InitScriptStatusActions
Overview
The LSB suggests that init scripts provide a status action:
status_of_proc() library function in lsb-base
DustinKirkland has worked with Debian to provide a status_of_proc() method in /lib/lsb/init-functions, which is provided by the lsb-base package. This function is fully integrated in Debian's lsb-3.2-14:
various init script callers
DustinKirkland has provided patches to the key service init scripts that are installable from the Ubuntu Server CD:
at: wiki:247091
bind9: wiki:247084
cron: wiki:201504
dovecot: wiki:247096
openssh: wiki:247103
samba: wiki:247087
syslogkd: wiki:247106
OnnoBenschop has provided a script to detect, and compiled a list of init scripts that are lacking status action here:
Countless other init scripts could/should be patched to provide this functionality.
Patch Checklist
When you encounter an init script that lacks a status action:
- Determine the source package
- dpkg -S /etc/init.d/FOO
- Open a Bug in Launchpad against the package
- Grab the source
- apt-get source FOO
- sudo apt-get build-dep FOO
- Locate the init script in the source tree, often:
- debian/*.init
- debian/rc
- 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 >= 3.2-12ubuntu3
- if you're sending to Ubuntu
- add the changelog entry referencing your Launchpad bug
- Test your patched init script
- sh debian/FOO.init status
- echo $?
- sudo sh debian/FOO.init stop
- sh debian/FOO.init status
- echo $?
- sudo sh debian/FOO.init start
- sh debian/FOO.init status
- echo $?
- Build a source package
- debuild -S
- Generate a patch
- debdiff
- Compare your work to some of the other patches that did similar things.
See the patch for atd:
Or, perhaps have a look at the patch for openssh-server, which passes a pidfile to status_of_proc():
However, some are more complicated than others, such as samba:
- Add your patch to the Launchpad bug you filed