---
name: "afp_signature.conf"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "netatalk"
version: "4.2.3~ds-1+deb13u2"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/afp_signature.conf"
---

# afp\_signature.conf(5)

Configuration file used by afpd to specify server signature

## Name

afp\_signature.conf — Configuration file used by afpd to specify server signature

## Description

**afp\_signature.conf** is the configuration file used by **afpd** to store a server signature automagically. The configuration lines are composed like:

-

  ```
  "server-name" hexa-string
  ```

The first field is the server name. Server names must be quoted if they contain spaces. The second field is the hexadecimal string of 32 characters for a 16-byte server signature.

All leading spaces and tabs are ignored. Blank lines are ignored. The lines prefixed with # are ignored. Any illegal lines are ignored.

**NOTE**

The server signature is a unique 16-byte identifier used to prevent users from logging on to the same server twice.

Netatalk 2.0 and earlier generated a server signature by using *gethostid()*. This led to a problem where multiple servers could end up with the same signature because the hostid is not unique enough.

Current netatalk generates the signature from random numbers and saves it into afp\_signature.conf upon initial startup. For subsequent starts, it is read from this file.

This file should not be thoughtlessly edited or copied onto another server.

If you want to set the signature intentionally, use the option “signature =” in afp.conf. In this case, afp\_signature.conf is not used.

## Examples

### Example: afp\_signature.conf

-

  ```
  # This is a comment.
  "My Server" 74A0BB94EC8C13988B2E75042347E528
  ```

## See also

[afpd(8)](/afpd/8.md), [afp.conf(5)](/afp.conf/5.md), [asip-status(1)](/asip-status/1.md)

## Author

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