📖 ~1 min read
Table of contents
Symptom & Impact
Service behavior may ignore edited values when overrides in rc.conf.d or syntax issues exist.
Environment & Reproduction
service restart runs, but daemon uses old port, flags, or interface bindings after reboot.
Root Cause Analysis
All services managed by rc scripts with settings in rc.conf, rc.conf.local, or rc.conf.d files.
Quick Triage
Root access and ability to compare active process arguments with intended configuration.
Step-by-Step Diagnosis
[image_ref: 0] Run sysrc -a | grep service_name; service service_name rcvar; service service_name status; ps auxww | grep service_binary.
Solution – Primary Fix
[image_ref: 1] Validate key-value format in /etc/rc.conf and check /etc/rc.conf.d/service_name for overriding variables.
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Solution – Alternative Approaches
Normalize all values with sysrc, remove duplicate conflicting definitions, then run service service_name restart. Reboot if script reads settings only at boot.
Verification & Acceptance Criteria
service service_name onestatus and process flags now match expected rc configuration values.
Rollback Plan
Restore previous rc files from backup and reload service if new values introduce regressions.
Prevention & Hardening
Use sysrc for changes instead of manual edits to reduce quoting and duplication mistakes.
Related Errors & Cross-Refs
Escalate when rc script logic itself is broken or package updates replaced local modifications.
Related tutorial: View the step-by-step tutorial for freebsd-14.
View all freebsd-14 tutorials on the Tutorials Hub →
Browse all common problems & solutions on the Tutorials Hub.
References & Further Reading
rc.conf(5), rc.subr(8), service(8), sysrc(8).
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