What’s the proper method to run a script at startup on Ubuntu?
You can use update-rc.d for start-only or stop-only scripts, following these steps:
Start script called “startup_script” on startup (note the dot at the end of the line) :
# update-rc.d -f startup_script start 99 2 3 4 5 .
- start is the argument given to the command (start, stop).
- 99 is the start priority of the script (1 = first one, 99= last one)
- 2 3 4 5 are the runlevels at which to run the script
The dot at the end of the line has significance, read more here: /etc/rcS.d/README
Start startup_script on shutdown and reboot :
# update-rc.d -f startup_script start 90 0 6 .
Stop startup_script on halt and reboot :
# update-rc.d -f startup_script reboot 90 0 6 .
To run the script as a daemon, use the skeleton file located at “/etc/init.d/skeleton”
To know which runlevel you are running, type:
$ runlevel
Read more about runlevels here.