Need to run PHP script in the background while redirecting STDOUT and STDERR to a fil

sneakyimp · 01-03-2013, 03:51 PM

I have been checking the advice here but I've been unable to determine how I might run my script in the background such that all script output (STDERR and STDOUT) ends up in a file. I've tried this:

Code:

php /path/to/script.php 2>&1 > /path/to/file.txt

This seems to result in the script running in the background, but file.txt remains empty and the script -- which is supposed to create some other files -- doesn't appear to do anything. I can see it listed when I do "ps -aux" but it doesn't seem to do any work.

I then have to kill the script with a kill -9.

What am I doing wrong?

EDIT: my shell is bash.

Habitual · 01-03-2013, 04:54 PM

try

Code:

php -f /path/to/script.php 2>&1 > /path/to/file.txt

sneakyimp · 01-03-2013, 05:48 PM

Thanks for your response, but the command you offer does not run in the background -- I have to wait until it completes to do anything else.

I tried it with an ampersand (&) after it and that doesn't work either. The command returns instantly but almost immediately after (e.g., if i hit the return key), I get a notice that it has stopped:

Code:

$ php -f /path/to/script.php 2>&1 > /path/to/file.txt &
[1] 31003
$ 

[1]+  Stopped                 php -f /path/to/script.php 2>&1 > /path/to/file.txt

however, if I then do a ps -aux | grep php command then it looks like the process is still running:

Code:

505      31003  0.0  1.6 281852  8260 pts/0    T    17:40   0:00 php -f /path/to/script.php
505      31078  0.0  0.1 103232   824 pts/0    S+   17:42   0:00 grep php

However, nothing at all is being written to the output file:

Code:

tail: /path/to/file.txt: file truncated

Celyr · 01-03-2013, 05:59 PM

Code:

$ php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt&
[1] 3103
$
[1]+  Done                    php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt
$
$ cat prova.php
<?php

 echo phpinfo();

?>
$ cat file.txt
(long truncated output)
$

Here is working as expected.
can you please post the full output and eventually try with another php script ?
(T in process state means stopped so it's not running)
Have you tried to issue a

Code:

$ bg

sneakyimp · 01-03-2013, 06:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Celyr

Code:

$ php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt&
[1] 3103
$
[1]+  Done                    php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt
$
$ cat prova.php
<?php

 echo phpinfo();

?>
$ cat file.txt
(long truncated output)
$

Here is working as expected

That is not how my machine is behaving. My script will take approximately an hour to run. I believe one difference is that phpinfo returns almost immediately. Unfortunately, rather than running to completion, it STOPS:

Code:

[1]+  Stopped                 php -f /path/to/script.php 2>&1 > /path/to/file.txt

yours doesn't stop, it says "DONE":

Code:

[1]+  Done                    php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt

And you only run your cat command once it has completed. My hope is that I might monitor file.txt during the length of a very long script. Perhaps you could try this php script as prova.php instead:

PHP Code:



<?php 
for($i=0; $i<3600; $i++) { 
  echo "iteration $i\n"; 
  sleep(1); 
} 
?>

Perhaps then you will get similar behavior?

Celyr · 01-04-2013, 12:13 PM

Code:

$ php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt&
[1] 3579
$ jobs
[1]+  Running                 php -f prova.php 2>&1 > file.txt &
$ cat prova.php
<?php
for($i=0; $i<3600; $i++) {
  echo "iteration $i\n";
  sleep(1);
}
?>
$ ps aux | grep php
xxx      3579  0.6  0.3 231648 14468 pts/0    S    19:09   0:00 php -f prova.php
xxx      3582  0.0  0.0   7076   976 pts/0    S+   19:10   0:00 grep php
$ php --version
PHP 5.4.7 (cli) (built: Sep 14 2012 15:20:54)
Copyright (c) 1997-2012 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v2.4.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2012 Zend Technologies

Still working.
and file.txt is updated every second as expected. Is this example working for you ?

shivaa · 01-04-2013, 12:33 PM

Instead of searching "php" process, search process for script as:-

Code:

ps -aef | grep script.php

And kill that process using:-

Code:

kill -9 <pid>
OR 
kill <pid>

Note: This is because your script is still running in background and updating the file, so you have to stop the script, not php.

