Subject: [TAG] Dedicated Linux application

From: "Jon Aldrich" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 14:19:49 -0600

I am in the process of developing a linux app (for gaming).  I want the
final product to reside on a linux box that, after booting, automatically
runs the application.  What is the preferred method for doing this?

1)  An 'auto login' for a special user on one of the system consoles, who's
user profile starts the application.

2)  Start the app with an inittab entry.

3)  Something else?

The app will produce graphics output and get user input, so it can't run as
just a backgroud type daemon. It will run on a secure, dedicated network

Is there an info source or HOWTO for this sort of "bringing  to market,
implementation" kind of topic?

One other small question.  Is it possible to display a flash screen of some
sort during the boot sequence and pipe the boot data to the bit bucket?
Sort of a  "boot -quiet" option.

TIA,
Jon Aldrich
[email-masked]

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From: "Kapil Hari Paranjape" <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 06:01:06 +0530

Hello,

> runs the application.  What is the preferred method for doing this?

One of the lesser known methods. An "@reboot" entry in the crontab. This
will start a program just after "crond" is started.

> Sort of a  "boot -quiet" option.

I think there is a "bootsplash" patch to the kernel that does this.

Regards,

Kapil.

--

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From: Thomas Adam <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 01:39:07 +0000 (GMT)

> will start a program just after "crond" is started.

Not unless you have read: 'man 5 crontab', it isn't!!
 
> I think there is a "bootsplash" patch to the kernel that does this.

I think Jon was referring specifically to his game's flashscreen.

-- Thomas Adam

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From: "Jay R. Ashworth" <[email-masked]>
Date: Sun, 7 Mar 2004 19:33:49 -0500

> just a backgroud type daemon. It will run on a secure, dedicated network

You'll get lots of opinions, I suspect, but mine is 'put it in
inittab'.  That and (optionally) an sshd should be about it: you should
know *everything* that's running in a ps, in this kind of environment.

Make sure the bios boots the HD (/flash image) and nothing else, and is
passworded.  Yes, even if there isn't a hardware keyboard.

Think multiple layers of security.

Cheers,
-- jra
-- 
Jay R. Ashworth                                                [email-masked]
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From: Thomas Adam <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 8 Mar 2004 01:35:38 +0000 (GMT)

> runs the application.  What is the preferred method for doing this?

You don't even say whether it is a graphical or console (text) based game.

> user profile starts the application.

You could add something like this to the user's ~/.bashrc

```
[ $(tail -n2 ~/.xsession) = "the_name_of_my_game" ] && {
   startx &
}
'''

which says that if the penultimate line starts with your game program name
then launch X, otherwise don't bother. Why the penultimate line? Because
the last line in ~/.xsession is ALWAYS an "exec call" to your window
manager.

> 2)  Start the app with an inittab entry.

No. Doing this is deprecated and will cause all kinds of weird errors.
What happens say, if X crashes? Each time X tries to start (based on the
run-level X starts in) the game will also try to load, and so you get a
feedback loop. In the case od Debian, X is started throughout runlevels
2-5. 

> 3)  Something else?

I would just have it launched from within the user's ~/.xsession file (see
above).

> just a backgroud type daemon. It will run on a secure, dedicated network

The user will have to launch it though.

> implementation" kind of topic?

Not that I know of.

> Sort of a  "boot -quiet" option.

You as a programmer ought to know that one! Again, unless we know what
language you have implemented it in, how can we help you?

-- Thomas Adam

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