Changing the /etc/inittab File

AIX Version 4.3 System Management Guide: Operating System and Devices

Changing the /etc/inittab File

In some cases, you may need to add, change, list, and remove records in the /etc/inittab file. The /etc/inittab file defines which processes to start at each run level. When you run the init command, it reads the records in the /etc/inittab file. Each record defines a run level for a specific process and contains four parameters:

Identifier	Identifies unique objects in one to fourteen characters.
Run Level	Defines the run levels in which the object can be processed in one to twenty characters.
Action	Defines what action the init command should take for this process. The following actions can be specified: respawn, wait, once, boot, bootwait, powerfail, powerwait, off, hold, ondemand, initdefault, and sysinit.
Command	Contains the shell command to be executed.

The following commands are the only supported method for modifying the records in the /etc/inittab file:

chitab	Changes records in the /etc/inittab file.
lsitab	Lists records in the /etc/inittab file.
mkitab	Adds records to the /etc/inittab file.
rmitab	Removes records from the /etc/inittab file.

Adding Records

To add a record to the /etc/inittab file, type mkitab Identifier : Run Level : Action : Command and press the Enter key.

For example, to add a record for tty2, type:

mkitab tty002:2:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty /dev/tty2

In the above example:

`tty002`	Identifies the object whose run level you are defining.
`2`	Specifies the run level at which this process should run.
`respawn`	Specifies the action that the init command should take for this process.
`/usr/sbin/getty /dev/tty2`	Specifies the shell command to be executed.

Changing Records

To change a record to the /etc/inittab file, type chitab Identifier : Run Level : Action : Command and press the Enter key.

For example, to change a record for tty2 so that this process runs at run levels 2 and 3, type:

chitab tty002:23:respawn:/usr/sbin/getty /dev/tty2

In the above example:

`tty002`	Identifies the object whose run level you are defining.
`23`	Specifies the run levels at which this process should run.
`respawn`	Specifies the action that the init command should take for this process.
`/usr/sbin/getty /dev/tty2`	Specifies the shell command to be executed.

Listing Records

To list records in the /etc/inittab file:

To list all records, type lsitab -a and press the Enter key.
To list a specific record, type lsitab Identifier and press the Enter key.

For example, to list the record for tty2, type lsitab tty2 and press the Enter key.

Removing Records

To remove a record from the /etc/inittab file, type rmitab Identifier and press the Enter key. For example, to remove the record for tty2, type rmitab tty2 and press the Enter key.