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Subject: Re: init-config has incorrect path for /etc/rc.d/rc [FIX]
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Date: Thu, 15 Jan 2026 07:00:05 +0100
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From: Jakob Bohm via Cygwin <cygwin AT cygwin DOT com>
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On 14/01/2026 18:21, Bruce Jerrick via Cygwin wrote:
> On 1/13/26 22:09, matthew patton wrote:
>
>> or is it a case someone broke/removed the symlink from /etc/rc to 
>> /etc/rc.d/rc? Or more correctly /etc/rc -> /etc/init.d/rc.Removed, I 
>> believe, not broke. See below re executables in /etc .
>
>> /etc/rc dates back to SunOS v4 at least. Similarly /etc/init and 
>> /sbin/init.
> Long before any SunOS or BSD.  It was probably in Version 6 Unix .
> Way back then (as they say), /etc contained "system" executables, as 
> well as config files.
> The executables were eventually moved to /sbin .  I don't remember if 
> that happened in BSD or SunOS.  It was /sbin, then, not /usr/sbin, 
> because they had to be available before /usr was mounted (SunOS 
> commonly got a read-only /usr via NFS).
>
>> /etc/rc.d (and children like /etc/rc[0-6].d) is more of a "expression 
>> of state" directory.
> Agreed, but only in regard to /etc/rc.d/rc[0-6].d .
> (A better name for /etc/rc.d (or /etc/init.d) would be /etc/init, 
> since a ".d" suffix usually implies optional contents.)
.d indicates a Directory variant of the single file designated without 
the .d .
Forexample, /etc/crontab.d is a directory of additional crontab files 
beyond
the commonglobal entries in /etc/crontab.

Nothing in a sane /etc directory should represent state,as the directory
is supposed to be the core system-wide system config, not writableexcept
by admin action.  In particular, /etc should not be writable by automated
thingssuch as boot executables and daemons (that belongs in /run and
/var).  On a real system rather than a compatibility layer like Cygwin,
/etc will be part of the a small read-only root mount that gets remounted
r/w only during relevant sysadmin tasks such as installing and removing
packages.

/etc/default/ is supposed to be a directory of per package config 
overrides,
such aschoosing additional invocation options for daemons started by
scripts in /etc/init.d/ .

/etc/default/etc/inittab is clearly out of place.

>
>> The actual scripts are supposed to live in /etc/init.d/.
> See my "ideal" fix below.
> 'rc' and rc.sysinit are special cases -- they're called via
> /etc/inittab, and don't have to be added to the rc[0-6].d dirs.
> rc.local is also a special case -- it's source'd rc.sysinit .
>
>> Your local /etc/inittab should be FULL of references to 
>> /etc/init.d/rc like so:
>> ...
>> # System initialization
>> si::sysinit:/etc/init.d/rcS
>>
>> # Runlevel scriptsI woul
>> l0:0:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 0
>> l1:1:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 1
>> l2:2:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 2
>> l3:3:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 3
>> l4:4:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 4
>> l5:5:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 5
>> l6:6:wait:/etc/init.d/rc 6
> Not so in /etc/defaults/etc/inittab -- those subdirs are all "rc.d", 
> not init.d .  See my comments above re 'rc' being a special case.
>
>

Enjoy

Jakob
-- 
Jakob Bohm, CIO, Partner, WiseMo A/S.  https://www.wisemo.com
Transformervej 29, 2860 Søborg, Denmark.  Direct +45 31 13 16 10
This public discussion message is non-binding and may contain errors.
WiseMo - Remote Service Management for PCs, Phones and Embedded


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