starting a process when linux starts (ubuntu)

Question

Hi All,

I have a process (Spark chat client) which needs to be run when my ubuntu boots up. For this I have done followings

1. I created a run.sh file which will fire up my application (and I check its working)
2. I created a symbolic link from both /etc/rc5.d/ and /etc/rc3.d/ to my run.sh file. (Symbolic link is also working fine)

But my processes doesn't startup when my machine boots. (is this the way to do it or Am I doing the wrong thing here)

I'm running on Ubuntu 10.04 LTS- the Lucid Lynx

Please help

thanks in advance

Answer 1

The symlinks you created in /etc/rc5.d/ and /etc/rc3.d/ should be named S##name. S is for start, and the number ## gives an order in which the scripts are run.

Note also that the symlinks in these directories usually points to the actual script located in /etc/init.d/.

Answer 2

Your solution would've worked in most Linux distributions. However, Ubuntu never goes past runlevel 2.

edit: just in case, this means the contents of rc?.d with ? > 2 are not used unless you manually raise the runlevel as root. Use rc2.d :)

Cheers!

Answer 3

It looks like you want to run an X program when a user logs in, not a service on startup. Remember, in Linux there is no GUI; X is a program that runs to display graphics on the screen.

You likely want to set up a program to start on KDE/Gnome login. Each has their own way to do it, but is generally boils down to pointing at a script and saying "Run this."