An introduction to systemd
All Systems Go

Wondering what all the fuss is about systemd? We explain the basic concepts and capabilities of the new system management suite – coming soon to a distro near you.
Some people swear by systemd [1], the new systems and services manager. Others swear at it – loudly and frequently. However, now that systemd is starting to be installed by default in most major distributions, you probably need to begin to familiarize yourself with at least its basic concepts, including its basic commands and how it handles runlevels, logs, and starting and stopping systems.
To be sure, the latest version of Debian lets users install without systemd by using preseed [2] or adding an argument at the boot menu [3], but at that point learning systemd seems easier than avoiding it. Additionally, that option may not be available in future releases.
If you have not been following the controversy about systemd, you may wonder what the fuss is about. After all, systemd is generally summarized as a replacement for init [4], the process that controls other processes. Ubuntu's replacement for init, called upstart [5], did not meet with anything like the same opposition, so why should systemd?
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.

News
-
Wayland 1.24 Released with Fixes and New Features
Wayland continues to move forward, while X11 slowly vanishes into the shadows, and the latest release includes plenty of improvements.
-
Bugs Found in sudo
Two critical flaws allow users to gain access to root privileges.
-
Fedora Continues 32-Bit Support
In a move that should come as a relief to some portions of the Linux community, Fedora will continue supporting 32-bit architecture.
-
Linux Kernel 6.17 Drops bcachefs
After a clash over some late fixes and disagreements between bcachefs's lead developer and Linus Torvalds, bachefs is out.
-
ONLYOFFICE v9 Embraces AI
Like nearly all office suites on the market (except LibreOffice), ONLYOFFICE has decided to go the AI route.
-
Two Local Privilege Escalation Flaws Discovered in Linux
Qualys researchers have discovered two local privilege escalation vulnerabilities that allow hackers to gain root privileges on major Linux distributions.
-
New TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro Powered by AMD Ryzen AI 300
The TUXEDO InfinityBook Pro 14 Gen10 offers serious power that is ready for your business, development, or entertainment needs.
-
LibreOffice Tested as Possible Office 365 Alternative
Another major organization has decided to test the possibility of migrating from Microsoft's Office 365 to LibreOffice.
-
Linux Mint 20 Reaches EOL
With Linux Mint 20 at its end of life, the time has arrived to upgrade to Linux Mint 22.
-
TuxCare Announces Support for AlmaLinux 9.2
Thanks to TuxCare, AlmaLinux 9.2 (and soon version 9.6) now enjoys years of ongoing patching and compliance.