RC(8)                   OpenBSD System Manager's Manual                  RC(8)

NAME
     rc - command scripts for system startup

SYNOPSIS
     /etc/rc
     /etc/rc.local
     /etc/rc.securelevel

DESCRIPTION
     rc is the command script that is invoked by init(8) during an automatic
     reboot and after single user mode is exited; it performs system house-
     keeping chores and starts up system daemons.  Additionally, rc is intri-
     cately tied to the netstart(8) script, which runs commands and daemons
     pertaining to the network.  The rc.securelevel and rc.local scripts hold
     commands which are pertinent only to a specific site.

     All four of these startup scripts are (or can be) controlled to some ex-
     tent by variables defined in rc.conf(8) and rc.conf.local(8), which spec-
     ify which daemons and services to run.

     When an automatic reboot is in progress, rc is invoked with the argument
     autoboot.  The first portion of rc runs an fsck(8) with option -p to
     ``preen'' all disks of minor inconsistencies resulting from the last sys-
     tem shutdown and to check for serious inconsistencies caused by hardware
     or software failure.  If this auto-check and repair succeeds, then the
     second part of rc is run.

     However, if the file /fastboot exists, fsck(8) will not be invoked during
     this boot.  This file is then removed so that fsck will be run on subse-
     quent boots.

     The second part of rc, which is run after an auto-reboot succeeds and al-
     so if rc is invoked when a single user shell terminates (see init(8)),
     then asks rc.conf(8) for configuration variables, mounts filesystems,
     starts system daemons, preserves editor files, clears the scratch direc-
     tory /tmp, and saves any possible core image that might have been gener-
     ated as a result of a system crash, with savecore(8).

     Before rc starts most system daemons, netstart(8) is executed.

     rc.securelevel is executed by rc to start daemons that must be run before
     the security level changes.  Following this, rc then sets the security
     level to the value specified in the securelevel variable in that file.
     See securelevel(7) for the effects of setting the security level.

     rc.local is executed towards the end of rc (it is not the very last as
     there are a few services that must be started at the very end).  Normal-
     ly, rc.local contains commands and daemons that are not part of the stock
     installation.

CONFIGURATION EXAMPLES
     The rc.conf(8) file contains a series of Bourne-shell syntax assignments
     that are used to configure kernel configurations, network configuration,
     and various other system daemons.  As described above, this file is
     sourced (using sh(1) of course) by /etc/rc.  Various comments in
     rc.conf(8) make it clear what each variable does.  Refer to the specific
     man pages for each daemon to determine what that subsystem does.

     For example, the lpd(8) daemon is controlled by the following line:

           lpd_flags=NO        # for normal use: "" (or "-l" for debugging)

     This does not start lpd(8) at system startup.  To start lpd(8), the fol-
     lowing entry can be used:

           lpd_flags=""        # for normal use: "" (or "-l" for debugging)

     Alternately, lpd(8) can be started with the -l flag (to log remote con-
     nections):

           lpd_flags="-l"      # for normal use: "" (or "-l" for debugging)

EXTERNAL INFLUENCES
     Before init(8) starts rc, it sets the process priority, umask, and re-
     source limits according to the ``daemon'' login class as described in
     login.conf(5).

FILES
     /etc/rc                Command scripts for system startup.
     /etc/rc.local          Site specific command scripts for system startup.
     /etc/rc.conf           System daemon configuration database.
     /etc/rc.conf.local     Site specific daemon configuration database.
     /etc/rc.securelevel    Commands run before the security level changes.
     /etc/rc.shutdown       Commands run at system shutdown.
     /etc/login.conf        Login class capability database.
     /etc/netstart          Command script for network startup.
     /fastboot              Tells rc(8) not to run fsck(8) during the next
                            boot.

SEE ALSO
     login.conf(5), sysctl.conf(5), securelevel(7), init(8), netstart(8),
     rc.conf(8), rc.shutdown(8), reboot(8), savecore(8)

HISTORY
     The rc command appeared in 4.0BSD.

OpenBSD 4.7                      May 31, 2007                                2
