Configuring xinetd for Secure File Transfer

Starting an FTP service in SUSE Linux is relatively simple, thanks to YaST. Go to the Network Services section and click Network Services (inetd). Inetd was the original Internet services daemon, but has largely been replaced by xinetd, which allows you to apply individual access policies for different network connection requests, such as FTP. You can choose either package when you install SUSE Linux, but it is much better to select xinetd.

To turn VSFTP on xinetd, first click the Enable button at the top of the Network Services Configuration screen. The various services that can be controlled by xinetd become active and are no longer grayed out. Check the Status column you can start or configure any of the services marked with three dashes (---). The dashes indicate that a service is inactive; any services that are running now are labeled ON and are also configurable.

Depending on what you have installed, you should see two Services labeled ftp, and both should be inactive. Click vsftpd, and then click Toggle Status (On or Off) at the bottom. Figure 17.5 displays the screen.

Figure 17.5. Start the Very Secure FTP server in YaST Network Services.

An X should appear in the Change column on the left. Click Finish to start the Server.