Liane Praza's Weblog

Most the questions I get about smf(5)'s continued execution of init.d scripts are along the lines of "for how long will you continue to support them?". The answer to that common question is: for the foreseeable future. We haven't yet, and have no near-term plans to file the EOF that would be necessary to remove support for init.d startup scripts. But, one reader (reader? Who am I? Dear Abby? Sheesh, sorry guys.) sent me mail to ask:

> With all of the goodness in smf, why do we still have "legacy"
> Solaris services?
> 
> I can understand having both systems so that there can be a
> transition from the old to the new for those who have invested a
> lot of work into their init scripts.
> 
> I'm afraid I must be missing something.

Not really. We did keep around compatibility for the legacy init.d scripts so that Solaris customers and ISVs don't have to do a bunch of work (it really should be no work, given the Solaris compatibility guarantees) to have their software work on Solaris 10. Those who want to realize the benefits of smf(5) can write a simple service description for their software. Those who can't yet fit it into their schedules don't have to. As mentioned in the quote, it eases the transition.

But, why isn't all of /etc/rc?.d empty for Solaris 10 as Sun delivers it? Honestly, because we just didn't have the time before Solaris 10 shipped. Our team was pretty small, and we didn't get the word out as well as we'd have liked within Sun. We did a bunch (well over 100) ourselves, but we also often need help from the people who own the specific services. Those of you on the Solaris Express train probably noticed smf(5) was a pretty late addition to the release. But, now that it is in the release, our job in selling the benefits and helping folks to convert is a lot easier.

That said, any of you out there under a support contract can certainly help us improve. If you've got a favorite Sun-delivered service that isn't under smf(5) control that you think would benefit, let us know through your standard channels! While I'm happy to file RFEs (that's Request For Enhancement) to get this work done, actual reports from customers carry (justifiably!) more weight than internal requests. You can also comment on this blog entry to let me know about any services in Solaris that you think are particularly important to get under the aegis of smf(5), and I'll see what I can do.