Introduction
Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 6 and RHEL 7 use different service management, networking, firewall, hostname, and system configuration commands.
This guide provides a practical comparison of commonly used commands in Red Hat 6 and Red Hat 7. It can be useful when managing or troubleshooting servers running different RHEL versions.
Prerequisites
Before using the commands in this guide:
- You should have access to a Red Hat 6 or Red Hat 7 server.
- Root or sudo privileges are required for most service and system configuration tasks.
- Make sure you use the commands appropriate for your RHEL version.
Implementation
List All Services
Red Hat 6
chkconfig --list
ls /etc/init.d
Red Hat 7
systemctl -at service
ls /etc/systemd/system/*.service
Start and Stop a Service
Red Hat 6
Start a service:
service name start
Stop a service:
service name stop
Red Hat 7
Start a service:
systemctl start name.service
Stop a service:
systemctl stop name.service
Enable and Disable a Service
Red Hat 6
Enable a service at boot:
chkconfig name on
Disable a service at boot:
chkconfig name off
Red Hat 7
Enable a service at boot:
systemctl enable name.service
Disable a service at boot:
systemctl disable name.service
Verify Service Status
Red Hat 6
service name status
Red Hat 7
systemctl status name.service
Check Whether a Service Is Enabled
Red Hat 6
chkconfig name
Red Hat 7
systemctl is-enabled name
Create or Reload a New Service
Red Hat 6
chkconfig --add
Red Hat 7
After creating or modifying a systemd service file, reload the systemd configuration:
systemctl daemon-reload
View the Run Level
Red Hat 6
runlevel
Red Hat 7
systemctl get-default
Shutdown the System
Red Hat 6
shutdown
Red Hat 7
systemctl shutdown
Power Off the System
Red Hat 6
poweroff
Red Hat 7
systemctl poweroff
Reboot the Machine
Red Hat 6
reboot
Red Hat 7
systemctl reboot
Get the Run Level
Red Hat 6
cat /etc/inittab
Red Hat 7
systemctl get-default
Set the Run Level
Red Hat 6
Edit /etc/inittab:
vi /etc/inittab
Change the appropriate run-level configuration.
Red Hat 7
Use:
systemctl set-default name.target
Replace name.target with the required target.
To view the available target units:
systemctl list-units --type target --all
GRUB Loader Configuration
Red Hat 6
The GRUB configuration file is:
/boot/grub/grub.conf
Red Hat 7
The GRUB configuration file is:
/etc/default/grub
Configure the Firewall
Red Hat 6
Red Hat 6 commonly uses iptables.
To view the current rules:
iptables -nL
Red Hat 7
Red Hat 7 commonly uses firewalld.
To view the firewall configuration:
firewall-cmd --list-all
Set the Hostname
Red Hat 6
Open the network configuration file:
vi /etc/sysconfig/network
Add or modify the hostname:
HOSTNAME=hostname.domain.tld
Restart the network service:
service network restart
Red Hat 7
To check the current hostname:
hostnamectl status
To set a new hostname:
hostnamectl set-hostname hostname.domain.tld
View Network Interfaces
Red Hat 6
ifconfig
Red Hat 7
ip addr
View Ports and Network Sockets
Red Hat 6
netstat -plan
Red Hat 7
ss -tlp
Quick Command Comparison
| Task | Red Hat 6 | Red Hat 7 |
|---|---|---|
| List services | chkconfig --list | systemctl -at service |
| Start service | service name start | systemctl start name.service |
| Stop service | service name stop | systemctl stop name.service |
| Enable service | chkconfig name on | systemctl enable name.service |
| Disable service | chkconfig name off | systemctl disable name.service |
| Service status | service name status | systemctl status name.service |
| Check enabled | chkconfig name | systemctl is-enabled name |
| Reload service configuration | chkconfig --add | systemctl daemon-reload |
| Check run level | runlevel | systemctl get-default |
| Power off | poweroff | systemctl poweroff |
| Reboot | reboot | systemctl reboot |
| Firewall | iptables | firewalld |
| Hostname | /etc/sysconfig/network | hostnamectl |
| Network interfaces | ifconfig | ip addr |
| Network sockets | netstat -plan | ss -tlp |
| GRUB configuration | /boot/grub/grub.conf | /etc/default/grub |
Conclusion
Red Hat 6 and Red Hat 7 differ significantly in the way system services, networking, firewall rules, hostnames, and boot configuration are managed.
The most important change is the transition from the traditional SysV init and service commands in RHEL 6 to systemd and systemctl in RHEL 7. Knowing these command differences makes it easier to administer and troubleshoot servers across both versions.
FAQs
1. What is the main difference between Red Hat 6 and Red Hat 7 commands?
The major difference is service management. Red Hat 6 uses traditional SysV tools such as service and chkconfig, while Red Hat 7 uses systemctl and systemd.
2. How do I restart a service in Red Hat 6?
Use:
service name restart
3. How do I restart a service in Red Hat 7?
Use:
systemctl restart name.service
4. How can I check the network interfaces in Red Hat 7?
Use:
ip addr
5. What command is used to check open listening ports in Red Hat 7?
Use:
ss -tlp
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