INIT(1)

NAME
init - process scheduler

SYNOPSIS
init [ 0|s|1|2|3|4|5|6|q ]

DESCRIPTION
The init utility provides Minix with rudimentary process scheduling based on the value of a self-maintained system run state. init has two independant modes of execution, based on it's process ID. When the PID = 1, init manages the execution of processes based on a run state recorded in the /etc/utmp file. When the PID != 1, init alters the run state recorded in /etc/utmp, and signals the PID 1 init to evaluate the new run state and take the appropriate actions.
init (as PID = 1) uses the /etc/inittab and /etc/utmp files to determine which processes may be run at any point in the system's processing cycle. Using the contents of the /etc/utmp RUN_LVL record to determine the desired run state, init reads /etc/inittab to determine which processes must execute to achieve the transition to the new runstate. Once in the runstate, init will periodically rescan /etc/inittab in order to determine which terminated processes must be restarted to maintain the selected runstate.

SEE ALSO
proc1(1), telinit(1), inittab(3), and utmp(3)

CAVEATS
init establishes stdin, stdout, and/or stderr redirection for each of it's processes. If further shell-like processing is required, it must be performed from within an invokation of sh .

BUGS
If a runstate is requested for which the transition rules in /etc/inittab cause termination of the usual init-spawned processes, there is little hope of recovery. This is also a feature, in that controlled termination of all processes in the system should leave Minix in a state from which a reboot or power down may be safely performed.