PORTMAP(8)                  System Manager's Manual                 PORTMAP(8)

NAME
     portmap - DARPA port to RPC program number mapper

SYNOPSIS
     portmap [-d]

DESCRIPTION
     portmap is a server that converts RPC program numbers into DARPA protocol
     port numbers.  It must be running in order to make RPC calls.

     When an RPC server is started, it will tell portmap what port number it
     is listening to, and what RPC program numbers it is prepared to serve.
     When a client wishes to make an RPC call to a given program number, it
     will first contact portmap on the server machine to determine the port
     number where RPC packets should be sent.

     portmap must be started before any RPC servers are invoked.

     Normally portmap forks and dissociates itself from the terminal like any
     other daemon.  portmap then logs errors using syslog(3).

     Option available:

     -d      (debug) prevents portmap from running as a daemon, and causes
             errors and debugging information to be printed to the standard
             error output.

     When starting portmap will look for the special user "_portmap" to run as
     this unprivileged user and if "_portmap" cannot be found the user
     "nobody" will be look for. If neither user can be found in the user
     database then portmap will continue to run as the user that started it
     (which should be the local Administrator when started as a daemon from
     the 'rc' scripts). Default installations of Interix will not have a
     "_portmap" or "nobody" user account and must be created if you wish to
     have one or both.

SEE ALSO
     inetd.conf(5), inetd(8), rpcinfo(8)

HISTORY
     The portmap command appeared in 4.3BSD

BUGS
     If portmap crashes, all servers must be restarted.

BSD                            December 15, 2004                           BSD