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## 4.10.1 System startup files

When the system boots, a number of scripts are executed automatically by the system before any user logs in. Here is a description of what happens.

At bootup time, the kernel spawns the process `/etc/init`. `init` is a program which reads its configuration file, `/etc/inittab`, and spawns other processes based on the contents of this file. One of the important processes started from `inittab` is the `/etc/getty` process started on each virtual console. The `getty` process grabs the VC for use, and starts a `login` process on the VC. This allows you to login on each VC; if `/etc/inittab` does not contain a `getty` process for a certain VC, you will not be able to login on that VC.

Another process executed from `/etc/inittab` is `/etc/rc`, the main system initialization file. This file is a simple shell script which executes any initialization commands needed at boot time, such as mounting the filesystems (see Section 4.8) and initializing swap space.

Your system may execute other initialization scripts as well, such as `/etc/rc.local`. `/etc/rc.local` usually contains initialization commands specific to your own system, such as setting the hostname (see the next section). `rc.local` may be started from `/etc/rc` or from `/etc/inittab` directly.

Next: 4.10.2 Setting the hostname Up: 4.10 Miscellaneous Tasks Previous: 4.10 Miscellaneous Tasks