[COLUG] Linux Startup Sequence

[Brian Miller]

On Wed, 2008-03-19 at 13:12 -0400, Mark Erbaugh wrote:
> I need some help understanding the startup sequence, when things are
> loaded.
> 
> I'm running Ubuntu Dapper (6.06).  I have Postgresql 8.1 installed to
> startup when the system is started. I also have VMware server set to
> start.  I have Postgres configured to listen on one of the virtual
> networks that VMware creates (192.168.168.1)
> 
> Postgres is refusing to listen to that port unless I restart it after
> the system is running. The Postgres log indicates that it can't create a
> listen socket on that address.  I assume that that is because the
> network has not been created when Postgres is trying to start.  I looked
> in the various etc/rcX.d directories.  The start command for Postgres
> was S20postgresql-8.1, the start command for VMWare was S90vmware.
> 

> Can someone explain it to me?  Is there any way I can figure out what
> script is actually staring Postgres?
> 
> Also, I notice that other distros tend to use a different runlevel for
> the multi-user GUI.  Is that just a convention or do the different
> runlevels have different meanings?
> 

You're correct in seeing these scripts as starting the respective
services.  Debian-based systems don't seem to use the Red Hat/SuSE
rpm-based distinctions for run levels.  

The scripts in /etc/rc2.d are still links to the real scripts
in /etc/init.d.  I would recommend editing /etc/init.d/postgresql-8.1,
find the case section that is labeled start), and add something like
"sleep 360".  The issue is that VMware takes some time to start up.  So
the sleep command will let VMware get started before postreSQL tries to
start.