---
name: "nasd"
section: "1nas"
platform: "linux"
package: "nas"
version: "1.9.4-9"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/nasd"
---

# nasd(1nas)

Network Audio System server

## NAME

nasd - Network Audio System server

## SYNOPSIS

**nasd** \[:listen port offset\] \[-option ...\]

## DESCRIPTION

*nasd* is the generic name for the Network Audio System server.  It is frequently a link or a copy of the appropriate server binary for driving the most frequently used server on a given machine.

## STARTING THE SERVER

The server is usually started from /etc/rc or a user's startup script.

When the Network Audio System server starts up, it takes over /dev/audio.  Note, that if ReleaseDevice is set to TRUE \[default\] in the nasd.conf file, nasd will relinquish control of the audio device whenever it has finished playing a sound.  This means you can use other non-NAS applications when nasd is running, as long as nasd isn't currently playing a song.  If ReleaseDevice is set to FALSE in the nasd.conf file, applications that attempt to access /dev/audio themselves will fail while nasd is running.

## NETWORK CONNECTIONS

The Network Audio System server supports connections made using the following reliable byte-streams:

- *TCPIP*

  The server listens on port 8000+*n*, where *n* is the listen  port offset.

- *Unix Domain*

  The X server uses */tmp/.sockets/audio***n** as the filename for  the socket, where *n* is the display number.

## OPTIONS

All of the Network Audio System servers accept the following generic command line options.  Options specific to a particular server may also be available, and are not listed here.  Try 'nasd -?' for a list of those options, if available.

- **-aa**

  Allows any client to connect.  By default, access is allowed only to authenticated clients.

- **-local**

  Allows only clients on the local host to connect.  By default, access is allowed to local and remote hosts.

- **-v**

  Enable verbose messages.  This option overrides the nasd.conf file setting.

- **-V**

  Print version information and exit (ignoring other options).

- **-b**

  Fork a child to run in the background and exit (daemon mode). Messages are sent to syslog instead of stderr.

- **-d *n***

  Enable debugging output at level *n*, where *n* is a positive integer.  The higher the level, the more output you will get.  A value of 0 \[default\] disables debugging output.  This option overrides the nasd.conf file setting.

- **-pn**

  - **-nopn \[default\]**

  Enables or disables Partial Networking.  Enabling Partial Networking allows the server to start, even if the server cannot establish all of its well-known sockets (connection points for clients), but establishes at least one.

- **-config *file***

  Use the config file *file*, instead of the default (/etc/nasd/nasd.conf).

## SIGNALS

The Network Audio System server attaches special meaning to the following signals:

- *SIGHUP*

  This signal causes the server to close all existing connections, free all resources, and restore all defaults.

- *SIGTERM*

  This signal causes the server to exit cleanly.

- *SIGUSR1*

  This signal is used quite differently from either of the above.  When the server starts, it checks to see if it has inherited SIGUSR1 as SIG\_IGN instead of the usual SIG\_DFL.  In this case, the server sends a SIGUSR1 to its parent process after it has set up the various connection schemes.

## DIAGNOSTICS

Too numerous to list them all.

## FILES

- /tmp/.sockets/audio\*

  Unix domain socket

- /usr/adm/audio\*msgs

  - /dev/audio

  Audio device

## SEE ALSO

nas(1), auinfo(1), auplay(1), auctl(1), nasd.conf(1)

## BUGS

If *au* dies before its clients, new clients won't be able to connect until all existing connections have their TCP TIME\_WAIT timers expire.

The current access control support is weak at best.

## COPYRIGHT

Copyright 1993, Network Computing Devices, Inc.\

## AUTHORS

The Network Audio System server was originally written by Greg Renda and Dave Lemke, with large amounts of code borrowed from the sample X server.

The sample X server was originally written by Susan Angebranndt, Raymond Drewry, Philip Karlton, and Todd Newman, from Digital Equipment Corporation, with support from a large cast.  It has since been extensively rewritten by Keith Packard and Bob Scheifler, from MIT.