Many of the services launched via init scripts in runlevels 2-3-4-5 and rcS.d lack standard, "human readable" descriptions of their main behavior. Often, the package description provided for these services is very cryptic and (and, cryptic or not) longer descriptions cannot easily be displayed within the BootupManager main view window.
Confusingly, the name of a given service may not exactly match the debian packagename which provided (installed) it.$ locate motd ^---v /etc/motd /etc/update-motd.d /etc/init.d/motd
$ dpkg-query -S /etc/init.d/motd ^---v initscripts: /etc/init.d/motd
$ apropos motd ^---v motd (5) - message of the day pam_motd (8) - Display the motd file
| Script Name as seen in /etc/init.d |
Current package description |
alternative description |
Related daemon |
Learn More: links to docs ideally, docs that (you) we have copied to linkrot -proof archive.org URLs |
| acct | The GNU Accounting utilities for process and login accounting | 1, 2 | ||
| acpid | Utilities for using ACPI power management | Performs intelligent power management of your system | acpid | ^---- placeholders |
| acpi-support | acpi-support is a collection of useful events for acpi | For laptops, does power management and enables hotkeys | n/a | |
| aime | Advanced Interactive Mudding Environment | |||
| alsa | ALSA driver configuration files | Sound Architecture Services | ||
| anacron | A cron-like program that doesn't go by time | Runs system housekeeping chores on specified days. | n/a | |
| apache | Versatile, high-performance HTTP server | Apache web server | apache/httpd | |
| apache2 | Next generation, scalable, extendable web server | Apache2 web server | apache2/httpd | |
| atd | Delayed job execution and batch processing | Enables scheduling of jobs | atd | |
| apmd | Utilities for Advanced Power Management (APM) | Monitors battery status for some older laptops | apmd | |
| autofs | A kernel-based automounter for Linux | Automounter for Linux | autofs | |
| avgd | AVG Anti-Virus daemon | avgd | ||
| bootlogd | Standard scripts needed for booting and shutting down | Saves messages at boot to a log file | bootlogd | |
| capiutils | Utilities for CAPI-capable ISDN cards | Allows ISDN cards to use the CAPI interface | capifaxrecvd | |
| capi4hylafax | Faxing over CAPI2.0 device | Enables faxing with CAPI-enabled ISDN cards | ||
| cron | Management of regular background processing | Runs system housekeeping chores on specified dates/times | cron | manpage: man cron |
| capisuite | Easy fax and voice box solution for ISDN/CAPI capable devices | Answering Machine & Fax for CAPI-enabled ISDN cards | ? | |
| cupsys | Common UNIX Printing System™ - server | Manages print jobs | cupsd | |
| dbus-1 | Simple interprocess messaging system | Delivers messages between applications | dbus-daemon-1 | |
| ddclient | Update dynamic IP address at DynDNS.org and other DNS hosts | Updates your details on DNS hosting providers | ddclient | |
| dgc | Conexant DGC USB modem driver | Linux driver for Conexant USB hardware modem. | dgc | |
| dhcp3-server | DHCP v3 Server | Provides IP addresses to clients via DHCP | dhcpd3 | |
| dictd | Dictionary Server | Dictionary Server | dictd | |
| dirmngr | server for managing certificate revocation lists | |||
| dnetc | n/a | distributed.net client computing RC5 and DES projects on unused CPU cycles | ||
| dns-clean | A text menu based utility for configuring ppp | Configures your system for internet access via a modem | ? | |
| evms | Enterprise Volume Management System (core) | Hard Disk Volume Management | n/a | |
| exim4 | support files for all exim MTA (v4) packages | |||
| fam | File Alteration Monitor | Detects changes in files/directories | famd | |
| fetchmail | SSL enabled POP3, APOP, IMAP mail gatherer/forwarder | Mail retrieval and forwarding utility | fetchmail | |
| festival | general multi-lingual speech synthesis system | |||
| firestarter | Firestarter is a complete firewall tool for Linux machines. | iptables | ||
| firewall | script to start/stop IpTables Firewall | iptables | ||
| fnfxd | An ACPI and hotkey daemon for Toshiba laptops | Power and special key management for Toshiba laptops | ||
| gdm | GNOME Display Manager | Gnome Display Manager | gdm | |
| gnunet | Secure, trust-based peer-to-peer framework | |||
| gpsd | GPS (Global Positioning System) service daemon | |||
| hdparm | Tune hard disk parameters for high performance | Tunes hard disk parameters for high performance | n/a | |
| hddtemp | Utility to monitor the temperature of your hard drive | Monitors the temperature of your hard drive | ||
| heartbeat | Subsystem for High-Availability Linux | High-Availability Linux, used in failover and recovery scenarios | ||
| hotplug | Linux Hotplug Scripts | Detects new devices when plugged in | Check /proc/sys/kernel/hotplug | |
| hpoj | HP OfficeJet Linux driver (hpoj) | HP OfficeJet Linux driver | ptal-printd | |
| hsf | Conexant HSF softmodem | Conexant HSF softmodem | hsfdcpd | |
| hylafax | Flexible client/server fax software - server daemons | Supports the sending and receiving of facsimiles | hfaxd | |
