The service file of the current Netatalk is not appropriate because it use a shell-script "netatalk.sh". Two experimental files are for future netatalk 3.0. netatalk.service netatalk-cnid.service You can control starting/stopping by netatalk.service only because netatalk-cnid.service is controlled automatically. # systemctl enable|disable netatalk.service # systemctl start|stop|restart netatalk.service These files start daemons directly and do not read "netatalk.conf". Therefore, you need to edit files for setting options. ATALK_NAME: set in afpd.conf instead AFPD_MAX_CLIENTS: set in netatalk.service by using -c AFPD_UAMLIST: set in afpd.conf instead AFPD_GUEST: set in afpd.conf instead CNID_CONFIG: set in netatalk-cnid.service by using -l and -f options There are no service files for atalkd, papd, timelord and a2boot because AppleTalk feature is due to be abolished in netatalk 3.0.