--- name: "ejabberd" section: "8" platform: "linux" package: "ejabberd" version: "2.1.10-4+deb7u1" release: "Debian 7 (Wheezy)" platforms: ["linux"] url: "https://new.carta.tech/ejabberd" --- # ejabberd(8) a distributed fault-tolerant Jabber/XMPP server ## NAME ejabberd — a distributed fault-tolerant Jabber/XMPP server ## SYNOPSIS **ejabberd** *\[options\] \[--\] \[erlang\_options\]* ## DESCRIPTION **ejabberd** is a distributed fault-tolerant Jabber/XMPP server written in Erlang. Its main features are: - — XMPP-compliant - — Distributed: **ejabberd** can run on a cluster of machines - — Fault-tolerant: All the information can be stored on more than one node, nodes can be added or replaced \`on the fly' - — Built-in Multi-User Chat service - — Built-in IRC transport - — Built-in Publish-Subscribe service - — Built-in Jabber User Directory service based on users vCards - — SSL support - — Support for internationalized user messages ## OPTIONS - **--node** *node* Specifies Erlang *node* at which ejabberd server will be run. Default node is **ejabberd**. If the node name does not contain symbol *@* then actual node name becomes **node@hostname** where hostname is short host name (usually it coincides with *\`hostname -s\`*). If the node name contain symbol *@* and its hostname part is a FQDN then **ejabberd** will use so-called long names (see [**erl**(1)](/erl/1.md) manual page and look for options *-name* and *-sname* for details). Examples of *--node* option: **ejabberd** Locally run ejabberd server at node *ejabberd@\`hostname -s\`*. **ejabberd@otherhost** Pretend that ejabberd server runs at otherhost at node *ejabberd@otherhost*. (Note that noone can remotely connect to this node if otherhost is resoved to other computer IP.) **ejabberd@localhost** Locally run ejabberd server at node *ejabberd@localhost*. Only nodes running at the same host can connect to this node. **ejabberd@hostname.domainname** Using *-name* Erlang option, run ejabberd server at long-name node *ejabberd@hostname.domainname*. To be able to control this server instance *hostname.domainname* must resolve (either by DNS or via /etc/hosts) to the server's IP. The default node can be overridden by defining ERLANG\_NODE environment variable in /etc/default/ejabberd, see below. - **--config** *config-file* Specifies an alternate *config-file* to be parsed at startup, rather than the default (**/etc/ejabberd/ejabberd.cfg**). - **--spool** *spool-dir* Specifies an alternate *spool-dir* to store user database instead of the default (**/var/lib/ejabberd**). - **--log** *log-file* Log Jabber events to specified *log-file* rather than to the default (**/var/log/ejabberd/ejabberd.log**). - **--erlang-log** *sasl-log-file* Log SASL (System Application Support Libraries) events to specified *sasl-log-file* rather than to the default (**/var/log/ejabberd/erlang.log**). - *erlang\_options* Other options (and all options following **--**) are passed directly to **Erlang** interpreter. See **Erlang** documentation for more details on interpreter options. Some useful options are:\ **-detached**\ Starts the Erlang system detached from the system console.\ **-heart**\ Starts heart beat monitoring of the Erlang system.\ **-noinput**\ Ensures that the Erlang system never tries to read any input. ## CONFIGURATION FILE The file **/etc/ejabberd/ejabberd.cfg** contains the main configuration. It is initially loaded the first time **ejabberd** is executed, then it is parsed and stored in a database. Subsiquently the configuration is loaded from the database and any commands in the configuration file are appended to the entries in the database. The configuration file consists of a sequence of Erlang terms. Parts of lines after \`%' sign are ignored. Each term is a tuple, where the first element is the name of an option, and the others are option values. E. g. if this file does not contain a "host" definition, then the value stored in the database will be used. To override old values stored in the database the following lines can be added in config:\ \ override\_global.\ \ override\_local.\ \ override\_acls. A complete explanation of each configuration value can be found in the official **ejabberd** documentation. See "**SEE ALSO**" part of this manual page for more information about the documentation. ## OPTIONS FILE The file **/etc/default/ejabberd** contains specific options. - *POLL* If set to true this variable enables kernel polling which can reduce CPU load on a system with a high number of users. This option requires support in the kernel and in Erlang emulator. - *SMP* Enables or disables SMP support in Erlang emulator. Valid values are disable (default), auto, and enable.\ Explanation in Erlang/OTP documentation: **enable:** Starts the Erlang runtime system with SMP support enabled. This may fail if no runtime system with SMP support is available.\ **auto:** Starts the Erlang runtime system with SMP support enabled if it is available and more than one logical processor are detected.\ **disable:** Starts a runtime system without SMP support. - *ERL\_MAX\_PORTS* To use more than 1024 connections (default value), *ERL\_MAX\_PORTS* should be set to the number of connections needed. - *PROCESSES* Specifies the maximum number of Erlang processes to use. Default value is 250000. Maximum value is 268435456. Ejabberd uses up to three processes per user or server connection. - *ERL\_MAX\_ETS\_TABLES* Sets the maximum number of ETS and Mnesia tables. Default value is 1400 which should be sufficient for a sever without many custom modules. If a message \*\* Too many db tables \*\* appears in ejabberd log files then increase this number. - *ERL\_OPTIONS* With this option, parameters can be passed to **Erlang** interpretor. See **Erlang** documentation for more details on interpreter options. - *ERL\_FULLSWEEP\_AFTER* To reduce memory usage when allowing a large number of connections, *ERL\_FULLSWEEP\_AFTER* may be set to 0 in the options file, but in this case **ejabberd** may start to work slower. - *ERLANG\_NODE* Use specified string as erlang node. It overrides default **ejabberd** node name. The string may take one of the following forms: **nodename**, **nodename@hostname** or **nodename@hostname.domainname** ## FILES - */etc/ejabberd/ejabberd.cfg* default configuration file - */etc/default/ejabberd* default variables ## BUGS Ejabberd uses distributed Erlang mode to work properly. This means that on start it connects to **epmd** (Erlang port mapping daemon) which is listening at port 4369 and tries to register ejabberd node name. If the connection fails (known failure reasons are unavailability of a loopback interface or firewall issues) Erlang emulator fails to start with not very clear error message. If there's already started Erlang node with the same name (*ejabberd* by default) then ejabberd will also fail with a cryptic error message (in which one can find words *{error,duplicate\_name}*). Another possible case when ejabberd cannot start is incorrect permissions of */var/lib/ejabberd* directory (it must be writable by user ejabberd). ## SEE ALSO [**erl**(1)](/erl/1.md), [**sasl**(6)](/sasl/6.md), [**ejabberdctl**(8)](/ejabberdctl/8.md), **epmd**. The program documentation is available at *http://www.process-one.net/en/projects/ejabberd/*. A copy of the documentation can be found at /usr/share/doc/ejabberd/guide.html. ## AUTHORS This manual page was adapted by Christophe Romain \ and Sergei Golovan \ for the **Debian** system (but may be used by others) from the **ejabberd** documentation written by Alexey Shchepin \. Permission is granted to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU General Public License, Version 2 any later version published by the Free Software Foundation. On Debian systems, the complete text of the GNU General Public License can be found in /usr/share/common-licenses/GPL.