rcconf

Additional Notes

rcconf is a Debian-specific text-based tool for managing which SysV init services start at each runlevel. It presents a menu of installed services and allows the administrator to enable or disable them using keyboard navigation.

It provides similar functionality to update-rc.d and sysv-rc-conf but with a friendlier interactive interface. On modern Debian systems using systemd, rcconf is deprecated, and systemctl should be used instead. However, rcconf may still be available for legacy SysV init compatibility.

Syntax

rcconf [options]

Parameters

• options: Flags that change how rcconf behaves.
• target: Optional file, device, interface, user, service, or command target when the command supports one.

Common Options

• --help: Show help and exit.
• --version: Show version information.
• --list: List all available services.
• --priority: Show service priorities.
• --purge: Remove all rc.d links for a service.

Examples

rcconf

Open the interactive service configuration menu.

rcconf --list

List all services and their current status.

rcconf --priority

Show services with their start/stop priorities.

Practical Notes

• Use the space bar to toggle a service on or off in the menu. Tab moves between buttons.
• Changes take effect after the next reboot or by manually starting/stopping services.
• On systemd-based Debian systems (Debian 8+), use systemctl or sysv-rc-conf instead.
• rcconf requires root privileges. Run with sudo.
• The configuration it modifies is stored in /etc/rc?.d/ symlinks.
• Install with sudo apt install rcconf if not already available.