systemd Developer Lennart Poettering lennart@poettering.net systemd.unit 5 systemd.unit systemd unit configuration files systemd.service systemd.socket systemd.device systemd.mount systemd.automount systemd.swap systemd.target systemd.path systemd.timer A unit configuration file encodes information about a service, a socket, a device, a mount point, an automount point, a swap file or patition, a start-up target, a file system path or a timer controlled and supervised by systemd1. The syntax is inspired by XDG .desktop files, which are in turn inspired by Microsoft Windows .ini files. This man pages lists the common configuration options of the all unit types. These options need to be configured either in the [Unit] resp. [Install] section of the unit files. Unit file may include a [Unit] section, which carries generic information about the unit that is not dependent on the type of unit: Names= Additional names for this unit. The names listed here must have the same suffix (i.e. type) as the unit file name. This option may be specified more than once, in which case all listed names are used. Note that this option is different from the Alias= option from the [Install] section mentioned below. See below for details Requires= Requirement dependencies on other units. If this units get activated the units listed here will be activated as well. If one of the other units gets deactivated or its activation fails, this unit will be deactivated. This option may be specified more than once, in which case requirement dependencies for all listed names are created. Unit file may include a [Install] section, which carries installation information for the unit. This section is not interpreted by systemd1 during runtime. It is used exclusively by the systemd-install1 during installation of a unit: Alias= Additional names this unit shall be installed under. The names listed here must have the same suffix (i.e. type) as the unit file name. This option may be specified more than once, in which case all listed names are used. At installation time systemd-install will create symlinks from these names to the unit file name. Note that this is different from the Names= option from the [Unit] section mentioned above: The names from Names= apply unconditionally if the unit is loaded. The names from Alias= apply only if the unit is actually installed with the systemd-install tool. Also, if systemd searches for a unit, it will discover symlinked alias names, but not names configured only with Names=. It is a common pattern to list a name in both options. In this case, a unit will be active under all names if installed, but also if not installed but requested explicitly. systemd1, systemctl8, systemd-install1, systemd.special7, systemd.service5, systemd.socket5, systemd.device5, systemd.mount5, systemd.automount5, systemd.swap5, systemd.target5, systemd.path5, systemd.timer5