word, telnet, is the official name of the service. It is resolved using the system database to map port numbers and protocols to service names. In this case, /etc/services should contain: telnet 23/tcp The second and third words describe the type of socket and underlying protocol respectively. The /etc/protocols database is consulted.

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Related concepts (4)

Super-server

A super-server or sometimes called a service dispatcher is a type of daemon run generally on Unix-like systems. A super-server starts other servers when needed, normally with access to them checked by a TCP wrapper. It uses very few resources when in idle state. This can be ideal for workstations used for local web development, client/server development or low-traffic daemons with occasional usage (such as ident and SSH). The creation of an operating system process embodying the sub-daemon is deferred until an incoming connection for the sub-daemon arrives.

Systemd

Systemd is a software suite that provides an array of system components for Linux operating systems. The main aim is to unify service configuration and behavior across Linux distributions. Its primary component is a "system and service manager" – an init system used to bootstrap user space and manage user processes. It also provides replacements for various daemons and utilities, including device management, login management, network connection management, and event logging.

Launchd

launchd is an init and operating system service management daemon created by Apple Inc. as part of macOS to replace its BSD-style init and SystemStarter. There have been efforts to port launchd to FreeBSD and derived systems. There are two main programs in the launchd system: launchd and launchctl. launchd manages the daemons at both a system and user level. Similar to xinetd, launchd can start daemons on demand. Similar to watchdogd, launchd can monitor daemons to make sure that they keep running.