Upstart Jobs

initctl communicates with a running Upstart init daemon. Use it only after confirming that the relevant PID namespace actually runs Upstart; on a current systemd host, use systemd's native tools instead.

Listing and Reading Job State

List known jobs and instances:

$ initctl list

Inspect one job:

$ initctl status networking
networking start/running

Upstart reports both a goal such as start or stop and a current state such as running or waiting. stop/waiting means the job is not running and is waiting for a start condition or manual request; it does not necessarily indicate an error.

CheckWhat does stop/waiting normally mean in Upstart status output?

The job is running but consuming no CPU. The job's goal is stopped and no process instance is running. The entire operating system is waiting to power off.

Starting and Stopping a Job

After reviewing dependencies and impact:

$ sudo initctl start JOB_NAME
$ sudo initctl stop JOB_NAME

Jobs can define multiple instances keyed by environment variables. In that case, supply the exact variables required by the configuration, and include them consistently when querying or stopping an instance. Starting network, storage, authentication, or remote-access jobs can disrupt the session, so preserve console recovery.

CheckWhich command manually requests that job peanuts start?

sudo initctl start peanuts sudo initctl peanuts start sudo systemctl initctl peanuts

Restarting and Configuration Changes

Request a restart of an already running job with:

$ sudo initctl restart peanuts

On Upstart, restart is not always equivalent to a fresh stop followed by start after editing a job file: the running job's existing configuration can remain authoritative. Validate the changed .conf, ask Upstart to reload configuration according to the installed version, and follow the documented stop/start procedure when new configuration must take effect.

A restart causes interruption and can fail to return the service to operation. Verify the actual endpoint and logs afterward.

CheckWhich command requests a restart of running Upstart job peanuts?

sudo initctl restart peanuts sudo initctl emit peanuts sudo service --status-all peanuts

Validating Job Configuration

Before installing a modified job file, use the validation tool supplied by the legacy distribution, commonly init-checkconf, and review included scripts, environment, user/group settings, respawn policy, and event expressions. Then reload definitions with the version-appropriate initctl reload-configuration workflow.

Syntax validation cannot prove that paths exist, credentials permit execution, events arrive, or the process becomes ready. Test in a recovery-capable environment.

CheckWhat does job syntax validation fail to prove?

That the service will start successfully and become ready. That the configuration text can be parsed at all. That a file was supplied to the validator.

Emitting Events Carefully

Upstart can emit a named event:

$ sudo initctl emit EVENT_NAME

Every job whose start or stop expression matches can react. An event is not addressed to one job, and its effects can cascade through further events. Inspect all matching configurations before emitting a custom or system event; do not replay core boot events casually on a production host.

CheckWhat can happen when initctl emit EVENT_NAME runs?

All job expressions matching that event can transition. Only a job whose name exactly equals the event can respond. The event is stored forever as a durable queue message.

Summary

You can now operate Upstart jobs with explicit state and event scope.

1. Read goal and state separately in initctl output.
2. Start and stop the exact job instance after impact review.
3. Treat restart and changed job configuration as distinct concerns.
4. Validate syntax and then test runtime readiness.
5. Inspect every matcher before emitting an event.