CNID_METAD(8)

💖 CNID_METAD 💖

okay so bestie, quick vibe check: this is cnid_metad, part of the Netatalk AFP Fileserver Manual, section 8 (that's the sysadmin-y one ✨). She's the daemon that starts cnid_dbd daemons on demand, and honestly? she's the backstage crew making the whole show work. 🎀

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✨ NAME ✨

cnid_metad — the daemon that starts cnid_dbd daemons on demand 🦋

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🌸 SYNOPSIS 🌸

cnid_metad [-d] [-F configuration file]

cnid_metad [-v | -V]

like, that's the whole summoning ritual, no cap 💅

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💜 DESCRIPTION 💜

okay so here's the deal. cnid_metad just... sits there, patiently, waiting for requests from afpd to spin up instances of the cnid_dbd daemon. 👑

Once a cnid_dbd instance is up and running, she keeps track of its status — like a group chat where she's the one who actually remembers who's online — and if it needs restarting, she restarts it. no drama, just competence. 🌟

and here's the cute part: when everything is built with support for the dbd (Database Daemon) CNID backend, netatalk(8) will start and stop cnid_metad all on its own, as needed. so like, the user will normally not interact with it directly. she's main character energy but she works behind the scenes, iykyk. 🙈

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🎀 OPTIONS 🎀

• -d — makes cnid_metad stay in the foreground, and she'll also leave the standard input, standard output and standard error file descriptors open. it's giving "watch me work" and it's useful for debugging. 🔍
• -F configuration file — use configuration file as the configuration file. yes queen, pick your own file, we love options (literally, this is an option). 📁
• -v, -V — show version and exit. just a quick lil "hey bestie, here's who I am" and then she's gone. 👋

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🌈 CAVEATS 🌈

okay, this part is important so listen up. 🫶

cnid_metad does not block or catch any signals apart from SIGPIPE. so she will exit on most signals she receives. 💀

and that's... actually fine? because it will also cause all instances of cnid_dbd started by that cnid_metad to exit gracefully. and since state about, and IPC access to, the subprocesses is only maintained in memory by cnid_metad, this is desired behaviour. it's not a bug, it's a whole aesthetic. ✨

the good news: as soon as cnid_metad is restarted, afpd processes will transparently reconnect. no drama, no manual cleanup. slay. 💅

bestie pls note: she doesn't catch signals (except SIGPIPE), so she exits on most of them — and takes her cnid_dbd children with her, gracefully. that's on purpose. periodt. 💖

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👑 SEE ALSO 👑

netatalk(8), cnid_dbd(8), afpd(8), dbd(1), afp.conf(5)

(the whole friend group fr fr 🫂)

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💅 OPERATOR NOTES 💅

after a netatalk upgrade, restart cnid_metad (typically systemctl restart netatalk) so its cnid_dbd children pick up the new binary. 🌸

like, yes, you have to actually do this. your children deserve the new binary, no cap. 🔥

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⭐ AUTHOR ⭐

Contributors to the Netatalk Project (https://netatalk.io/contributors) 🌈

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and that's the whole page, bestie!! this is from Netatalk 4.5.1, page CNID_METAD(8), and honestly she ate. go forth, restart your daemons, and stay iconic. 💖✨🎀🦋💜