Updated to more closely follow Linux Standard Build (lsb; http://refspecs.linuxbase.org/LSB_3.1.1/LSB-Core-generic/LSB-Core-generic/iniscrptact.html) practices as well as more clearly abstract the function of the agent to support separate scripts for shippers, indexers, etc.

logstash.sh

#!/bin/bash 
#
# logstash 		Startup script for logstash
# chkconfig: 2345 20 80
# description: Logstash is a log shipping, indexing, and collocation tool.
# processname: java
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: logstash
# Required-Start: $local_fs $remote_fs
# Required-Stop: $local_fs $remote_fs
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: S 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Logstash
# Description: logstash is a tool for managing events and logs. You can use it
#              to collect logs, parse them, and store them for later use (like,i
#              for searching). 
# X-Author: Brian Harrington <redbeard@redhat.com>
### END INIT INFO

# Amount of memory for Java
JAVAMEM=256M
JAVA="/etc/alternatives/java"
PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin

# We use name to allow for running multiple instances of logstash, thus
# supporting copying this file and supporting separate pids for shipper, web,
# indexer, etc.

name="logstash-shipper"
JARNAME=logstash.jar
#LOGSTASH_USER="logstash"
LOCATION=/opt/logstash


# Mostly auto configured variables
DESC=`echo $name | tr - " "`
CONFIG="/etc/logstash/${name:-'logstash'}.conf"
LOGFILE="/var/log/${name:-'logstash'}.log"
ARGS="-Xmx$JAVAMEM -Xms$JAVAMEM -jar ${LOCATION}/${JARNAME} agent --config ${CONFIG} --log ${LOGFILE}"
LOCKFILE=/var/lock/subsys/${name:-'logstash'}
PIDFILE=/var/run/${name:-'logstash'}.pid

. /etc/init.d/functions

if [ -r /usr/share/java-utils/java-functions ]; then
  . /usr/share/java-utils/java-functions
else
  echo "Can't read Java functions library (provided by jpackage-utils)"
  echo "aborting"
  exit 1
fi

RETVAL="0"
#
# Function that starts the daemon/service
#
do_start()
{
    if [ "$RETVAL" != "0" ]; then 
      failure
      return
    fi

    if [ -f ${LOCKFILE} ]; then 
      if [ -f ${PIDFILE} ]; then 
        read kpid < ${PIDFILE} 
        if [ -d "/proc/${kpid}" ]; then
          warning "lockfile exists, but no process"
          RETVAL="0"
          return
        fi
      else 
      	warning "application is already running"
      	return
      fi
    fi

    ( $JAVA $ARGS &)  > /dev/null 2>&1  && success || failure
    RETVAL=$?

    PIDNUM=`pgrep -f "$JAVA[ ]*$ARGS"`

    if [ "x${PIDNUM}" != "x" ]; then
        echo ${PIDNUM} > ${PIDFILE}
      	chown ${LOGSTASH_USER:-'root'}:${LOGSTASH_GROUP:-'root'} $PIDFILE
    else 
        warning "did not return a process number"
        return
    fi    
    
    if [ "$RETVAL" -ne "0" ]; then 
        failure "Error code ${RETVAL}"
    fi


}

#
# Function that stops the daemon/service
#
do_stop()
{
    pid=`cat $PIDFILE`
    if checkpid $pid 2>&1; then
        # TERM first, then KILL if not dead
        kill -TERM $pid >/dev/null 2>&1
        usleep 100000
        if checkpid $pid && sleep 1 &&
           checkpid $pid && sleep $delay &&
           checkpid $pid ; then
             kill -KILL $pid >/dev/null 2>&1
             usleep 100000
        fi
     fi
     checkpid $pid
     RC=$?
     [ "$RC" -eq 0 ] && failure $"$base shutdown" || success $"$base shutdown"

}

case "$1" in
  start)
    echo -n "Starting $DESC: "
    do_start
    ;;
  stop)
    echo -n "Stopping $DESC: "
    do_stop
    ;;
  restart|reload)
    echo -n "Restarting $DESC: "
    do_stop
    do_start
    ;;
  status)
    status -p $PIDFILE $name
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: $SCRIPTNAME {start|stop|status|restart}" >&2
    exit 3
    ;;
esac

echo
exit 0