Custom PID checking for process

[mengesb]

I'm looking to utilize something to the effect of this code:

ps -ef | grep sc_serv | grep -v grep | awk '{print $2}' > sc_serv.pid
cat sc_serv.pid
3447
3449

The first id it spits out is the screen process that I run the sc_serv command under, and that's fine, because killing that process is really what I want. Killing the second will just produce nothing.

What I'd really like is for when this system boots up, it will check for the PID file. I'm guessing if it exists, and its a fresh boot, then it will kill the file, and start it under the user specified (automagically). I don't think I would have to check if the process exists.

I was also wondering if it would be a good idea to monitor this process to test if its alive. I've not had issues with it dying on its own in the past, so I think I can forgo checking on it every now and then.

Id still like this ran under the specified user under 'screen' mode so that if need be i can interact with it. I also have some other console type programs which I will need to interact with.

Here's the sc_cast process start file:

cat ../scast
cd $HOME/shoutcast_serv
screen -A -m -d -S scast ./sc_serv

Would I just tag on the ps -ef... command at the end of this, and it'll create a pid for me, stored where i would like? Also I'd like to create a startup script which during boot time it will show: Starting Shoutcast Server ... [ OK ] etc type messages so that I can track it by log as well.

If making a 'service' call out of this would work, that would be nice too, so that I can do something like 'service shoutcast start' and 'service nsv start' (two main purposes for this script) then that would be awesome, but running these under the user I need would be priority - I don't want them running under 'root'.

Help is appreciated.

[Motoma]

It seems like you are trying to re-invent the wheel. Take a look at the start-stop-daemon tool.