Program doesn't run properly on boot

KenPem · 12-19-2007, 02:45 PM

Hi folks

I have a little project on the go, with a LinkSys NSLU2 "Slug" interacting with the outside world via the Velleman K8055 USB interface board. The code is written in C, and runs as a service. And it's all going really well... except that I can't get the code to run properly on startup.

The code resides at /home/dev/test1/roller1 (binary compiled with gcc)
There is a /opt/etc/init.d/S95roller script which starts /home/dev/test1/roller1
Both files are marked executable and belong to owner root and group root.

If I run the code (even from the script) at the command line, all is fine. But it doesn't run properly at boot. Here's the kicker - it DOES RUN, just not well. "ps" shows me that the service has loaded. And the Slug is pretty unresponsive so its obviously busy with SOMETHING. As soon as I stop the service things return to normal.

I've added debug code to write out a text file of progress... but that only works when I run it from the command line too!

Any ideas?

Tinkster · 12-19-2007, 06:39 PM

Hi,

And welcome to LQ!

And this is just a stab in the dark ... does your program require a pty?

[edit]
Btw, which distro evaluates /opt/etc on start=up?
[/edit]

Cheers,
Tink

P.S.: I've reported your post and suggested it be moved to our programming
forum - I guess you'd get better responses there.

KenPem · 12-20-2007, 02:47 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinkster

Hi,

And welcome to LQ!

Why thank you. Nice to be here.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinkster

And this is just a stab in the dark ... does your program require a pty?

here's where we exceed the (admittedly very low) limits of my Linux expertise... I don't know. What's a pty?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Tinkster

Btw, which distro evaluates /opt/etc on start=up?

The uNLSUng one, a slim distro.... not sure what it was originally based on. Uses the optware packages.

KenPem · 12-20-2007, 02:58 AM

if it helps... the program doesn't interact with the console at all. In fact it runs as a silent service.

XavierP · 12-20-2007, 07:00 AM

As per Tinkster's post, moved to Programming

KenPem · 12-20-2007, 04:19 PM

hmmm in NON-*Nix? This is most certainly a Linux matter, although admittedly not one of the mainstream distros.

Tinkster · 12-20-2007, 06:55 PM

The operative word will be the programming thing, I'd say. And
most people here will be very well versed with Linux/Unix, too,
not many Windows-only coders venture here ;}

Cheers,
Tink

KenPem · 12-26-2007, 01:18 PM

OK, interesting!

I changed /opt/etc/init.d/S95roller so that it now reads:

Code:

#!/bin/sh
env > /env.txt
/home/dev/test1/roller1

and when I run /opt/etc/init.d/S95roller manually I get an /env.txt output of:

Code:

USER=root
SSH_CLIENT=192.168.1.100 2462 22
MAIL=/var/mail/root
SHLVL=1
LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/opt/lib:
HOME=/root
SSH_TTY=/dev/ttyp0
LOGNAME=root
_=/opt/etc/init.d/S95roller
TERM=xterm
PATH=/opt/sbin:/opt/bin:/sbin:/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
SHELL=/bin/sh
PWD=/root
SSH_CONNECTION=192.168.1.100 2462 192.168.1.77 22

but when run on boot, I get only:

Code:

PATH=/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/opt/bin:/opt/sbin
PWD=/

so it is clear there is a massive difference...but now I really have NO idea what to do with this. Any assistance much appreciated.

KenPem · 12-27-2007, 04:42 PM

More info: atop tells me that the program consumes 4% of the CPU when run manually, and the same when run on boot. Don't know if this helps at all. The Slug definately responds .... sluggishly (!) when the program has run at boot, although I can't see what eating the CPU.

This feels very much like a permissions issue... because there's no user on boot? According to the env output above, anyway. Can I force this to run as a user?