FreeBSD Handbook
Prev | Chapter 12 Configuration and Tuning | Next

# 12.3 Core Configuration

The principal location for system configuration information is `/etc/rc.conf`. This file contains a wide range of configuration information and it is read at system startup to configure the system. It provides the configuration information for the `rc*` files.

The entries in `/etc/rc.conf` override the default settings in `/etc/defaults/rc.conf`. The file containing the default settings should not be edited. Instead, all system-specific changes should be made to `/etc/rc.conf`.

A number of strategies may be applied in clustered applications to separate site-wide configuration from system-specific configuration in order to keep administration overhead down. The recommended approach is to place system-specific configuration into `/etc/rc.conf.local`. For example:

- `/etc/rc.conf`:

      sshd_enable="YES"
      keyrate="fast"
      defaultrouter="10.1.1.254"

- `/etc/rc.conf.local`:

      hostname="node1.example.org"
      ifconfig_fxp0="inet 10.1.1.1/8"

`rc.conf` can then be distributed to every system using `rsync` or a similar program, while `rc.conf.local` remains unique.

Upgrading the system using sysinstall(8) or `make world` will not overwrite `rc.conf`, so system configuration information will not be lost.

> Tip: The `/etc/rc.conf` configuration file is parsed by sh(1). This allows system operators to add a certain amount of logic to this file, which may help to create very complex configuration scenarios. Refer to rc.conf(5) for further information on this topic.

Prev | Home | Next
Initial Configuration | Up | Application Configuration