[SOLVED] How do I start a daemon?

[Member amp]

Hi,

I installed AntiX Core with a simple WM and am setting up my system.
I’d like to know how can I start a daemon at boot that is not in the sysv-rc-conf list, for example gvfs.
Also, how do I check if a daemon is enabled and running?

Thanks.

• This topic was modified 2 years, 4 months ago by amp.

[Member ex_Koo]

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Change mpd to your service name..

sudo service –status-all

To start service

sudo service mpd start

To check status of service
Check a service..

sudo service mpd status

Start a service..

sudo service mpd start

To stop service..

sudo service mpd stop

To relaod service (i.e. stop + start ) do

sudo service mpd reload

[Anonymous]

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“gvfs” is not the exact name of an executable, right?

To have an arbitrarily chosen (by you) executable launched automatically, prior to start of the desktop session… you would create an init script for it, mark the script executable and place it in /etc/init.d/ then you would use the tool (command) update-rc.d to register the script into your system’s init configuration.

[Anonymous]

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A SysV (aka SystemV) init walkthrough

During boot, immediately following Linux kernel initialization, the init script executes /sbin/init

=== In the “live boot” scenario, an interim init (extracted from within the initrd)
=== is executed, and it performs a plethora of operations prior to calling
=== the switch_root command and handing off to /sbin/init

/sbin/init reads /etc/initscript and consults /etc/inittab
(which governs a series of scripts required to complete the initialization process)
^—v
Next, /sbin/init (according to entries in /etc/inittab)
will exec /etc/xxxxxx passing to it the requested initial runlevel (as specified in /etc/inittab)

===
=== above, I’m omitting some details in this draft
===

The numbering convention for runlevels, across linux distributions, typically includes
0 = halt
1 = single-user mode (only runs /etc/rc.d/rc.sysinit; does not run /etc/rc.d/rc)
6 = reboot
and runlevels 2-3-4-5 are configured to achieve various forms of multi-user mode

Theoretically, you could declare n configure additional runlevels 7 thru 9. If you configured
a “runlevel 7”, its operation would be no higher//better//later than the existing numbered runlevels,
(mentioned just for sake of completeness: Doing this would be accomplished by editing /etc/inittab )

SysVinit goes directly to the runlevel specified in /etc/inittab; It does not consult
the scripts in the other levels. However, at each boot, we can provide a bootline
argument to override the configured default target runlevel.

While a system is running, admin can command a switchover from one runlevel to another,
via the init (aka ‘telinit’) command. When switching runlevels, the init system assesses the difference
between the current and target runlevel. Any processes listed for the current level but not in the target
runlevel are killed using the kill scripts, then any listed for the target runlevel but not in the
current are executed. Items that exist in both run levels are left undisturbed.

===
===
===

on antiX (and other OSes using SysV init) all startup scripts for any process which will be started
when entering one (or several) of the runlevels, are stored in // read from the directory /etc/init.d/
.
The initscripts are processed in numerical order, according to your assigned script filenames.
.
After placing a new script into /etc/init.d/, you can use the tool (command) ____ update-rc.d _____
to generate symlinks ~~ one symlink will be added into each of the numbered /etc/rc[0-6]/ directories.
If the new script is to be stopped for a given runlevel, update-rc.d will preface the name of its symlink
with a K (kill); it the new script is intended to be started for that runlevel, an S (start) prefix
will be applied.
.
Learn by example: inspect the content of the various existing /etc/init.d/ “init scripts” and note
the convention(s) used in their declaratory header lines.
.
Various tutorials are available online. For example: https://wiki.linuxquestions.org/wiki/Creating_startup_scripts

relevant manpages:
man update-rc.d
man runlevel
man init
man initscript
man inittab

[Anonymous]

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Glancing at the above, I think it is probably important to also note that
a process called via an initscript will not necessarily be a “daemon”.
(Many of ’em, run in order to perform prep, or housekeeping upon entering a runlevel then they immediately exit.)

Someone else can please post a followup to explain
/etc/rc.local

[Anonymous]

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how do I check if a daemon is enabled and running?

sudo ps -aux | grep <name of process>
or
“sudo htop” and lookaround

To check which init scripts are enabled for any/every runlevel:
man insserv
sudo insserv -s
(it will probably be desirable to | pipe the insserv output through grep filter it)

[Member ex_Koo]

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Thanks skidoo some useful info there added to my antiX help file. The only time I have used gvfs so my phone would connect with thunar. Which I don’t use anymore as spacefm is my choice of gui file managers and as for the phone I just run the antiX phone connect script works a treat.

[Member seaken64]

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Thanks skidoo, that was very informative and is helping me understand the init process. Thanks again for sharing.

seaken64

[Member amp]

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Thanks a lot for the complete and articulate answers.
Happy 2021!!!

[Moderator Brian Masinick]

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I made this thread stick at the top, at least for a while.

The posts that skidoo provided, very concisely, describe a significant amount of system administration and system understanding.

If you can understand it, you are in great shape!

If not, but you want to learn, try to either get some really good books if you learn that way or start making effective use of the Internet to better understand how software works.

In any case it’ll be challenging to find a better description of the init system, run levels, etc. Great information and that’s why this thread is marked sticky for a while.

If we add to any of our system learning and set-up sections it would be great to either include or cite some of the key points in this thread.

Thanks again skidoo!

--
Brian Masinick

[Member azpicacho]

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Hello,

I use AntiX 19.3 with runit an fluxbox and read with interest this thread.

Koo wrote how to start/stop a daemon with sysVinit, I guess.

Is it the same procedure with runit init system ?

thx

[Forum Admin anticapitalista]

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azpicacho wrote:

Hello,

I use AntiX 19.3 with runit an fluxbox and read with interest this thread.

Koo wrote how to start/stop a daemon with sysVinit, I guess.

Is it the same procedure with runit init system ?

thx

On Debian and thus antiX, (at the moment) yes.
Other distros running runit (eg Void, Artix) do it differently, but their way will not work on Debian or antiX + runit.

Philosophers have interpreted the world in many ways; the point is to change it.

antiX with runit - leaner and meaner.

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