| ifupdown-clean | High level tools to configure network interfaces | Tools to configure network services | n/a | |
| inetd | The Internet Superserver | Manager for incoming Internet connections | inetd | |
| inn2 | 'InterNetNews' news server | |||
| kdm | KDE Display Manager | Login manager for KDE | kdm | |
| keytouch-init.sh | n/a | |||
| klogd | Kernel Logging Daemon | Logs important system events | klogd | |
| laptop-mode | Userland scripts to control "laptop mode" | Automatically enables laptop mode when computer is running on batteries | n/a | |
| libdevmapper1.00 | The Linux Kernel Device Mapper userspace library | |||
| lirc | Linux Infra-red Remote Control support | |||
| lpd | BSD lpr/lpd line print spooling system | |||
| lvm | The Logical Volume Manager for Linux (common files) | Handles physical hard disk volumes in logical groups | ? | |
| makedev | Creates device files in /dev | Creates special files to interact with hardware | n/a | |
| mdadm | Manage MD devices aka Linux Software Raid | Manages multiple disk devices for fault-tolerance | mdadm | |
| module-init-tools | tools for managing Linux kernel modules | |||
| modutils | Linux module utilities | |||
| mpd | Music Player Daemon | Allows remote access for playing music | mpd | |
| mysql | mysql database server binaries | Fast and stable SQL database server | mysqld | |
| mysqld-ib | Infobright combines a column-oriented database with our Knowledge Grid architecture to deliver a self-managing data warehouse optimized for analytics. | Infobright SQL database server | mysqld | |
| mysql-nbd | mysql database server binaries | Fast and stable SQL database server | mysqld | |
| mysql-nbd-mgm | mysql database server binaries | Fast and stable SQL database server | mysqld | |
| netapplet | User-friendly network interface control applet | Monitors and displays network activity | ||
| networking | Basic TCP/IP networking system | Manages your internet connection | n/a | |
| nfs-common | NFS support files common to client and server | NFS support files common to client and server | nfs-common | |
| ntpdate | The ntpdate client for setting system time from NTP servers | Updates the system's clock over the internet | ||
| nvidia-glx | NVIDIA binary XFree86 4.x/X.Org driver | NVIDIA video card management | n/a | |
| pcmcia | PCMCIA Card Services for Linux | Manages the insertion/removal of Laptop cards | cardmgr | |
| postfix | A high-performance mail transport agent | High performance Mail Server | master | |
| powernowd | Control CPU speed and voltage using 2.6 kernel interface | Controls CPU speed and voltage to save power | powernowd | |
| ppp | Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) daemon | Manages internet access via a modem | pppd | |
| readahead | Read files into the page cache | Speeds up boot by starting operations early | ||
| rsync | Fast remote file copy program (like rcp) | Fast remote file copy program | rsyncd | |
| samba | A LAN-Manager-like file and printer server for Unix | Shares files among computers on a local network | smbd | |
| schoolbell | A web-based calendaring server | |||
| schooltool | A common platform for school administration | |||
| schroot | Execute commands in a chroot environment | |||
| screen-cleanup | A terminal multiplexor with VT100/ANSI terminal emulation | |||
| sl-modem-daemon | SmartLink software modem daemon | SmartLink modem management | slmodemd | |
| spamassassin | Perl-based spam filter using text analysis | Spam filter | ||
| ssh | Secure shell server, an rshd replacement | Allows users to securely log into the machine remotely | sshd | |
| squid | Internet Object Cache (WWW proxy cache) | Internet www proxy server | squid | |
| sudo | Provide limited super user privileges to specific users | Allows specific users to gain superuser status | ||
| sysklogd | System Logging Daemon | Logs important system events | syslogd | |
| tpb | Program to use the IBM ThinkPad™ special keys | Program to use the IBM ThinkPad™ special keys | tpb | |
| tpconfig | Configure touchpad devices | |||
| udev | /dev/ management daemon | Creates new devices when plugged in | udevd | |
| uml-utilities | User-mode Linux (utility programs) | |||
| vmware | n/a | Allows several OS running simultaneously in virtual machines. | vmware-serverd | |
| webmin | Web-based administration toolkit | Web-based remote administration for this computer | miniserv.pl | |
| vboxdrv | VirtualBox Linux kernel module | vboxdrv | ||
| vboxnet | VirtualBox permanent host networking setup | |||
| xfs | n/a | |||
| xfstt | X Font Server for TrueType fonts | |||
| xorg-common | X Window System (X.Org) infrastructure | Main Graphical Interface | Xorg | |
| zope | Open Source Web Application Server | Open Source Web Application Server | zope | |
| zope3 | Open Source Web Application Server (Libraries) | |||
| xfstt | X Font Server for TrueType fonts | |||
| xorg-common | X Window System (X.Org) infrastructure | Main Graphical Interface | Xorg | |
| asterisk | asterisk PBX | asterisk | ||
| svnserve | n/a | Standalone server for the Subversion version control system | svnserve | |
