** On Apr 27, w trillich scribbled:
> ever wonder what all those background processes are for?
>
> me too, and i still do. if you have some answers, please
> post them for us newbies.
>
> # ps t\?
> PID TTY STAT TIME COMMAND
> 1 ? S 0:06 init [2]
parent of all the processes in your system.
> 2 ? SW 0:00 [kflushd]
Not a "real" process - a kernel flush daemon (actually a kernel thread)
Runs periodically to flush the block device buffers> 3 ? SW< 0:00 [kswapd] Same as above, but for the swap activities. Synchronizes swap information. > 4 ? SW 0:00 [md_thread] > 5 ? SW 0:00 [md_thread] You probably don't need these two. They're auto-mounter threads AFAIR > 9757 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache Your HTTP server. > 1319 ? S 0:01 update On newer kernels it's not needed anymore. Performs the same function (more or less) as the above k*d daemons. > 1885 ? S 0:00 /sbin/syslogd System logger. Writes to files what applications send to the system log. > 1887 ? S 0:00 /sbin/klogd A partner to the above daemon which takes care of the kernel logging. > 1894 ? S 0:00 /sbin/kerneld Daemon to load the modules on demand. In newer kernels not needed anymore. > 1897 ? S 0:01 /usr/sbin/named Nameserver (a DNS server) - in that case it's BIND > 1918 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/exim -bd -q30m Your MTA (Mail Transport Agent) or, in M$ nomenclature, an SMTP server > 2002 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/rwhod RPC-based remote who server. > 2001 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/rinetd A version of inetd that redirects requests somewhere else than this machine. > 2018 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/afpd -n server > 2020 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/papd Don't know these two :)) > 2026 ? S 0:00 proftpd (accepting connections) ProFTPD ftp server running in standalone mode > 2031 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/atd Scheduled job spooler (for the 'at' command) > 9758 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache > 9756 ? S 0:01 /usr/sbin/apache > 9759 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache > 9760 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache > 9761 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/apache Clones of the parent (above) HTTPD process. Apache is a multi-process architecture server. > 2206 ? S 0:00 /sbin/portmap Portmapper for the RPC-based services (kinda a dispatch for them) > 2215 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/inetd The "normal" internet superserver. It takes care of starting your services that aren't ran in the standalone mode. > 5922 ? S 0:00 /usr/sbin/cron A cronjob server. Something like a scheduler but a periodic one, unlike atd which executes something 'at point' - once. [snip] > inetd = listens for network connections & hands them off > to appropriate processes > proftpd = ftp server > apache = httpd server > named = dns nameserver (xlate 'www.site.org' to '123.45.678.90') > exim = email stuff > cron = periodic script-runner (try "crontab -e") > atd = like cron; but for running scheduled 'at <time>' commands > update = flushes disk buffers now & then so if ever you crash > (remember windows? macos?) you'll lose less. > > these i can GUESS at: > > *logd = system loggers: > syslogd and klogd both log important messages to your log files. > we need them _both_ because... well... um... Because syslogd handles the userspace messages, klogd handles the kernel messages. > kerneld = linux 2.0 and earlier--some voodoo regarding modules > (dynamic module loading in 2.1+ [aka 'kmod'] makes this obsolete?) yup > rwhod = server for 'whois [EMAIL PROTECTED]' useless crap (IMHO) > rinetd = like inetd, but different? nah, a redirector - do you really need it? > afpd = portion of appletalk network protocols, maybe? > papd = some more appletalk stuff? hmm, dunno, perhaps? :) > portmap = something to do with Remote-Procedure-Call? precisely marek
pgpcVSNURPlmn.pgp
Description: PGP signature
