# inetd & xinetd



## itsmike (May 16, 2003)

Just curious, why does OSX (at least 10.2.4) have inetd running, even though no services are active in inetd.conf. And even more confusing why is inetd still around when OSX uses xinetd for services now?

Was this just something left in during some upgrade in the past?

-i


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## Darkshadow (May 17, 2003)

There are still a few services in inetd that xinetd doesn't handle.  Admittedly, those services aren't even enabled by default in OS X, but some people may be using them, so inetd is still around.


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## billbaloney (May 20, 2003)

I guess since it's a listener and places almost no demands on the system, they decided to cover their bases and keep it running.  I shut inetd off just for aesthetic purposes, but I suppose you could leave it running in any situation and not worry about it.


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## itsmike (May 20, 2003)

coming from the paranoid unix admin point of view, if it isn't doing anything.. shut it off. And get rid of it. I am assuming a normal system not running such services that xinetd can handle (which would those be anyway?) can do without inetd completely.

-i


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## itsmike (May 20, 2003)

coming from the paranoid unix admin point of view, if it isn't doing anything.. shut it off. And get rid of it. I am assuming a normal system not running such services that xinetd can handle (which would those be anyway?) can do without inetd completely.

-i


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## billbaloney (May 20, 2003)

Yeah, it's not going to cause any problems, but you might as well kill it (started up in /System/Library/Startup Items/IPServices/IPServices).

I have xinetd running on almost all my *nix machines around here, and I've never encountered limitations.  Darkshadow, what are the services you say inetd can cover that xinetd can't?  I'm curious, now.


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