Enable, disable and inspect SysV init services quickly from the shell. 27.02.2026 | reading time: 2 min Manage SysV-style init services from the shell. Need to enable a daemon at boot or verify which runlevels it will start in? chkconfig lets the admin turn services on or off for specific runlevels and inspect the current settings quickly. Quick example Try this on a SysV-style host to see chkconfig in action: ``` # Show current settings for httpd chkconfig --list httpd # Example output before change httpd 0:off 1:off 2:off 3:off 4:off 5:off 6:off # Enable httpd in runlevels 3 and 5 chkconfig --level 35 httpd on # Verify the change chkconfig --list httpd # Example output after change httpd 0:off 1:off 2:off 3:on 4:on 5:on 6:off ``` Script headers and management Add or remove a SysV init script and control its runlevels directly. Make sure the init script contains a header like "# chkconfig: 2345 95 20" so chkconfig can parse default runlevels and start/stop priorities; then `chkconfig --add myservice` will enable management and `chkconfig --del myservice` will remove it from control. Deeper options to know You can use `--list` to inspect all services, `--level` to set specific runlevels, and `--add`/`--del` for scripts; chkconfig manipulates the /etc/rc.d/rc?.d symlinks behind the scenes, so it is deterministic and scriptable for automation tasks. Alternatives and compatibility On modern distributions systemd is dominant and `systemctl` controls services instead; many distros still provide a chkconfig compatibility package for older scripts, but prefer using the native service manager on current systems. Next steps Practice enabling and disabling services in a safe VM and inspect the resulting /etc/rc.d directories to see what changed; when you are ready, deepen your skills with certification paths like CompTIA Linux+ or LPIC-1 and intensive exam preparation at bitsandbytes.academy. Join Bits & Bytes Academy First class LINUX exam preparation. boot-process utilities troubleshooting infrastructure