sneakyimp · 01-04-2013, 01:26 PM

I tried with the exact same script and the behavior is different:

Code:

sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~/$ php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php 2>&1 > /home/sneakyimp/file.txt&
[2] 19872
sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~/$

[2]+  Stopped                 php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php 2>&1 > /home/sneakyimp/file.txt
sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~/$ ls -al
total 12
drwxrwxr-x  2 sneakyimp sneakyimp 4096 2013-01-04 11:19 .
drwxr-xr-x 12 sneakyimp sneakyimp 4096 2013-01-04 11:14 ..
-rw-rw-r--  1 sneakyimp sneakyimp    0 2013-01-04 11:19 file.txt
-rw-rw-r--  1 sneakyimp sneakyimp   76 2013-01-04 11:15 prova.php

As soon as I hit <enter> or attempt any new command, I get the STOPPED notification. There still appears to be a process running though. I tried the above twice and so there are two instances of the process running:

Code:

sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~$ ps -aux | grep "prova.php"
Warning: bad ps syntax, perhaps a bogus '-'? See http://procps.sf.net/faq.html
sneakyimp    19869  0.0  0.1 240748 12312 pts/3    T    11:19   0:00 php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php
sneakyimp    19872  0.0  0.1 240748 12312 pts/3    T    11:19   0:00 php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php
sneakyimp    19884  0.0  0.0  14576   896 pts/3    S+   11:24   0:00 grep --color=auto prova.php

These process do create the file file.txt as you can see from the ls -l output above, but that file never fills up, never has anything in it.

I'm using ubuntu 11.10:

Code:

$ cat /etc/issue
Ubuntu 11.10 \n \l

What the heck??

shivaa · 01-04-2013, 01:39 PM

(1) If you want to stop the background process i.e. script, then kill PIDs 19869, 19872, and 19884.
(2) In your command, reason of empty file is improper re-direction i.e. 2>&1 >:

Code:

php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php 2>&1 > /home/sneakyimp/file.txt

Just remove error and output re-direction i.e. 2>&1 and instead use simple re-direction i.e. ">", as:-

Code:

php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php > /home/sneakyimp/file.txt &

Then check the file /home/sneakyimp/file.txt, it will contain all output that generated before you kill the script.

sneakyimp · 01-04-2013, 01:51 PM

The problem is the same:

Code:

sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~$ php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php > /home/sneakyimp/file.txt &
[1] 19928
sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~$

[1]+  Stopped                 php -f /home/sneakyimp/prova.php > /home/sneakyimp/file.txt
sneakyimp@sneakyimp-ubuntu-64:~$

I have taken care to kill the previous processes each time I attempt this.

Habitual · 01-04-2013, 05:55 PM

It may be helpful to post
/home/sneakyimp/prova.php, sanitized if necessary...

sneakyimp · 01-04-2013, 05:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Habitual

It may be helpful to post
/home/sneakyimp/prova.php, sanitized if necessary...

Code:

<?php
for($i=0; $i<3600; $i++) {
  echo "iteration $i\n";
  sleep(1);
}
?>

Celyr · 01-05-2013, 02:23 PM

Code:

php --version

?

sneakyimp · 01-05-2013, 02:25 PM

Code:

$ php --version
PHP 5.3.6-13ubuntu3.9 with Suhosin-Patch (cli) (built: Sep 12 2012 19:00:27) 
Copyright (c) 1997-2011 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v2.3.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2011 Zend Technologies
    with Xdebug v2.1.0, Copyright (c) 2002-2010, by Derick Rethans
    with Zend Debugger v5.3, Copyright (c) 1999-2010, by Zend Technologies

I don't think that has anything to do with it, does it?

Celyr · 01-05-2013, 03:16 PM

I think it's the only explantion, ubuntu messed up (also) with php.
Workaround:

Code:

$screen
$ php -f file.php 2>&1 > file.txt
^C
$
continue your work...
$

you can get back to the screen with screen -r