2009/8/17 Jim Lucas <lists@xxxxxxxxx>: > Does anybody know how to use PHP as a daemon without the use of pcntl_fork. > > http://php.net/pcntl_fork Hi Jim, AFAIK you can't. Read on. . . > I don't want to have to have a person have a special/custom compilation > of PHP just to run a simple daemon. > > My system: OpenBSD 4.5 w/PHP v5.2.8 > > I want to launch a daemon out of the /etc/rc.local when the system starts. > > My goal is to write a script that will be launched from /etc/rc.local > when a system boots. I want it to be detached from any shell or ssh > login that I launch it from also. > > Anybody have any idea on how to do this? > > I have played with system() and it does work. What you've done below is not create a daemon, but a background process. It's still attached to the shell you started it in (try killing the shell you started it from and see what happens). There are other differences too. IMHO the approach you've used here does have its uses, and I've used it (and still do) when it's appropriate, but when what you need is a daemon, then faking it with a background process just isn't enough. Compiling in pcntl isn't really that big of a deal--depending on exactly what you're trying to accomplish. Why is it a problem in your case? Perhaps there is another way around the issue which has a cleaner solution. For the cases I've run into, pcntl has worked admirably. > test.php: > <?php > echo 'Starting'; > system('/usr/local/bin/php test_cli.php >/dev/null &'); > echo 'Done'; > ?> > > test_cli.php > <?php > > for( $i=1; $i<=10; $i++ ) { > echo "Echo {$i}\n"; > sleep(1); > } > > echo 'Done'; > > ?> > > The above, when called, launches test_cli.php and detaches it from the > cli and returns to the system prompt > > > Well, after writing all this out, I think I have answered by own question. > > If anybody else has a better suggestion, I am all ears. > > If you have a better way of doing it, please share. > > Also, a second piece to this would be a script to manage > (start/stop/restart/etc...) the parent daemon. > > Something along the line of apachectl or similar. > > TIA! > > Update to the last email also. > > I found another device that does RS232 to ethernet: > > http://www.hw-group.com/products/portstore2/index_en.html > > Anybody work with one of these? Not me. But I've solved similar problems using ser2net (see http://sourceforge.net/projects/ser2net/ ), sometimes running it on a small embedded Linux device. Works great and I don't have to pay someone else to sell me a free solution. :) But again, it depends on your actual situation and what problem you're trying to solve. On the face of it the device you linked looks OK. (I'm afraid I missed your earlier post on the topic.) > Again, thanks! > > Jim Lucas I'm not trying to shoot down any ideas you've had or anything, just wondering what's so bad about compiling pcntl in and hoping that maybe you can save a few bucks on the serial-to-network problem by making use of existing free software. Post more about what your situation is and who knows? Maybe a fakey-daemon using background processes and a proprietary serial-to-network device really is the best answer for you. Either way, good luck! Regards, Torben -- PHP General Mailing List (http://www.php.net/) To unsubscribe, visit: http://www.php.net/unsub.php
