Embedded Linux for Developers

Using the systemd initialization manager

As an alternative to sysvinit, you can configure your project to use systemd as an initialization manager, although systemd packs many more features.

Getting ready

The systemd initialization manager is replacing sysvinit and other initialization managers in most Linux distributions. It is based on the concepts of units, an abstraction of all elements that are relevant for system startup and maintenance, and targets, which group units and can be viewed as a runlevel equivalent. Some of the units systemd defines are:

• Services
• Sockets
• Devices
• Mount points
• Snapshots
• Timers
• Paths

The default targets and their runlevel equivalents are defined in the following table:

Sysvinit	Runlevel	Systemd target	Notes
0	runlevel0.target ...