invoke-rc.d(8)

NAME

   invoke-rc.d - executes System-V style init script actions

SYNOPSIS

   invoke-rc.d   [--quiet]   [--force]   [--try-anyway]  [--disclose-deny]
   [--query] [--no-fallback] name action [init script parameters...]

   invoke-rc.d [--help]

DESCRIPTION

   invoke-rc.d is a generic interface  to  execute  System  V  style  init
   script  /etc/init.d/name  actions, obeying runlevel constraints as well
   as any local policies set by the system administrator.

   All access to the init scripts by Debian packages'  maintainer  scripts
   should be done through invoke-rc.d.

   This manpage documents only the usage and behavior of invoke-rc.d.  For
   a discussion of the System V style init script arrangements please  see
   init(8).   More  information on invoke-rc.d can be found in the section
   on runlevels and init.d scripts of the Debian Policy Manual.

INIT SCRIPT ACTIONS

   The standard actions are: start,  stop,  force-stop,  restart,  reload,
   force-reload,  and  status.   Other  actions are accepted, but they can
   cause problems to policy-rc.d (see the INIT SCRIPT POLICY section),  so
   warnings are generated if the policy layer is active.

   Please  note  that  not all init scripts will implement all the actions
   listed above, and that the policy  layer  may  override  an  action  to
   another action(s), or even deny it.

   Any  extra  parameters  will  be  passed  to  the  init script(s) being
   executed.

   If an action must be carried out regardless of any local policies,  use
   the --force switch.

OPTIONS

   --help Display usage help.

   --quiet
          Quiet mode, no error messages are generated.

   --force
          Tries  to  run  the  init  script  regardless of policy and init
          script  subsystem  errors.   Use  of  this  option   in   Debian
          maintainer scripts is severely discouraged.

   --try-anyway
          Tries to run the init script if a non-fatal error is detected.

   --disclose-deny
          Return  status  code  101  instead  of status code 0 if the init
          script action is denied by the policy layer.

   --query
          Returns one of the status codes 100-106. Does not run  the  init
          script, and implies --disclose-deny and --no-fallback.

   --no-fallback
          Ignores  any  fallback  action  requests  by  the  policy layer.
          Warning: this is usually a very bad idea for any  actions  other
          than start.

STATUS CODES

   Should  an  init  script  be  executed,  invoke-rc.d always returns the
   status code returned by the init script. Init scripts should not return
   status  codes in the 100+ range (which is reserved in Debian and by the
   LSB). The status codes returned by invoke-rc.d proper are:

   0      Success.  Either the init  script  was  run  and  returned  exit
          status  0 (note that a fallback action may have been run instead
          of the one given in the command line), or it was not run because
          of  runlevel/local  policy constrains and --disclose-deny is not
          in effect.

   1 - 99 Reserved for init.d script, usually indicates a failure.

   100    Init script ID (name) unknown.  This means the init  script  was
          not registered successfully through update-rc.d or that the init
          script does not exist.

   101    Action not allowed.  The requested action will not be  performed
          because of runlevel or local policy constraints.

   102    Subsystem  error.   Init  script  (or  policy  layer)  subsystem
          malfunction. Also, forced init script execution  due  to  --try-
          anyway or --force failed.

   103    Syntax error.

   104    Action  allowed.   Init  script  would be run, but --query is in
          effect.

   105    Behavior uncertain.  It cannot be determined if action should be
          carried out or not, and --query is in effect.

   106    Fallback   action   requested.   The  policy  layer  denied  the
          requested action, and supplied an allowed fallback action to  be
          used instead.

INIT SCRIPT POLICY

   invoke-rc.d  introduces  the concept of a policy layer which is used to
   verify if an init script should be run or not,  or  if  something  else
   should  be  done  instead.   This  layer  has  various  uses,  the most
   immediate ones being avoiding that package upgrades start daemons  out-
   of-runlevel,  and that a package starts or stops daemons while inside a
   chroot jail.

   The policy layer has the  following  abilities:  deny  or  approve  the
   execution of an action; request that another action (called a fallback)
   is to be taken,  instead  of  the  action  requested  in  invoke-rc.d's
   command  line;  or request multiple actions to be tried in order, until
   one of them succeeds (a multiple fallback).

   invoke-rc.d itself only pays attention to the current runlevel; it will
   block  any  attempts  to  start  a  service  in a runlevel in which the
   service is disabled.  Other policies are implemented with  the  use  of
   the policy-rc.d helper, and are only available if /usr/sbin/policy-rc.d
   is installed in the system.

FILES

   /etc/init.d/*
          System V init scripts.

   /usr/sbin/policy-rc.d
          Init script policy layer helper (not required).

   /etc/runlevel.conf
          file-rc runlevel configuration (if the file-rc package is  being
          used).

   /etc/rc?.d/*
          System V runlevel configuration (if the sysv-rc package is being
          used).

NOTES

   invoke-rc.d special cases the status action, and returns exit status  4
   instead of exit status 0 when it is denied.

BUGS

   Please   report   any  bugs  using  the  Debian  bug  tracking  system,
   http://bugs.debian.org/, packages  sysv-rc  or  file-rc  (depending  on
   which version of invoke-rc.d you are using).

SEE ALSO

   Debian Policy manual,
   /etc/init.d/skeleton,
   update-rc.d(8),
   init(8),
   /usr/share/doc/init-system-helpers/README.policy-rc.d.gz

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