---
name: "bb-services"
section: "5"
platform: "linux"
package: "xymon"
version: "4.3.0~beta2.dfsg-9.1"
release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/bb-services"
---

# bb-services(5)

Configuration of TCP network services

## NAME

bb-services - Configuration of TCP network services

## SYNOPSIS

**$BBHOME/etc/bb-services**

## DESCRIPTION

**bb-services** contains definitions of how  *[bbtest-net(1)](/bbtest-net/1.md)* should test a TCP-based network service (i.e. all common network services except HTTP and DNS). For each service, a simple dialogue can be defined to check that the service is functioning normally, and optional flags determine if the service has e.g. a banner or requires SSL- or telnet-style handshaking to be tested.

## FILE FORMAT

bb-services is a text file. A simple service definition for the SMTP service would be this:\

   \[smtp\]\
\
       send "mail\\r\\nquit\\r\\n"\
\
       expect "220"\
\
       options banner\

This defines a service called "smtp". When the connection is first established, bbtest-net will send the string "mail\\r\\nquit\\r\\n" to the service. It will then expect a response beginning with "220". Any data returned by the service (a so-called "banner") will be recorded  and included in the status message.

The full set of commands available for the bb-services file are:

- \[NAME\]

  Define the name of the TCP service, which will also be the column-name in the resulting display on the test status. If multiple tests share  a common definition (e.g. ssh, ssh1 and ssh2 are tested identically), you may list these in a single "\[ssh\|ssh1\|ssh2\]" definition, separating each service-name with a pipe-sign.

- send STRING

  - expect STRING

  Defines the strings to send to the service after a connection is established, and the response that is expected. Either of these may be omitted, in which case *[bbtest-net(1)](/bbtest-net/1.md)* will simply not send any data, or match a response against anything.

  The send- and expect-strings use standard escaping for non-printable characters. "\\r" represents a carriage-return (ASCII 13), "\\n" represents a line-feed (ASCII 10), "\\t" represents a TAB (ASCII 8).  Binary data is input as "\\xNN" with NN being the hexadecimal value of the byte.

- port NUMBER

  Define the default TCP port-number for this service. If no portnumber is defined, *[bbtest-net(1)](/bbtest-net/1.md)* will attempt to lookup the portnumber in the standard /etc/services  file.

- options option1\[,option2\]\[,option3\]

  Defines test options. The possible options are\
  \
      banner - include received data in the status message\
  \
      ssl - service uses SSL so perform an SSL handshake\
  \
      telnet - service is telnet, so exchange telnet options

## FILES

**$BBHOME/etc/bb-services**

## SEE ALSO

[bbtest-net(1)](/bbtest-net/1.md)