| alsa-utils | ALSA utilities | re/store mixer settings | n/a | |
| apparmor | Application Armor | allows the system administrator to associate with each program a security profile | n/a | |
| brltty | BRLTTY daemon | provides access to the console (text mode) for a blind person using a braille display | n/a | |
| console-setup | n/a | Set up the font and the keyboard on the console | n/a | |
| halt | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| keyboard-setup | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| killprocs | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| linux-restricted-modules-common | n/a | helper scripts to handle linux-restricted-modules | n/a | |
| lm-sensors | Lm-sensors | utilities to read temperature/voltage/fan sensors | n/a | |
| loopback | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| mountoverflowtmp | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| memcached | n/a | memcache extension module for PHP | memcached | |
| minissdpd | ### | keep memory of all UPnP devices that announced themselves | n/a | |
| nessusd | Nessus Security Scanner | Remote network security auditor, the server | n/a | |
| nfs-kernel-server | NFS kernel server | the recommended NFS server for use with Linux | n/a | |
| pcmciautils | PCMCIA utilities | PCMCIA initialisation tools | n/a | |
| portmap | The RPC portmapper | server that converts RPC (Remote Procedure Call) program numbers into DARPA protocol port numbers | n/a | |
| powernowd.early | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| pppd-dns | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| privoxy | Privacy enhancing HTTP Proxy | web proxy with advanced filtering capabilities for protecting privacy | n/a | |
| procps | /proc file system utilities | provide information about the status of entries in its process table | n/a | |
| pulseaudio | PulseAudio sound server | sound server | n/a | |
| readahead-desktop | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| reboot | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| rmnologin | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| sendsigs | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| sensord | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| single | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| skeleton | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| stop-readahead | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| udev-finish | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| ufw | Ubuntu Uncomplicated Firewall | program for managing a netfilter firewall | n/a | |
| umountfs | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| umountroot | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| urandom | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| vbesave | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| wpa-ifupdown | n/a | n/a | n/a | |
| x11-common | X Window System (X.Org) | n/a | n/a | |
| xserver-xorg-input-wacom | Wacom input driver | X.Org driver and udev support for Wacom tablet devices | n/a | |
| stunnel4 | SSL tunnel for network daemons | n/a | n/a | |
| plymouth | bootsplash and user interaction utility | n/a | n/a | |
| openarena-server | game server | n/a | n/a | |
| irqbalance | distribute hardware interrupts across processors on a multiprocessor system | n/a | n/a | |
| udevtrigger | Trigger kernel device uevents to replay missing events at system coldplug. | n/a | n/a | |
| network-manager | automatic network detection and configuration | n/a | n/a | |
| udevmonitor | print the kernel and udev event sequence to the console | n/a | n/a | |
| avgd | AVG Antivirus dameons | n/a | n/a | |
| qemu-kvm | QEMU KVM kernel module | n/a | n/a | |
| slim | Simple LogIn Manager (like XDM or GDM) | n/a | n/a | |
| miredo | Teredo IPv6 tunneling for Unix | n/a | n/a | |
| speech-dispatcher | server process managing speech requests in Speech Dispatcher | n/a | n/a | |
| tomcat6 | Tomcat 6 servlet engine | n/a | n/a | |
| gogoc | gogoCLIENT (IPv6 tunnel) | n/a | n/a | |
| radvd | router advertisement daemon for IPv6 | n/a | n/a | |
| setvtrgb | set the virtual terminal RGB colors | n/a | n/a | |
| ufw | program for managing a netfilter firewall | n/a | n/a | |
| lightdm | X11 login / display manager | n/a | n/a | |
| rsyslog | reliable and extended syslog daemon | n/a | n/a | |
| timidity | MIDI emulation | n/a | n/a | |
| hostname | set system network hostname | n/a | n/a | |
| dmesg | kernel ring buffer | n/a | n/a | |
| monit | utility for monitoring services on a Unix system | n/a | n/a | |
| jetty | Jetty HTTP server and servlet container | n/a | n/a | |
| openbsd-inetd | OpenBSD internet superserver | n/a | n/a | |
| kerneloops | program to collect and submit kernel oopses to kerneloops.org | n/a | n/a | |
| udftools | Call pktsetup to set up packet device associations | n/a | n/a | |
| hdapsd | park the hard disk drive in case of an emergency | n/a | n/a | |
| gdomap | GNUstep Distributed Objects name server | n/a | n/a | |
| winbind | Name Service Switch daemon for resolving names from NT servers | n/a | n/a | |
| rmcgroup | cgroup management | n/a | n/a |