Getting a script to run at boot

[Jay Banks]

I'm having a lot of trouble getting scripts to run on startup. It seems like a simple concept, but I reboot and reboot and reboot, and the script isn't running.  I've had to fight with stuff before but I can usually get it going (arpwatch, mpd, etc.). Now I'm trying to get sntop to run now and I'm getting nowhere.

Here is my sntop setup.

I created /usr/local/etc/rc.d/sntop.sh (with chmod 755 as per the docs).

Here is the script, which I got from the FreeBSD handbook:

#!/bin/sh
#
# PROVIDE: sntop
# REQUIRE: DAEMON
# KEYWORD: shutdown
#!/bin/sh
#
# PROVIDE: sntop
# REQUIRE: DAEMON
# KEYWORD: shutdown

#
# DO NOT CHANGE THESE DEFAULT VALUES HERE
# SET THEM IN THE /etc/rc.conf FILE
#
sntop_enable=${sntop_enable-"NO"}
sntop_flags=${sntop_flags-""}
sntop_pidfile=${sntop_pidfile-"/var/run/sntop.pid"}

. /etc/rc.subr

name="sntop"
rcvar=`set_rcvar`
command="/usr/local/bin/sntop"

load_rc_config $name

pidfile="${sntop_pidfile}"

start_cmd="echo \"Starting ${name}.\"; /usr/bin/nice -5 ${command} ${sntop_flags
} ${command_args}"

run_rc_command "$1"



Here is what I added to /etc/rc.conf

sntop_enable="YES"
sntop_flags="-d -r 30 -f /etc/sntoprc/sntoprc -w -e /usr/home/mysites/www/data/e
tb/index.html"


If I change directory to /usr/local/etc/rc.d and do:

         perl sntop.sh start

The sntop will start and show up running in the system processes. It seems to refresh and all of the other flags seem to work. However, if I close the terminal session, that's it, it's dead. 

And if I reboot, it will not show up to be running in the system processes.

Considering that sntop would be a type of script that one would want to make sure it is always running, I wish this could be addressed in the man pages. 

Also, giving my issues here, I just tried to create a cron job to run it. That didn't work because it gets an error regarding fping.

I'm really a big advocate of FreeBSD, but for the love of all things holy, I could have a program start up on a Windows 2003 server in less than 10 minutes.