InitScriptStatusActions

Background

The LSB suggests that init scripts provide a status action:

DustinKirkland worked with Debian to provide a method,  status_of_proc() , in /lib/lsb/init-functions, in the lsb-base library package. This function is fully integrated in Intrepid as of lsb-3.2-14.

Adding status actions to init scripts

Numerous init scripts should be patched to call  status_of_proc()  and provide a status action. A simple recipe follows for adding such functionality.

Patch Checklist

When you encounter an init script that lacks a status action:

  1. Determine the source package
    •  dpkg -S /etc/init.d/FOO 

  2. Open a bug in Launchpad against the package
  3. Grab the source and build dependencies
    •  apt-get source FOO 

    •  sudo apt-get build-dep FOO 

  4. Locate the init script in the source tree, sometimes
    •  debian/*.init 

    •  debian/rc 

  5. Patch the source to
    • have the init script call status_of_proc()
    • have the init script add "status" to the usage statement
    • add a dependency in debian/control for lsb-base >= 3.2-14

    • add the changelog entry referencing your Launchpad bug, (LP: #999999)
  6. Assuming that you have the package installed, test your patched init script for the new functionality and regressions. Check that $? after the status calls are 0 on success, and non-zero on failure.
    •  sudo sh debian/FOO.init start 

      •   * Starting FOO      [ OK ] 

    •  sh debian/FOO.init status; echo $? 

      •   * FOO is running. 

    •  sudo sh debian/FOO.init stop 

      •   * Stopping FOO      [ OK ] 

    •  sh debian/FOO.init status; echo $? 

      •   * FOO is not running. 

    •  sudo sh debian/FOO.init start 

      •   * Starting FOO      [ OK ] 

  7. Build a source package
    •  debuild -S 

  8. Generate a patch
    •  debdiff 

  9. Compare your work to some of the other patches
  10. Add your patch to the Launchpad bug you filed, mark as Confirmed

  11. Subscribe kirkland, and (ubuntu-main-sponsors or ubuntu-universe-sponsors) as appropriate

  12. For bonus points, file a bug in Debian, and work the patch back upstream
    • Use Debian/Usertagging

      • User: ubuntu-devel@lists.ubuntu.com

      • Usertags: origin-ubuntu ubuntu-patch intrepid

Init Scripts that Need a Status Action

The following is a crude list of init scripts in Intrepid that are lacking a "status" action. I say "crude" in that this list was generated on 2008-07-21 by installing the Intrepid Ubuntu (server, ubuntu-desktop, kubuntu-desktop, xubuntu-desktop), and grepping through /etc/init.d for scripts that lacked the string "status)". Please help improve this list by adding/removing init scripts to/from this list, and linking to a bug number. Please leave an informative note in this wiki page's changelog.

You can run  dpkg -S /etc/init.d/...  to determine the source package of any of the following scripts.

Init scripts with daemon(s)

/etc/init.d/...
  1. acpid: 251681 (FIXED)

  2. at: 247091 (FIXED)

  3. bind9: 247084 (Patch submitted, awaiting main sponsorship)

  4. bip: 251287 (FIXED), Debian #492126

  5. bluetooth: 251684 (FIXED)

  6. bootlogd: 259435 (Patch submitted, awaiting main sponsorship)

  7. brltty: 251626 (FIXED)

  8. cron: 201504 (FIXED)

  9. dbus 252214 (FIXED), Debian #492541

  10. dhcdbd: 251624 (FIXED)

  11. dovecot: 247096 (FIXED)

  12. gdm: 251375 (FIXED)

  13. hal: 252350 (FIXED), Debian #492625

  14. kdm: 259446 (Patch submitted, awaiting main sponsorship)

  15. lighttpd: 251924 (FIXED)

  16. mysql
  17. mysql-ndb
  18. mysql-ndb-mgm
  19. mythtv-backend 251325 (FIXED)

  20. nginx: 251985 (FIXED)

  21. nis
  22. openvpn
  23. openssh: 247103 (FIXED)

  24. portmap: 254499 (Patch submitted, awaiting main sponsorship)

  25. powernowd
  26. pulseaudio (Be careful with this one: the default for desktop installs is via session, not via this initscript.)
  27. rsync: 251320 (FIXED), Debian #492138

  28. samba: 247087 (Patch submitted, awaiting main sponsorship)

  29. squid: 251299 (FIXED), Debian #492131

  30. sysklogd: 247106 (FIXED)

  31. system-tools-backends: 300743 (Patch submitted)

  32. usplash
  33. winbind: 247087 (FIXED)

  34. xinetd: 251975 (FIXED)

Init scripts without daemon(s)

No daemon, but detectable status

The following init scripts do not have an associated daemon, however, they do perform actions on the system which could be algorithmically checked. I'm noting some suggested items that could be checked in a 'status' action.

/etc/init.d/...
  1. apport - status should look at /proc/sys/kernel/core_pattern
  2. binfmt-support - status should check update-binfmts --display, perhaps
  3. checkfs.sh - status could show the time/date/results of the last check
  4. checkroot.sh - similar to checkfs.sh, perhaps?
  5. mountoverflowtmp - status could check the tmp mountpoint
  6. mythtv-status: 251330 (Patch awaiting sponsorship), checks if mythtv-status has run successfully

  7. networking - status could check network connectivity
  8. pcmciautils - status could check lsmod for needed modules
  9. policykit - status could check directory existence and permissions
  10. rmnologin - status could check /var/lib/initscripts/nologin
  11. screen-cleanup - status could check /var/run/screen
  12. single - status could check if in single user mode or not
  13. skeleton - the skeleton init script itself should be enhanced to have a status action!
  14. urandom - status could check /dev/urandom
  15. firehol - status could check if current iptables match those firehol generates from its configuration ("firehol debug") else dispay the diff. 185978

No daemon

The following init scripts do not have an associated deamon. On initial review of the code, a 'status' action for these scripts does not necessarily make sense. If you have an idea of a sensible status action, please note the suggestion and move the item to the list above (detectable status).

/etc/init.d/...
  1. acpi-support
  2. alsa-utils
  3. bootmisc.sh
  4. console-screen.sh
  5. console-setup
  6. dns-clean
  7. glibc.sh
  8. halt
  9. hostname.sh
  10. hotkey-setup
  11. hwclockfirst.sh
  12. hwclock.sh
  13. keyboard-setup
  14. killprocs
  15. loopback
  16. module-init-tools
  17. mountall-bootclean.sh
  18. mountall.sh
  19. mountdevsubfs.sh
  20. mountkernfs.sh
  21. mountnfs-bootclean.sh
  22. mountnfs.sh
  23. powernowd.early
  24. pppd-dns
  25. procps
  26. rc
  27. rc.local
  28. rcS
  29. readahead
  30. readahead-desktop
  31. reboot
  32. resolvconf
  33. sendsigs
  34. stop-bootlogd
  35. stop-bootlogd-single
  36. stop-readahead
  37. umountfs
  38. umountnfs.sh
  39. umountroot
  40. vbesave
  41. wpa-ifupdown
  42. xserver-xorg-input-wacom

References

  1. http://lists.debian.org/debian-devel/2008/07/msg01031.html

  2. http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=490095

  3. http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=483285

  4. http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=291148

  5. http://bugs.debian.org/cgi-bin/bugreport.cgi?bug=208010

  6. http://packages.qa.debian.org/l/lsb.html

  7. https://wiki.ubuntu.com/OnnoBenschop/ubuntu-server/init.d-status

InitScriptStatusActions (last edited 2009-11-29 13:27:58 by 77-21-62-108-dynip)