[Linux]Anyone know where I can get a program called pidof?
 

I'm trying to write a script that'll check if a process is running. I searched around on the net for one and i found a php script that seems to work, but it requires a command called pidof. I've searched around but I haven't been able to find it yet so I figured I'd ask. Thanks.

Arg, nm this. I musta fat-fingered it and typed in the wrong thing. I found it on RPMFind.net. For those interested, it along with some other tools are at http://rpmfind.net/linux/rpm2html/se...hp?query=pidof

This'll be a fun update..prollay more then likely gonna break somethin.

Should probably be on the cd of the distribution you used.

The more common way is to check for a pid file of the process.
I don't know wether you have access to the script you're trying to detect, or it's pid file, but if I were to write both, I'd use a pid file

=> a pid file, is a file at a specified location (that you can check) that has the pid (process identifier) of the script that is running. Checking the file gives you the pid.

Probably lot's of situations where this solution won't fly, but I thought I'd drop the idea anyway :)

how about: "ps -ef | grep <processID or processname>" imbedded into the code. If no lines returned, then you can be pretty sure that it ain't runnin'. I have run into situations where I needed to know not if a process was running, but rather how many instances were running. For that I shell scripted "ps -ef | grep <processID or processname> | wc -l".

Maybe a bit off track, but I hope it helps.

pidof links to killall5 which is from the sysvinit package (http://freshmeat.net/projects/sysvinit).

if you already have killall5 (ls /sbin/killall5) you can just link it with

Dude, I love you...you just made my life so much easier.
Thank you a bunch and thank you to everyone else who offered other solutions.

Unless it catches it's own grep.... I've run into that often enough.

gotta grep out the grep.. i.e.:

ps -ef | grep proccessIDorprocessName | grep -v grep

Then you can pipe to wc -l or whatever you'd like hehe.

use a script like this:

#!/bin/sh

proc=${1}
if [ -z ${proc} ]; then
echo "usage: $0 process_name";
exit 1;
fi
ps ax | awk "\$5 ~ /$proc/ { print \$0 }"

Alternatively, use "print \$1" instead of the final "print \$0" to print only the actual PID.

I Love you too. Let's get a pizza.

[jrw@thorin jrw]$ rpm -qf /sbin/pidof
SysVinit-2.84-2

If you are using a redhatish distribution, it'll be in the SysVinit package.

k, you're buying then cause I can't afford it.

Ahhhhh... The vageuries of different shells, systems and utilities. How many things in hte Windows world spawn such great conversation?

All part of the fun of having total control ;)