CHECKPROC(8)						       The SuSE boot concept						      CHECKPROC(8)

NAME

       Checkproc - Checks for a process by full path name
       Pidofproc - Checks for a process by exec base name

SYNOPSIS

       checkproc [-vLkNz] [-p pid_file] [-i ingnore_file] [-c root] /full/path/to/executable

       checkproc -n [-vk] name_of_kernel_thread

       checkproc    [-vk] basename_of_executable

       pidofproc [-LkNz] [-p pid_file] [-i ingnore_file] [-c root] /full/path/to/executable

       pidofproc -n [-k] name_of_kernel_thread

       pidofproc    [-k] basename_of_executable

SYNOPSIS LSB 3.1
       pidofproc [-p pid_file] /full/path/to/executable

DESCRIPTION

       checkproc checks for running processes that use the specified executable.

       checkproc  does not use the pid to verify a process but the full path of the corresponding program which is used to identify the executable
       (see proc(5)).  Only if the inode number (/proc/<pid>/exe) and the full name are unavailable (/proc/<pid>/cmdline)  or  if  the	executable
       changes	its  zeroth  argument, checkproc uses the base name (/proc/<pid>/stat) to identify the running program. Note that if the option -n
       for kernel thread is given only (/proc/<pid>/stat) is used.  For this case a existing symbolic link (/proc/<pid>/exe)  indicates  that  the
       <pid> is not a kernel thread.

       Extended  functionality	is  provided by the -p pid_file option (former option -f changed due to the LSB specification).  If this option is
       specified, checkproc tries to check the pid read from this file instead of the default (/var/run/<basename>.pid).  The pid read	from  this
       file  is  compared  against  the pids of the processes that uses the specified binary.  If the option -k is specified, checkproc works like
       killproc that is that if the if the pid_file does not exist, checkproc assumes that the daemon is not running. It  is  possible	to  use  a
       process identity number instead of a pid file.

       For  the  possibility  of having two different sessions of one binary program, the option -i ignore_file allows to specify a pid file which
       pid number is used to ignore all processes of corresponding process session.

       Note that the behaviour above is changed by the option -k.  With this option, the pid read from the pid file is	the  only  used  pid  (see
       killproc(8))  and  with	this option also exit codes like startproc(8) or killproc(8) are used.	Without this option, the pid read from the
       pid file is used to search the process table for a process with an executable that matches the specified pathname. In order to avoid confu-
       sion with stale pid files, a not up-to-date pid will be ignored (see startproc(8)).

       The  option  -v	makes checkproc print out verbose messages.  The same happens if pidofproc LSB variant is used.  This version also accepts
       also the base name only of a executable.  Note that this disables the comparision of the inodes of the executable and the information found
       within the proc table (see proc(5)).

REQUIRED

       /full/path/to/executable or name_of_kernel_thread
	      Specifies  the  executable which processes should be found, or alternatively, if the option Or alternated, if option -n is used, the
	      name of the kernel thread.  This argument is always required.

OPTIONS

       -k     This option makes checkproc work like killproc(8) which changes the operation mode, e.g. the exit status of the program will be that
	      of killproc(8).  Without this option, checkproc works like startproc (8) and finds all processes with an executable that matches the
	      specified pathname, even if a given pid file (see option -p) isn't up-to-date. Nevertheless it uses its own exit status (see section
	      EXIT CODES).

       -L     This  option  causes  symlinks  to be followed, as the like-named option in ls(1).  Note: for the file name the original name of the
	      program is used instead of the name of the symbolic link.

       -p pid_file
	      Former option -f changed due to the LSB specification.)  Use an alternate pid file instead of the  default  /var/run/<basename>.pid.
	      If the option is specified and the pid_file does not exist, checkproc assumes that the daemon is not running.  It is possible to use
	      a process identity number instead of a pid file.

       -i ignore_file
	      The pid found in this file is used as session id of the same binary program which should be ignored by checkproc.

       -c root
	      Change root directory to root for services which have been started with this option by startproc(8).

       -n     This option indicates that a kernel thread should be checked.  In this case not the executable with its full path name  is  required
	      but the name of the kernel thread.

       -N     With  this option the location of the executable is checked about NFS file system and if true the stat(2) system call is not applied
	      on the exe symbolic link under /proc(5).	Otherwise checkproc or pidofproc could be locked if the corresponding NFS server  is  cur-
	      rently not online or available.  This implies that the inode number check between the exectuable on the command line and the exectu-
	      able of the exec symbolic link will be skipped.

       -q     This option is ignored.

       -v     Verbose output.

       -z     This option causes checkproc to see processes even if they are in the zombie state.  Without this option zombies are handled as  not
	      existent because such a process isn't alive but listed in the process table and waits on its parent process.

EXAMPLE

       checkproc /usr/sbin/sendmail

	      returns all pids of running sendmail processes.

       checkproc -p /var/myrun/lpd.pid /usr/sbin/lpd

	      returns the command line or the basename of the process pid found in /var/run/lpd.pid.

EXIT CODES

       The exit codes without the option -k have the following LSB conform conditions:

	      0    Program is running

	      1    No process but pid file found

	      3    No process and no pid file found

	    101    Wrong syntax on command line

	    102    Other errors

       If the option -k is used checkproc uses exit codes like startproc(8) or killproc(8) do:

	      0    Program is running

	      1    Generic or unspecified error

	      2    Invalid or excess argument(s)

	      4    Insufficient privilege(s)

	      5    Program is not installed

	      7    Program is not running

       in some cases a message is send to standard error or, if no standard error available, syslogd(8) is used.

NOTE

       checkproc  together  with  the option -v just like pidof(8).  The only difference is the usage of an available pid file.  Only if no usable
       pid is given with a pid file the process table will be scanned.

BUGS

       Identifying a process based on the executable file and the corresponding inode number only works if the process stays alive  during  start-
       proc's  execution. Processes rewriting their zeroth argument or shell scripts (the inode number of the shell executable file is not identi-
       cal to that of the script file) may not be identified by a filename path.

FILES

       /proc/ path to the proc file system (see proc(5)).

       /etc/init.d/
	      path to the SuSE boot concept script base directory as required by the Linux Standard  Base  Specification (LSB) (see init.d(7)).

SEE ALSO

       startproc(8), killproc(8), insserv(8), init.d(7), kill(1), skill(1), killall(8), killall5(8), signal(7), proc(5).

COPYRIGHT

       1994-2005 Werner Fink, 1996-2005 SuSE GmbH Nuernberg, Germany.

AUTHOR

       Werner Fink <werner@suse.de>

3rd Berkeley Distribution					   Nov 10, 2000 						      CHECKPROC(8)