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GNU Shepherd 1.0 released after two decades in development

Service management daemon GNU Shepherd unofficial logo (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)
Service management daemon GNU Shepherd unofficial logo (Image source: Generated using DALL·E 3)
After more than two decades in development, the service management daemon GNU Shepherd has finally reached the 1.0-labeled milestone. Its highlights include transient and timed services, log rotation, integrated logging, as well as improved service insights. Additionally, the deprecated GOOPS interface is now gone.

Formerly known as GNU dmd ("Daemon managing Daemons"), GNU Shepherd is a powerful yet flexible init system and service manager for Linux. Initially intended for use with the GNU Hurd collection of microkernel servers, GNU Shepherd was adopted by the GNU Guix ecosystem since then. After no less than 21 years spent in development, it has finally reached the 1.0 milestone yesterday.

When looking back at the 0.10.x builds, GNU Shepherd 1.0 brings quite a few features to the table, including the following:

  • Support for timed services via the timer service, with similar functionality to the old at command.
  • The reboot --kexec command allows users to reboot straight into a new kernel previously loaded with kexec --load.
  • A new log rotation service alongside a new system log service.
  • A transient service maker, similar to the systemd-run command.
  • The GOOPS interface, which was deprecated, is no longer present.

In the future, Shepherd is expected to receive integration with control groups, support for dynamically reconfigurable services, and much more.

Those planning to attend a Linux systems interview at one of the FAANG-type companies should grab The Linux Systems Interview: Understanding Linux Internals And Troubleshooting, which is available in Kindle format for just $9.99. The paperback edition can be acquired for $29.99.

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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2024 12 > GNU Shepherd 1.0 released after two decades in development
Codrut Nistor, 2024-12-10 (Update: 2024-12-10)