🟡 Medium   ⏱ 5–30 min  Last verified: 20 May 2026
Affected versions: FreeBSD 14

📖 ~1 min read

Table of contents
  1. Symptom & Impact
  2. Environment & Reproduction
  3. Root Cause Analysis
  4. Quick Triage
  5. Step-by-Step Diagnosis
  6. Solution – Primary Fix
  7. Solution – Alternative Approaches
  8. Verification & Acceptance Criteria
  9. Rollback Plan
  10. Prevention & Hardening
  11. Related Errors & Cross-Refs
  12. References & Further Reading

Symptom & Impact

Custom or third-party rc scripts can start too early when dependency headers are incomplete.

Environment & Reproduction

Service starts manually but fails during boot because network, storage, or database backends are not ready.

Root Cause Analysis

Any host with local rc.d scripts or ports that install nonstandard startup scripts.

Quick Triage

Ability to edit rc script headers and test reboots in controlled windows.

Step-by-Step Diagnosis

[image_ref: 0] Run rcorder /etc/rc.d/* /usr/local/etc/rc.d/* | grep service_name; service service_name status; tail -n 200 /var/log/messages.

Illustrative mockup for freebsd-14 — terminal_or_shell
Examining startup order and service status at boot — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Primary Fix

[image_ref: 1] Ensure script headers include accurate PROVIDE, REQUIRE, and BEFORE tokens for dependencies like NETWORKING or LOGIN.

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Illustrative mockup for freebsd-14 — log_or_config
Reviewing rc script PROVIDE and REQUIRE headers — Illustrative mockup — Progressive Robot

Solution – Alternative Approaches

Update rc script headers, confirm enable flags in rc.conf with sysrc, and retest startup order via reboot or staged service restarts.

Verification & Acceptance Criteria

Service starts automatically after boot with no dependency-related errors.

Rollback Plan

Restore previous rc script and disable auto-start until corrected dependency graph is validated.

Prevention & Hardening

Standardize rc script templates and validate header correctness during code review.

Escalate when dependency loops or complex multi-service sequencing require architecture changes.

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(8), rc.subr(8), rcorder(8), service(8).

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