Run as service from c++ program

General
1

Hi, I'm facing this problem, even if I know it isn't strictly related with node-red itself.
I have installed node-red on debian with the raccomanded script, so I can run it as service.
My problem is that I don't have to start it at boot (so I disabled its service). What I need is to start it from a C++ program., but I cannot find the right command, even because calling it as service it requires the password.
I tryed this command but it works only from comman line, not from within the c++ program

echo psw | sudo -S sudo systemctl start node-red.service

Thanks

2

Have you already tried

echo psw | sudo -S systemctl start nodered

3

yes, nothing. The strange thing is that it still shows the string after "echo", so pratically it show (as for your suggestion)

psw | sudo -S systemctl start nodered

The code is:

int main(void){
	char *args[]={(char *)"echo",
				  (char *)"psw",
				  (char *)"|",
				  (char *)"sudo",
				  (char *)"-S",
				  (char *)"sudo",
				  (char *)"systemctl",
				  (char *)"start",
				  (char *)"node-red.service",
					NULL};
	printf("\nstart Nodered...");				
	execvp(args[0],args);
	printf("Nodered running!");
	return 0;
}
4

First, you need to give the user running the C++ program the authority to run the systemctl command without a password. You can do that using the command sudo visudo and give the user the appropriate permissions by adding something like
the_user ALL=NOPASSWD:/bin/systemctl start nodered.service

Then you can test that by logging on as that user and running
sudo systemctl start nodered.service
and it should not ask for a password.

Second note that it is nodered.service, not node-red.service.

Third, in the command you run it is best to give the full path to systemctl in case the path is not setup in the environment you run the command.

1 Like
5

Thanks, it helps a lot. OK. Now I have this situation:

  • from command line it works correctly without asking for the password
  • I created a new service different from the default one, this why nodered.service
  • putting the full patch in the command it asks for the password:
    sudo systemctl start /etc/systemd/system/nodered.service
  • without full path
    sudo systemctl start nodered.service
    it works but: the program stops and exit after execute the execvp command. I Don't know if it is normal, but aswell it doesn't print on video the printf line
6

That is because the command parameters are different to the ones you specified. I meant the full path to the command (systemctl) not the service.

7

Thanks so much. Solved and working great

8

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