Installation guide

66 Chapter 3. Boot Process, Init, and Shutdown
3.7.1.9. /etc/sysconfig/gpm
The /etc/sysconfig/gpm file is used to pass arguments to the gpm daemon at boot time. The gpm
daemon is the mouse server which allows mouse acceleration and middle-click pasting. For more
information about what parameters you can use in this file, type man gpm. By default, it sets the
mouse device to /dev/mouse.
3.7.1.10. /etc/sysconfig/harddisks
The /etc/sysconfig/harddisks file allows you to tune your hard drive(s). You can also use
/etc/sysconfig/hardiskhd[a-h], to configure parameters for specific drives.
Warning
Do not make changes to this file lightly. If you change the default values stored here, you could corrupt
all of the data on your hard drive(s).
The /etc/sysconfig/harddisks file may contain the following:
• USE_DMA=1, where setting this to 1 enables DMA. However, with some chipsets and hard drive
combinations, DMA can cause data corruption. Check with your hard drive documentation or man-
ufacturer before enabling this.
• Multiple_IO=16, where a setting of 16 allows for multiple sectors per I/O interrupt. When en-
abled, this feature reduces operating system overhead by 30-50%. Use with caution.
• EIDE_32BIT=3 enables (E)IDE 32-bit I/O support to an interface card.
• LOOKAHEAD=1 enables drive read-lookahead.
• EXTRA_PARAMS= specifies where extra parameters can be added.
3.7.1.11. /etc/sysconfig/hwconf
The /etc/sysconfig/hwconf file lists all the hardware that kudzu detected on your system, as well
as the drivers used, vendor ID and device ID information. The kudzu program detects and configures
new and/or changed hardware on a system. The /etc/sysconfig/hwconf file is not meant to be
manually edited. If you do edit it, devices could suddenly show up as being added or removed.
3.7.1.12. /etc/sysconfig/i18n
The /etc/sysconfig/i18n file sets the default language, such as:
LANG="en_US"
3.7.1.13. /etc/sysconfig/identd
The /etc/sysconfig/identd file is used to pass arguments to the identd daemon at boot time.
The identd daemon returns the username of processes with open TCP/IP connections. Some services
on the network, such as FTP and IRC servers, will complain and cause slow responses if identd is
not running. But in general, identd is not a required service, so if security is a concern, you should
not run it. For more information about what parameters you can use in this file, type man identd.
By default, the file contains no parameters.