Software:List of Unix daemons
In the intricate world of Unix systems (Also known as *nix), where processes, services, and tasks work together seamlessly, there exists a category of behind-the-scenes heroes that ensure the smooth operation of your system - Unix daemons. These silent workhorses tirelessly perform their duties in the background, often without you even realizing it. Let's delve deep into the realm of Unix daemons, shedding light on their significance, types, workings, and management.
What Are *nix Daemons?
Unix daemons, pronounced "dee-mons," are the unsung heroes of the Unix operating system. They are background processes that run continuously, quietly executing various tasks without user intervention. These daemons can be thought of as the guardians of your system, tirelessly carrying out essential functions such as handling network services, managing hardware devices, and executing scheduled tasks.
Why are Unix Daemons Important?
The importance of Unix daemons cannot be overstated. They are the backbone of a well-functioning *nix system, ensuring its stability, reliability, and efficiency. Daemons play a crucial role in managing essential services, automating repetitive tasks, and responding to events, all while allowing users to interact with their Unix systems seamlessly.
Without daemons, your web server wouldn't serve web pages, your email server wouldn't deliver messages, and your system would lack the automation and scheduling capabilities that make it so versatile. In essence, *nix daemons are the unsung heroes that keep the Unix ecosystem humming along.
This is a list of Unix daemons that are found on various Unix-like operating systems. Unix daemons typically have a name ending with a d.
| Process | Description |
|---|---|
| init[1] | The Unix program which spawns all other processes. As of 2016, for major Linux distributions, it has been replaced by systemd.[2] |
| biod[3] | Works in cooperation with the remote nfsd to handle client NFS requests. |
| crond[1] | Time-based job scheduler, runs jobs in the background. |
| dhcpd | Dynamically configure TCP/IP information for clients. |
| fingerd | Provides a network interface for the finger protocol, as used by the finger command. |
| ftpd[1] | Services FTP requests from a remote system. |
| httpd | Web server daemon. |
| inetd[4] | Listens for network connection requests. If a request is accepted, it can launch a background daemon to handle the request, was known as the super server for this reason. Some systems use the replacement command xinetd. |
| lpd | The line printer daemon that manages printer spooling. |
| nfsd[3] | Processes NFS operation requests from client systems. Historically each nfsd daemon handled one request at a time, so it was normal to start multiple copies. |
| ntpd | Network Time Protocol daemon that manages clock synchronization across the network. xntpd implements the version 3 standard of NTP. |
| portmap/rpcbind | Provides information to allow ONC RPC clients to contact ONC RPC servers |
| sshd | Listens for Secure Shell requests from clients. |
| sendmail | SMTP daemon. |
| swapper | Copies process regions to swap space in order to reclaim physical pages of memory for the kernel. Also called sched. |
| syslogd | System logger process that collects various system messages. |
| syncd | Periodically keeps the file systems synchronized with system memory. |
| systemd | Replacement of init, the Unix program which spawns all other processes. |
| xfsd | Serve X11 fonts to remote clients. |
| vhand | Releases pages of memory for use by other processes. Also known as the "page stealing daemon" |
| ypbind | Find the server for an NIS domain and store the information in a file. |
See also
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Verma, Archna (2006), Unix and Shell Programming, Laxmi Publications, p. 84, ISBN 81-7008-958-1, https://books.google.com/books?id=JhS-TkW0tOYC&pg=PA84
- ↑ Saunders, Mike (11 November 2015). "Linux 101: Get the most out of systemd". Linux Voice. https://www.linuxvoice.com/linux-101-get-the-most-out-of-systemd/. Retrieved 28 January 2016.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Rosen, Kenneth H.; Host, Douglas A.; Klee, Rachel (2006), UNIX: the complete reference, Complete Reference Series (2nd ed.), McGraw-Hill Professional, p. 514, ISBN 0-07-226336-9, https://books.google.com/books?id=2Et--84HIkwC&pg=PA514
- ↑ Stevens, W. Richard; Fenner, Bill; Rudoff, Andrew M. (2004), UNIX Network Programming: The sockets networking API, Addison-Wesley professional computing series (3rd ed.), Addison-Wesley Professional, p. 372, ISBN 0-13-141155-1, https://books.google.com/books?id=ptSC4LpwGA0C&pg=PA372
 |  |
