portmap Daemon

Purpose

Converts RPC program numbers into Internet port numbers.

Syntax

/usr/sbin/portmap

Description

The portmap daemon converts RPC program numbers into Internet port numbers.

When an RPC server starts up, it registers with the portmap daemon. The server tells the daemon which port number it is listening to and which RPC program numbers it serves. Thus, the portmap daemon knows the location of every registered port on the host and which programs are available on each of these ports.

A client consults the portmap daemon only once for each program the client tries to call. The portmap daemon tells the client which port to send the call to. The client stores this information for future reference.

Since standard RPC servers are normally started by the inetd daemon, the portmap daemon must be started before the inetd daemon is invoked.

Note: If the portmap daemon is stopped or comes to an abnormal end, all RPC servers on the host must be restarted.

Flags

None

Examples

To start the portmap daemon, enter the following command:
```
startsrc -s portmap
```
To stop the portmap daemon enter the following command:
```
stopsrc -s portmap
```

Files

Item	Description
inetd.conf	Starts RPC daemons and other TCP/IP daemons.
/etc/rpc	Contains a list of server names and their corresponding rpc program numbers and aliases.