Command Not Found: Systemctl on Amazon Linux 2018.03 - A Solution Guide
Command Not Found: Systemctl on Amazon Linux 2018.03 - A Solution Guide
Hello tech-savvy friends, today we’re delving into a common issue encountered by users of Amazon Linux 2018.03. If you’ve ever typed systemctl into your terminal only to receive the error: Command not found: systemctl, then this blog post is for you.
What is Systemctl?
Let’s start with a brief explanation of systemctl. It’s an essential part of the Systemd system and service manager, widely used in many modern Linux distributions. It provides detailed system status information, manages system startup and changes system configuration.
Why Amazon Linux 2018.03 doesn’t have Systemctl?
Amazon Linux 2018.03 is based on CentOS 6 and RHEL 6 (Red Hat Enterprise Linux), which use the older Init system instead of Systemd. Therefore, systemctl is not included in the default installation of Amazon Linux 2018.03.
How to Manage Services?
So, if systemctl is not available, how can we manage services? The answer is simple: we use the service and chkconfig commands. They are the traditional ways of managing services and runlevels.
For instance, if you wanted to start, stop, or restart a service such as httpd, you would use the service command:
sudo service httpd start
sudo service httpd stop
sudo service httpd restart
And to manage which services start on boot, you would use chkconfig:
sudo chkconfig httpd on
sudo chkconfig httpd off
Can I Install Systemctl on Amazon Linux 2018.03?
Technically, it’s possible to install Systemd on Amazon Linux 2018.03, but it’s not recommended. Systemd is deeply integrated into the system, and trying to replace Init with Systemd could lead to stability issues. If you really need Systemd’s features, consider upgrading to Amazon Linux 2, which comes with Systemd by default.
Migrating to Amazon Linux 2
Amazon Linux 2 is the next generation of Amazon Linux, a Linux server operating system from Amazon Web Services (AWS). It provides improved performance, long term support, and has Systemd installed by default. Here’s a simple command to upgrade:
sudo yum install -y amazon-linux-extras
sudo amazon-linux-extras install kernel-ng
sudo reboot
After the reboot, you should be on Amazon Linux 2 and can use systemctl as you would on any other Systemd-based Linux distribution.
Conclusion
While systemctl is undoubtedly a powerful tool for managing services and system configurations, its absence in Amazon Linux 2018.03 is not the end of the world. Using the traditional service and chkconfig commands can get the job done. However, if Systemd’s features are essential for your projects, consider upgrading to Amazon Linux 2.
Remember, the choice of tools should depend on the requirements of your project. Make sure to understand the trade-offs before making any major changes to your system configuration. Keep experimenting and happy coding!
Keywords: Amazon Linux 2018.03, Systemctl, Command not found, Systemd, Init, Service, Chkconfig, Amazon Linux 2, Migrate, Upgrade, Data Science, Software Engineering.
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