[linux] Run script with rc.local: script works, but not at boot

I have a node.js script which need to start at boot and run under the www-data user. During development I always started the script with:

su www-data -c 'node /var/www/php-jobs/manager.js

I saw exactly what happened, the manager.js works now great. Searching SO I found I had to place this in my /etc/rc.local. Also, I learned to point the output to a log file and to append the 2>&1 to "redirect stderr to stdout" and it should be a daemon so the last character is a &.

Finally, my /etc/rc.local looks like this:

#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.

su www-data -c 'node /var/www/php-jobs/manager.js >> /var/log/php-jobs.log 2>&1 &'

exit 0

If I run this myself (sudo /etc/rc.local): yes, it works! However, if I perform a reboot no node process is running, the /var/log/php-jobs.log does not exist and thus, the manager.js does not work. What is happening?

In this example of a rc.local script I use io redirection at the very first line of execution to my own log file:

#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.

exec 2> /tmp/rc.local.log  # send stderr from rc.local to a log file
exec 1>&2                      # send stdout to the same log file
set -x                         # tell sh to display commands before execution

/opt/stuff/somefancy.error.script.sh

exit 0

I found that because I was using a network-oriented command in my rc.local, sometimes it would fail. I fixed this by putting sleep 3 at the top of my script. I don't know why but it seems when the script is run the network interfaces aren't properly configured or something, and this just allows some time for the DHCP server or something. I don't fully understand but I suppose you could give it a try.

1 Do not recommend using root to run the apps such as node app.

Well you can do it but may catch more exceptions.

2 The rc.local normally runs as root user.

So if the your script should runs as another user such as www U should make sure the PATH and other environment is ok.

3 I find a easy way to run a service as a user:

sudo -u www -i /the/path/of/your/script

Please prefer the sudo manual~ -i [command] The -i (simulate initial login) option runs the shell specified by the password database entry of the target user as a loginshell...

This is most probably caused by a missing or incomplete PATH environment variable.

If you provide full absolute paths to your executables (su and node) it will work.

I have used rc.local in the past. But I have learned from my experience that the most reliable way to run your script at the system boot time is is to use @reboot command in crontab. For example:

@reboot path_to_the_start_up_script.sh

In Ubuntu I noticed there are 2 files. The real one is /etc/init.d/rc.local; it seems the other /etc/rc.local is bogus?

Once I modified the correct one (/etc/init.d/rc.local) it did execute just as expected.

I had the same problem (on CentOS 7) and I fixed it by giving execute permissions to /etc/local:

chmod +x /etc/rc.local

On some linux's (Centos & RH, e.g.), /etc/rc.local is initially just a symbolic link to /etc/rc.d/rc.local. On those systems, if the symbolic link is broken, and /etc/rc.local is a separate file, then changes to /etc/rc.local won't get seen at bootup -- the boot process will run the version in /etc/rc.d. (They'll work if one runs /etc/rc.local manually, but won't be run at bootup.)

Sounds like on dimadima's system, they are separate files, but /etc/rc.d/rc.local calls /etc/rc.local

The symbolic link from /etc/rc.local to the 'real' one in /etc/rc.d can get lost if one moves rc.local to a backup directory and copies it back or creates it from scratch, not realizing the original one in /etc was just a symbolic link.

I got my script to work by editing /etc/rc.local then issuing the following 3 commands.

sudo mv /filename /etc/init.d/
sudo chmod +x /etc/init.d/filename 
sudo update-rc.d filename defaults

Now the script works at boot.

I am using CentOS 7.

$ cd  /etc/profile.d

$ vim yourstuffs.sh

Type the following into the yourstuffs.sh script.

type whatever you want here to execute

export LD_LIBRARY_PATH=/usr/local/cuda-7.0/lib64:$LD_LIBRARY_PATH

Save and reboot the OS.

You might also have made it work by specifying the full path to node. Furthermore, when you want to run a shell command as a daemon you should close stdin by adding 1<&- before the &.

if you are using linux on cloud, then usually you don't have chance to touch the real hardware using your hands. so you don't see the configuration interface when booting for the first time, and of course cannot configure it. As a result, the firstboot service will always be in the way to rc.local. The solution is to disable firstboot by doing:

sudo chkconfig firstboot off

if you are not sure why your rc.local does not run, you can always check from /etc/rc.d/rc file because this file will always run and call other subsystems (e.g. rc.local).

first make the script executable using sudo chmod 755 /path/of/the/file.sh now add the script in the rc.local sh /path/of/the/file.sh before exit 0 in the rc.local, next make the rc.local to executable with sudo chmod 755 /etc/rc.local next to initialize the rc.local use sudo /etc/init.d/rc.local start this will initiate the rc.local now reboot the system. Done..

rc.local only runs on startup. If you reboot and want the script to execute, it needs to go into the rc.0 file starting with the K99 prefix.

It is my understanding that if you place your script in a certain RUN Level, you should use ln -s to link the script to the level you want it to work in.