Ubuntu version of chkconfig

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I always forget this one when I'm setting up a new Ubuntu machine, so this is as much for my benefit as anyone else's …

I've used a lot of OSes and have always found the chkconfig command on Redhat / Centos very useful for changing runlevels of services. The equivalent on Ubuntu is the fabulously unmemorably named sysv-rc-conf. (UPDATE – Ignore most of this post and read Ernest's comment below) … Here's how to get it on your system.

sudo apt-get install sysv-rc-conf

and to run it requires

sudo ..uh what was its name again sysrc something? Dammit.

So what I normally do is a quick symlink:

sudo ln -s /usr/sbin/sysv-rc-conf /usr/sbin/chkconfig

and then I can use chkconfig as if it was really available for Ubuntu. Don't know why they couldn't just stick to the same name. Bah.

4 thoughts on “Ubuntu version of chkconfig”

  2. No problem. Glad I could help someone.

    Guess you could also use the 'alias' command, which I discovered since writing this entry. eg.
    alias chkconfig='/usr/sbin/sysv-rc-conf'

    … which works on a per-user basis.

  4. Ernest. Thanks for that. chkconfig wasn't available as an Ubuntu package when I wrote the post over a year ago (Ubuntu 8.04), but I've just tried and it is indeed available now. Not quite the same as the Redhat version, but good enough.

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