SUMMARY .name_service_door file

From: Holt, Gail (Gail.Holt@health.wa.gov.au)
Date: Fri Mar 27 1998 - 02:36:13 CST


Hi Everyone,
Many thanks to all those who responded with an answer. Here is the original
question.
> ----------
> Hi Everyone,
> I am managing serveral SUN boxes running Solaris 2.5.1, and have just
> noticed a file /etc/.name_service_door which we can't do anything with -
> can't tar it, cat it, file it etc.... I *think* it was created on the day
> that I loaded the operating system but I'm not sure. Does anyone know
> what
> this file is and what it's purpose is ?
> Gail
>
>
The answers are :
        It's a file based semaphore. Do a man on door, is in section 2 of
the man pages from Solaris 2.5.1 and 2.6. Truss any system call that does a
DNS resolution, then you can see it in action.

        It's there to communicate quickly with nscd, the nameservice cache
daemon.

        A door to nscd - see the man page for nscd. nscd is a process that
provides a cache for the most common name service requests. It is started
up during multi-user boot. The default config. file is /etc/nscd.conf......
et al

        It's a door. Sun's new name for "named pipe" basically. the
particular one you are referring to is how gethostbyname() calls (and
family) utilize the nscd.

        That file is created at boot time when the system hs read
/etc/nsswitch.conf. The system will not re-read nsswitch.conf unless the
.name_service_door file is removed.

        Doors are a new thing - fast messaging between the kernel and
applications. In 2.5.1 I think only the nscd (and other system DB) stuff
uses it.

        Why don't you *?&%$# well look in the archives ? This question
and the answer are both there......

Sorry. I should know better - I will now go and give myself 20 lashes and
try to remember to look in the archive first. Thanks to the following
people -
Casper Dik
David Evans
HCDEB@mead.com
Rob Windsor
Benjamin Cline
Brion Leary
David Schiffin
Jay Lesert
Derek Mallard
Kevin Sheehan

Regards to the list
Gail

_______________________________________
Gail Holt
Internet Administrator
Health Department of WA
phone: (08) 9222 2429
fax: (08) 9222 2449
email: gail.holt@health.wa.gov.au

Standard Disclaimer: These opinions are my own.
No one else in their right mind would want them.
_______________________________________



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