Make screen start as Daemon for a Minecraft server

Question

I made a script that runs fine manually, but can't get it to run with the description in How to start a script file on boot?. I have run update-rc.d -f minecraft.start defaults

This is what my /etc/init.d/minecraft.start is like

#!/bin/bash
case "$1" in
  start)
    screen -S minecraft.start /home/phirephoenix/minecraft/bukkitserver/start_server.sh
    echo "Server started on screen minecraft"
    ;;
  stop)
    screen -X -S minecraft.start kill
    echo "Server shutting down"
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: /etc/init.d/minecraft.start {start|stop}"
    exit 1
    ;;

esac

exit 0
~

As the script works, I won't be adding it, since it's the default.

And this is my startup log /var/log/boot.log

Begin: Loading essential drivers ... done.
Begin: Running /scripts/init-premount ... done.
Begin: Mounting root file system ... Begin: Running /scripts/local-top ... done.
Begin: Running /scripts/local-premount ... done.
Begin: Running /scripts/local-bottom ... done.
done.
Begin: Running /scripts/init-bottom ... done.
fsck from util-linux 2.20.1
/dev/sda1: clean, 66452/4325376 files, 1205648/17301248 blocks
 * Starting configure network device [ OK ]
 * Starting Mount network filesystems [ OK ]
 * Starting Failsafe Boot Delay [ OK ]
 * Stopping Mount network filesystems [ OK ]
 * Starting Bridge socket events into upstart [ OK ]
 * Starting SMB/CIFS File Server [ OK ]
 * Starting configure network device [ OK ]
 * Stopping OpenSSH server [ OK ]
 * Starting OpenSSH server [ OK ]
 * Starting NetBIOS name server [ OK ]
 * Starting Mount network filesystems [ OK ]
 * Stopping Failsafe Boot Delay [ OK ]
 * Starting configure network device [ OK ]
 * Starting System V initialisation compatibility [ OK ]
 * Stopping Mount network filesystems [ OK ]
 * Starting SMB/CIFS File and Active Directory Server [ OK ]
 * Stopping cold plug devices [ OK ]
 * Stopping log initial device creation [ OK ]
 * Starting enable remaining boot-time encrypted block devices [ OK ]
 * Starting configure network device security [ OK ]
 * Starting configure virtual network devices [ OK ]
 * Stopping configure virtual network devices [ OK ]
 * Starting save udev log and update rules [ OK ]
 * Stopping save udev log and update rules [ OK ]
Skipping profile in /etc/apparmor.d/disable: usr.sbin.rsyslogd
 * Starting AppArmor profiles [ OK ]
 * Stopping System V initialisation compatibility [ OK ]
 * Starting System V runlevel compatibility [ OK ]
 * Starting ACPI daemon [ OK ]
 * Starting save kernel messages [ OK ]
 * Starting automatic crash report generation [ OK ]
 * Starting regular background program processing daemon [ OK ]
 * Starting deferred execution scheduler [ OK ]
 * Stopping save kernel messages [ OK ]
 * Starting CPU interrupts balancing daemon [ OK ]
 * Starting crash report submission daemon [ OK ]
 * Starting domain name service... bind9 [ OK ]

**<BIG BLANK AREA RIGHT HERE, DON'T GET IT>**

**[screen is terminating]**
**Server started on screen minecraft**
apache2: Could not reliably determine the server's fully qualified domain name, using 127.0.1.1 for ServerName
 * Starting web server apache2 [ OK ]
 * Stopping System V runlevel compatibility [ OK ]

It does execute the echo inside start, but it also says screen is terminating.

What is causing this problem here? I run Ubuntu Server, it seems screen is installed and working.

So new approach, using the upstart feature (or what I should call it). I kind of understood the runtimelevel things after some short googeling, and it should now start on one of the four runtimelevels i have set, or stop, on halt/reboot etc.

made /etc/init/bukkit.conf much like the one warlock made. All the # are added for commenting here, and are not on the actual script.

description     "Bukktiserver"
author          "[email protected]"

start on runlevel [2345]
stop on runlevel [016]

pre-start script
    echo " * Bukkitserver started"
    # I don't know if this does anything at all
end script

    exec sudo /home/phirephoenix/minecraft/bukkitserver/start_server.sh
    # Had to sudo, or else it would get permission denied. Any ideas?

