# Shutdown configuration

The configuration items on this page allow you to configure Liberator’s behaviour on shutdown.

## sigterm-shutdown-options

This configuration item changes the behaviour of Liberator when it receives a SIGTERM signal. The standard behaviour is for Liberator to initiate an immediate shutdown. When `sigterm-shutdown-options` is set, Liberator initiates a graceful (delayed) shutdown.

**📌 NOTE**\
You can send the SIGTERM signal to Liberator using the Bash built-in command `kill` or Linux’s `/bin/kill` command.

During a graceful shutdown, existing connections are still honoured, but no new client connections are accepted. Liberator will shutdown automatically either when all clients have disconnected, or at the conclusion of the grace period; whichever happens first.

You can also initiate a graceful shutdown by sending Liberator the UDP command [shutdown](liberator-udp-commands.md#shutdown), or by executing the monitoring operation "shutdown" under the `rttpd.server.liberator` MBean in the [Caplin Management Console](../cmc/index.md).

StreamLink clients can subscribe to Liberator’s `/SYSTEM/NOTIFY/STATE` subject to be notified when a graceful shutdown has been initiated. For more information, see [Liberator system subjects](liberator-system-subjects.md).

**Syntax**: `sigterm-shutdown-options <time-specification> <reason>`

| Parameter | Type | Default | Description |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| time-specification | string |  | The number of seconds to delay shutdown or a specific local-time to shutdown the server in the format `%Y-%m-%dT%H:%M` |
| reason | string |  | Descriptive text to enter in Liberator’s log |

**Since**: Liberator 7.1.1

**Operating system**: Linux

**Type**: string array

**Default**: none

**Examples**:

* `sigterm-shutdown-options 3600 "Shutting down for maintenance."`
* `sigterm-shutdown-options "2018-07-23T23:59:59" "Shutting down for maintenance."`