The xinetd daemon is a TCP wrapped super
service which controls access to a subset of popular network
services including FTP, IMAP, and Telnet. It also provides
service-specific configuration options for access control, enhanced
logging, binding, redirection, and resource utilization control.
When a client host attempts to connect to a network service controlled
by xinetd, the super service receives the request and
checks for any TCP wrappers access control rules. If access is allowed,
xinetd verifies that the connection is allowed under
its own access rules for that service and that the service is not
consuming more than its alloted amount of resources or is in breach of any
defined rules. It then starts an instance of the requested service and
passes control of the connection to it. Once the connection is
established, xinetd does not interfere further with
communication between the client host and the server.