Now I can start the server with typing sudo start bukkit, but it still does not run automaticly. bukkit is in my initctl list with bukkit stop/waiting (For everyone wondering bukkit is a minecraft server software.)

So. I use a .conf to make it a upstart service, want the script to run without me having to do anything (automaticly before any logon). Is there a problem with the actuall jarfile to be run is in my homefolder? I can't really remember if my homefolder is encrypted or not, but it might be. Could this be a problem? Will I have to use symlinks or something (if symlinks are almost like shortcuts, but it ain't?)

What am I missing here?

Ps: I has also removed the screen startup thingy, with update-rc.d remove.

Solution

I didn't remember screen having a daemon mode, apparently it does. Change the screen line for the following:

screen -dmS minecraft.start /home/phirephoenix/minecraft/bukkitserver/start_server.sh

The new parameter -dmS "Start as daemon: Screen session in detached mode.", which is the combination of -d -m and the -S that you are already using.

Comments

[Ludwig Schulze]

You don't need sudo since you are already running as root.

[PhirePhoenix]

Still won't run at startup though. Now suddenly the process killed itself without me telling it to aswell.. :/

[Phill Pafford]

did you ever get upstart and screen working?

[PhirePhoenix]

So, i have changed this, and now my boot log seems to be happy, but still no active mc server. Trying to figure out if there is a active "screen" with this running, or where it should be running. But havn't found anything yet. Cause i would guess that the problem is the screen software now right?

[PhirePhoenix]

Now it might be the script actually. Seems like the script got broken somehow..

[Ludwig Schulze]

@PhirePhoenix if you run screen -dmS minecraft.start /home/phirephoenix/minecraft/bukkitserver/start_server.sh in a terminal, manually, does the desired effects happens?

[PhirePhoenix]

When I ran the command manually as you asked it does excactly what it is supposed to. It starts the minecraft server in the background and i can close my terminal windows without minecraftserver stopping. What am I missing here? :S (I fixed the .sh script by the way, so that should not be an issue anymore)

[Ludwig Schulze]

@PhirePhoenix wait, how exactly doesn't work?

[PhirePhoenix]

I want it to start at boot. The minecraft-server doesn't start when i boot. But i can run the line manually to get it to work. So it's only the part where i can reboot the physical ubuntu-server, and the software minecraft-server to start automaticly. The log kindof say it has started. But i can't find the screen for it, and i cannot connect to the minecraft server. (Which I can when i run it manually).

[PhirePhoenix]

it is init.d and update-rc.d that is for use for automatic start on system startup, right? Is it a issue that the user who runs this is probably root, and I am on another user?

[n.st]

Also, running anything with root privileges when you don't have to is really bad practice (and a potential security risk). Since you're running Ubuntu, you can use start-stop-daemon to start your screen session as some non-root user.

[Ludwig Schulze]

@PhirePhoenix is probable. Maybe you should consider

[PhirePhoenix]

@n.st It doesn't stop screen anymore (fixed with the -dmS I think) (at least not in log). How am i supposed to make something run at server startup, if not root? And the script runs perfectly good alone, or through screen, it just doesn't start at server-startup, which is what I want it to do. :/ Why is this so hard? Doesn't make sense at all.

[PhirePhoenix]

@Braiam What should I consider?

[n.st]

@PhirePhoenix You can use su or (preferably, in this case) start-stop-daemon to execute a command as a different user. The init.d script would still run as root, but the Minecraft server wouldn't.

[Ludwig Schulze]

@PhirePhoenix ups, err, maybe you should consider using upstart instead. There's an answer below the one you linked and also it allows you to switch users easily

[PhirePhoenix]

@n.st Aha! Okay, I will try this after i finish fixing a computer! I'm hoping to use start-stop-daemon to run screen maybe? I like the concept of screen. And it would be sweet to get to the minecraft server console fast for administration.

[PhirePhoenix]

@Braiam I will check it out, can't belive I missed it, must have been tired.

[PhirePhoenix]

@Braiam The solution you refered to, is for server with gui. I have no gui, nor do i intend to install one.

[Ludwig Schulze]

@PhirePhoenix you sure? I'm talking about warlocks which is valid as long as you use upstart.

[PhirePhoenix]

@Braiam Aaaah! I thought it was a comment further down. Will check that out aswell. What is the runtime he is talking about? Don't know what that is.

[PhirePhoenix]

@Braiam I have tried the upstart thing now, but still can't get it to run properly. I have added info in the question.