watchdogd(8)
NAME
watchdogd - watchdog daemon
SYNOPSIS
watchdogd [-d] [-e cmd] [-I file] [-s sleep] [-t timeout]
DESCRIPTION
- The watchdogd utility interfaces with the kernel's watchdog
- facility to
ensure that the system is in a working state. If watchdogd - is unable to
interface with the kernel over a specific timeout, the ker - nel will take
actions to assist in debugging or restarting the computer. - If -e cmd is specified, watchdogd will attempt to execute
- this command
with system(3), and only if the command returns with a zero - exit code
will the watchdog be reset. If -e cmd is not specified, the - daemon will
perform a trivial file system check instead. - The -s sleep argument can be used to control the sleep peri
- od between
each execution of the check and defaults to one second. - The -t timeout specifies the desired timeout period in sec
- onds.
- One possible circumstance which will cause a watchdog time
- out is an
interrupt storm. If this occurs, watchdogd will no longer - execute and
thus the kernel's watchdog routines will take action after a - configurable
timeout. - Upon receiving the SIGTERM or SIGINT signals, watchdogd will
- first
instruct the kernel to no longer perform watchdog checks and - then will
terminate. - The watchdogd utility recognizes the following runtime op
- tions:
- -I file Write the process ID of the watchdogd utility
- in the spec
- ified file.
- -d Do not fork. When this option is specified,
- watchdogd
- will not fork into the background at startup.
FILES
/var/run/watchdogd.pid
SEE ALSO
watchdog(4), watchdog(8), watchdog(9)
HISTORY
The watchdogd utility appeared in FreeBSD 5.1.
AUTHORS
- The watchdogd utility and manual page were written by Sean
- Kelly
<smkelly@FreeBSD.org> and Poul-Henning Kamp <phk@FreeB - SD.org>.
- Some contributions made by Jeff Roberson <jeff@FreeBSD.org>.
- BSD June 25, 2003