blob: 43181e5c1e51b4448aa4c0230f0b19d5f9d550fc [file] [log] [blame]
<html lang="en">
<head>
<title>Inetd - The GNU C Library</title>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html">
<meta name="description" content="The GNU C Library">
<meta name="generator" content="makeinfo 4.13">
<link title="Top" rel="start" href="index.html#Top">
<link rel="up" href="Sockets.html#Sockets" title="Sockets">
<link rel="prev" href="Datagrams.html#Datagrams" title="Datagrams">
<link rel="next" href="Socket-Options.html#Socket-Options" title="Socket Options">
<link href="http://www.gnu.org/software/texinfo/" rel="generator-home" title="Texinfo Homepage">
<!--
This file documents the GNU C library.
This is Edition 0.12, last updated 2007-10-27,
of `The GNU C Library Reference Manual', for version
2.8 (Sourcery G++ Lite 2011.03-41).
Copyright (C) 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2002,
2003, 2007, 2008, 2010 Free Software Foundation, Inc.
Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document
under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1.3 or
any later version published by the Free Software Foundation; with the
Invariant Sections being ``Free Software Needs Free Documentation''
and ``GNU Lesser General Public License'', the Front-Cover texts being
``A GNU Manual'', and with the Back-Cover Texts as in (a) below. A
copy of the license is included in the section entitled "GNU Free
Documentation License".
(a) The FSF's Back-Cover Text is: ``You have the freedom to
copy and modify this GNU manual. Buying copies from the FSF
supports it in developing GNU and promoting software freedom.''-->
<meta http-equiv="Content-Style-Type" content="text/css">
<style type="text/css"><!--
pre.display { font-family:inherit }
pre.format { font-family:inherit }
pre.smalldisplay { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
pre.smallformat { font-family:inherit; font-size:smaller }
pre.smallexample { font-size:smaller }
pre.smalllisp { font-size:smaller }
span.sc { font-variant:small-caps }
span.roman { font-family:serif; font-weight:normal; }
span.sansserif { font-family:sans-serif; font-weight:normal; }
--></style>
<link rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" href="../cs.css">
</head>
<body>
<div class="node">
<a name="Inetd"></a>
<p>
Next:&nbsp;<a rel="next" accesskey="n" href="Socket-Options.html#Socket-Options">Socket Options</a>,
Previous:&nbsp;<a rel="previous" accesskey="p" href="Datagrams.html#Datagrams">Datagrams</a>,
Up:&nbsp;<a rel="up" accesskey="u" href="Sockets.html#Sockets">Sockets</a>
<hr>
</div>
<h3 class="section">16.11 The <code>inetd</code> Daemon</h3>
<p>We've explained above how to write a server program that does its own
listening. Such a server must already be running in order for anyone
to connect to it.
<p>Another way to provide a service on an Internet port is to let the daemon
program <code>inetd</code> do the listening. <code>inetd</code> is a program that
runs all the time and waits (using <code>select</code>) for messages on a
specified set of ports. When it receives a message, it accepts the
connection (if the socket style calls for connections) and then forks a
child process to run the corresponding server program. You specify the
ports and their programs in the file <samp><span class="file">/etc/inetd.conf</span></samp>.
<ul class="menu">
<li><a accesskey="1" href="Inetd-Servers.html#Inetd-Servers">Inetd Servers</a>
<li><a accesskey="2" href="Configuring-Inetd.html#Configuring-Inetd">Configuring Inetd</a>
</ul>
</body></html>