The chkconfig command can be used to control services at each runlevel. It can also be used to start or stop services during system startup.
Syntax
The syntax of the chkconfig command is:
# chkconfig [options] [service] [subcommand]
The following are some subcommands and options that can be used with chkconfig to control services.
| Option | Used To |
|---|---|
| {service} on | Enable a service to be started on boot. |
| {service} off | Disable a service so that it is no longer started on boot. |
| {service} reset | Reset the status of a service. |
| –level {runlevel} | Specify the runlevel in which to enable or disable a service. |
If you encounter the below error while running the chkconfig command:
chkconfig: command not found
you may try installing the below package as per your choice of distrribution:
| OS Distribution | Command |
|---|---|
| Debian | apt-get install chkconfig |
| CentOS | yum install chkconfig |
| Fedora | dnf install chkconfig |
| Raspbian | apt-get install chkconfig |
chkconfig Command Examples
1. To see the current runlevel states for all the services:
# chkconfig --list
2. To list a particular service status:
# chkconfig --list nfs
3. To add a service script into the runlevel:
# chkconfig --add /etc/init.d/myservice.sh
4. To delete a service script from the runlevels:
# chkconfig --del /etc/init.d/myservice.sh
5. To specify the runlevel for any service, which should pertain to it:
# chkconfig --level
6. Enable service at boot:
# chkconfig sshd on
7. Enable service at boot for runlevels 2, 3, 4, and 5:
# chkconfig --level 2345 sshd on
8. Disable service at boot:
# chkconfig ntpd off
9. Disable service at boot for runlevel 3:
# chkconfig --level 3 ntpd off