Debian style init script for a django web-application running on a gunicorn server via its own virtualenv.

planner.sh

#! /bin/sh

### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:           planner
# Required-Start:     $local_fs $remote_fs $network $syslog
# Required-Stop:      $local_fs $remote_fs $network $syslog
# Default-Start:      2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:       0 1 6
# Short-Description:  starts the planner web app on a gunicorn server 
# Description:        starts the planner web app using start-stop-daemon
### END INIT INFO

# www-data is the default server user on debian
USER=www-data
NAME="planner"
DESC="Daily Planner Application"

# The command used to run gunicorn. This one is tailored for quick use with
# django apps
APPDIR="/home/schatten/code/schatten/planner"
VENV_CMD="/bin/activate"

PIDFILE="/tmp/gunicorn_"$NAME".pid"

GUNICORN_CMD="/bin/gunicorn_django"
GUNICORN_CONFIG="/gunicorn_config.py"
GUNICORN_OPTIONS="-p $PIDFILE --daemon -c $APPDIR$GUNICORN_CONFIG"

# Load the VERBOSE setting and other rcS variables
. /lib/init/vars.sh

# Define LSB log_* functions.
. /lib/lsb/init-functions

start()
{
  # Return 
  #  0 if daemon succesfully started
  #  1 if daemon already running
  #  2 if daemon couldn't be started.
  if [ -e $PIDFILE ]; then
    return 1
  fi

  cd $APPDIR
  . $APPDI$VEND_CMD
  $APPDIR$GUNICORN_CMD $GUNICORN_OPTIONS
  if [ $? = 0 ]; then
    return 0
  else
    return 2
  fi
}

stop()
{
  # Return
  #  0 if daemon has been stopped
  #  1 if daemon was already stopped
  #  2 if daemon could not be stopped
  if [ -f $PIDFILE ]; then
    PID=`cat $PIDFILE`
    rm $PIDFILE
    kill -15 $PID
    if [ $? = 0 ]; then
      return 0
    else
      return 2
    fi
  else
    return 1
  fi
}

reload()
{
  if [ -f $PIDFILE ]; then 
    PID=`cat $PIDFILE`
    kill -HUP $PID
    return $?
  fi
  return 2
}

case "$1" in
  start)
    [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_daemon_msg "Starting $DESC" "$NAME"
    start
    case "$?" in
      0|1) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 0;;
      2) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 1;;
    esac
    ;;
  stop)
    [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_daemon_msg "Starting $DESC" "$NAME"
    stop
    case "$?" in
      0|1) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 0;;
      2) [ "$VERBOSE" != no ] && log_end_msg 1;;
    esac
    ;;
  restart)
    log_daemon_msg "Restarting $DESC" "$NAME"
    stop
    case "$?" in
      0|1)
        start
        case "$?" in
          0) log_end_msg 0;;
          1) log_end_msg 1;; # Old process is still running
          *) log_end_msg 1;; # Failed to start
        esac
      ;;
      *)
        # Failed to stop
        log_end_msg 1
        ;;
    esac
    ;;
  reload)
    log_daemon_msg "Reloading $DESC" "$NAME"
    reload
    case "$?" in
      0) log_end_msg 0;;
      *) log_end_msg 1;;
    esac
    ;;
  force-reload)
    stop && start
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload}"
    exit 3
esac

exit 0

Usage:
sudo /etc/init.d/planner start|stop|restart|reload|force-reload