What is a remote config server?

Question

I found myself enabling one of my computer on LAN to connect to a server through port 1236. A check on the list of services show:

bvcontrol 1236/tcp rmtcfg # Daniel J. Walsh, Gracilis Packeten remote config server
bvcontrol 1236/udp # Daniel J. Walsh

I really can't recall why I open up this particular port. Would appreciate if someone can explain what is a bvcontrol and what a remote config server does? So that I can figure out whether to keep this port open or close.

Answer 1

The complete bit in my /etc/services is:

# /etc/services:
# $Id: services,v 1.53 2011/06/13 15:00:06 ovasik Exp $
#
# Network services, Internet style
# IANA services version: last updated 2011-06-10

[...]

# Port 1236 is registered as `bvcontrol', but is also used by the
# Gracilis Packeten remote config server.  The official name is listed as
# the primary name, with the unregistered name as an alias.
bvcontrol       1236/tcp        rmtcfg          # Daniel J. Walsh, Gracilis Packeten remote config server
bvcontrol       1236/udp                        # Daniel J. Walsh

According to this:

bv-Control for UNIX v9.0 is a security and systems management tool for system administrators and security auditors. The tool’s implementation adopts the powerful querying and reporting features of RMS Console and Information Server. The RMS Console along with bv-Control for UNIX is a powerful tool designed to help you manage your server environment. For more information about the RMS Console and the Information Server see the RMS Console and Information Server Getting Started Guide.

Since this is a commercial software product, you would probably know if you were using it. As for the "Gracilis Packeten remote config server", here's a clue for you:

http://manpages.ubuntu.com/manpages/gutsy/man1/p10cfgd.1.html

I believe "packeten" is German for packets, "gracilis" latin for slender and would guess the Gracilis Packeten is an obscure probably obsolete piece of hardware.

In other words, if you want to use that port for something, you are fine doing so. It may (or may not) occasionally get scanned by something expecting "bvcontrol" but that should not matter.