---
name: "rpc.lockd"
section: "8"
platform: "macos"
package: "NFS"
version: "343.100.5"
release: "macOS 26.5"
platforms: ["linux", "freebsd", "openbsd", "macos"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/rpc.lockd"
---

# rpc.lockd(8)

NFS file locking daemon

## NAME

**rpc.lockd** – NFS file locking daemon

## SYNOPSIS

**rpc.lockd** \[**-d** *debug\_level*\] \[**-g** *grace\_period*\] \[**-x** *host\_monitor\_cache\_period*\]

## DESCRIPTION

The **rpc.lockd** utility provides monitored and unmonitored file and record locking services in an NFS environment. To monitor the status of hosts requesting locks, the locking daemon typically operates in conjunction with [rpc.statd(8)](/rpc.statd/8.md).

The **rpc.lockd** utility runs whenever its services are needed to support either the NFS server (see [nfsd(8)](/nfsd/8.md)) or the NFS client (an NFS file system on which file locking requests have been made).  The daemon will remain running until a short time after its services are no longer needed to support either the NFS client or NFS server. **rpc.lockd** will also make sure that the **statd** service (on which it depends) is running.

The following is a list of command line options that are available. However, since **rpc.lockd** is normally started by launchd(8), configuration of these options should be controlled using the equivalent settings in the NFS configuration file.  See [nfs.conf(5)](/nfs.conf/5.md) for a list of tunable parameters.

- **-d**

  The **-d** option causes debugging information to be written to syslog, recording all RPC transactions to the daemon. These messages are logged with level LOG\_DEBUG and facility LOG\_DAEMON. Specifying a *debug\_level* of 1 results in the generation of one log line per protocol operation. Higher debug levels can be specified, causing display of operation arguments and internal operations of the daemon.

- **-g**

  The **-g** option allows to specify the *grace* *period* (in seconds). During the grace period **rpc.lockd** only accepts requests from hosts which are reinitialising locks which existed before the server restart. Default is 45 seconds.

- **-x**

  The **-x** option tells rpc.lockd how long to cache state records for monitored hosts. Setting it to zero will disable the cache which will make lock and unlock requests from a single client more expensive because of additional interaction with the client's statd.  The default cache time is 60 seconds.

Error conditions are logged to syslog, irrespective of the debug level, using log level LOG\_ERR and facility LOG\_DAEMON.

## FILES

- */var/run/lockd.pid*

  The pid of the current **lockd** daemon.

- */System/Library/LaunchDaemons/com.apple.lockd.plist*

  The **lockd** service's property list file for launchd(8).

- */usr/include/rpcsvc/nlm\_prot.x*

  RPC protocol specification for the network lock manager protocol.

## SEE ALSO

[nfs.conf(5)](/nfs.conf/5.md), [rpc.statd(8)](/rpc.statd/8.md), [syslog(3)](/syslog/3.md), launchd(8)

## BUGS

The current implementation serialises locks requests that could be shared.

## STANDARDS

The implementation is based on the specification in “Protocols for X/Open PC Interworking: XNFS, Issue 4”, *X/Open CAE Specification C218*, ISBN 1 872630 66 9.

## HISTORY

A version of **rpc.lockd** appeared in SunOS 4.