Template for init.d startup script that runs as a local user.

init.d-template.sh

#! /bin/sh

### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          SERVER-NAME
# Required-Start:    $all
# Required-Stop:     $all
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: starts the SERVER-NAME server
# Description:       starts SERVER-NAME as a daemon
### END INIT INFO

NAME=SERVER-NAME
USER=james
DAEMON=/home/$USER/bin/$NAME
PID_FILE=/var/run/$USER/$NAME.pid
LOG_FILE=/var/log/$USER/$NAME.log

test -x $DAEMON || exit 0

set -e

. /lib/lsb/init-functions

make_directory() {
  DIR="$1"
  if [ ! -d "$DIR" ]; then
    mkdir -p "$DIR"
  fi
  chown "$USER:$USER" $DIR
}

start_daemon() {
  if [ -e "$PID_FILE" ]; then
    log_action_msg "$NAME is already running" || true
    return 1
  fi

  if [ -e "$LOG_FILE" ]; then
    chown "$USER:$USER" $LOG_FILE
  fi

  make_directory "/var/run/$USER"
  make_directory "/var/log/$USER"

  su $USER -l -c "$DAEMON < /dev/null > $LOG_FILE 2>&1"
  RET=$?
  if [ "$RET" -ne 0 ]; then
    rm -f $PID_FILE
  fi
  return $RET
}

kill_process() {
  kill "$1"
  RET=$?
  if [ "$RET" -eq 0 ]; then
    rm -f $PID_FILE
  fi
  return $RET
}

kill_daemon() {
  if [ -e "$PID_FILE" ]; then
    PID=`cat $PID_FILE`
    if [ -n "$PID" ]; then
      kill_process $PID
      return $?
    fi
  fi

  # last resort, use pgrep
  PID=`pgrep -u $USER -f $DAEMON`
  if [ -n "$PID" ]; then
    kill_process $PID
    return $?
  else
    log_action_msg "$NAME is not running" || true
    return 1
  fi
}

case "$1" in
  start)
        log_daemon_msg "Starting $NAME server" "$NAME" || true
        start_daemon
        if [ "$?" -eq 0 ]; then
          log_end_msg 0 || true
        else
          log_end_msg 1 || true
        fi
        ;;
  stop)
        log_daemon_msg "Stopping $NAME server" "$NAME" || true
        kill_daemon
        if [ "$?" -eq 0 ]; then
          log_end_msg 0 || true
        else
          log_end_msg 1 || true
        fi
        ;;
  restart|force-reload)
        log_daemon_msg "Restarting $NAME server" "$NAME" || true

        kill_daemon
        if [ "$?" -ne 0 ]; then
          log_end_msg 1 || true
          exit 1
        fi

        sleep 1

        start_daemon
        if [ "$?" -eq 0 ]; then
          log_end_msg 0 || true
        else
          log_end_msg 1 || true
        fi
        ;;
  status)
      status_of_proc -p $PID_FILE $DAEMON $NAME && exit 0 || exit $?
      ;;
  *)
      N=/etc/init.d/$NAME
      log_action_msg "Usage: $N {start|stop|restart|force-reload|status}" || true
      exit 1
      ;;
esac

exit 0