Restart xbmc via crontab

M

Migelo

Hi!

Configuration:
  • 9.1 64-bit, default kernel
  • Nvidia drivers as per the handbook
  • X.Org on startup
  • Xfce desktop manager

If I let xbmc open for a few days at idle, at the welcome screen on my HTPC/ZFS file server and then start playing a video, it's not smooth. Every couple of seconds it stops for a fraction of a second and then it goes on.

Reinstalling xbmc didn't help, what helps is if I kill xbmc and open it up again, works like a charm!

What I'm having trouble with, is restarting xbmc via crontab every night at 2 AM.

I can kill it via pkill
Code: 
0	2	*	*	*	pkill xbmc.bin
but I can't make it start, I've tried:
Code: 
1	2	*	*	*	xbmc
1	2	*	*	*	/usr/local/bin/xbmc

I wrote a simple script that was run by cron and it managed to kill xbmc but not start it.

I thank you in advance for your support.
 
Hello. Quick question... Are you using /etc/crontab with what you have listed? If so that also lists the user as shown in the default like below. However, you wouldn't want to put something like XBMC run as root in /etc/crontab.

Code: 
1	3	*	*	*	root	periodic daily
15	4	*	*	6	root	periodic weekly
30	5	1	*	*	root	periodic monthly

If you are using your user and did a crontab -e then you should be fine. You should be able to put them in one line. You will need the full path like you already have below. If that doesn't work... I'm not sure and might have to look at it closer.

Code: 
1	2	*	*	*	pkill xbmc; /usr/local/bin/xbmc
 
Now, it's been ages since I used X so some of my experience could be dated or worse: I could be completely off here.

Even so; I think you're overlooking a very important aspect here: the console. X uses a specific console, one which is normally added to your environment the very moment you start it. That's why other X programs can determine which console to use to display their output.

As a small sidestep: this console is also how you can easily run two X sessions side by side; simply specify the new console to use when starting X (using startx for example).

Alas; when you use crontab then the process will log on as your user account, but that session won't share the same environment and most definitely won't have any specifications which console to use for any graphical programs.

As such: I can't help wonder if you shouldn't specify which X console this program should use.
 
Excellent point. Maybe something like this would work.

Code: 
1	2	*	*	*	pkill xbmc; export DISPLAY=:0 && /usr/local/bin/xbmc

Or define it at the top for all.
Code: 
SHELL=/bin/sh
PATH=/etc:/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin
DISPLAY=:0 
1	2	*	*	*	pkill xbmc; /usr/local/bin/xbmc
 
It sure is a display thing. If I run this command via SSH it works, but not in crontab.
Code: 
export DISPLAY=:0 && /usr/local/bin/xbmc

cron logs show the command is being run, but not working as it seems.
 
I got it working. It was just missing some of the paths as it seems:
Code: 
PATH=/etc:/bin:/sbin:/usr/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/local/sbin
6       6       *       *       *       pkill xbmc.bin
7       6       *       *       *       export DISPLAY=:0 && /usr/local/bin/xbmc
 
Good work. It would be nice if an ugly workaround wasn't needed but I guess if this was an HTPC that was regularly rebooted it wouldn't be a big deal.
 
Yeah, but a HTPC is only one of its many many roles.

P.S.: I don't think it's really necessary to fix typos.
 
Hi!

Just want to let you know that I don't have to restart xbmc anymore, it was fixed in an update. (idk which, was not paying attention)
 
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