startmsg(1M)                                         startmsg(1M)



     NAME
          startmsg  -  send  messages  to  StartMonitor   during   the
          A/UX(Reg.) boot process

     SYNOPSIS
          startmsg -

          startmsg [-pnumphases] [-nnextphase] [-dpcntdone] [-

          mmsgselector [substr1 ... substr4]] [-q]


     DESCRIPTION

          startmsg is used during the boot process to send messages to

          StartMonitor via a System V message queue.  These messages

          control the movement of the progress bar in the StartMonitor

          dialog box. The messages indicate the total number of boot

          phases, the current boot phase, what percentage of that

          phase has finished, p the message to be displayed, and the

          substrings to be incorporated into the message.  The mes-

          sages are stored as an array of strings in the StartMonitor

          resource file, /mac/sys/Startup/System Folder/%StartMonitor.

          The message displayed is the one at index msgselector in the

          array.


          Normally, startmsg is invoked by shell scripts such as

          sysinitrc.  After the root file system has been checked, ap-

          plications that need to send messages to StartMonitor (those

          that take an amount of time that could worry users) could

          invoke startmsg to do it for them.  If many messages need to

          be sent, the application could create a pipe to startmsg and

          write startmsg argument strings into the pipe.  In such

          cases, startmsg will consume and process one line of the in-

          put at a time, in the same order as it is generated, and ex-

          iting when an end-of-file signal arrives.


          Logically, the boot process is divided into phases based on

          the primary activities which occur.  The normal boot process

          consists of six phases, as is shown. Because StartMonitor

          does not run before phase two, the very first startmsg com-

          mand issued uses the -n option to start the progress bar at

          phase three. Because this is approximately half way through

          the total number of phases, the progress bar appears at

          about mid-position when you first see it. Relative to the

          first three phases, the final three phases are time consum-

          ing, so the -d option is used, allowing incremental updating

          of the progress bar while you wait.  Note that although you

          may specify a number outside the range of 1 to 100 for

          pcntdone, the progress bar can not be advanced beyond the

          finish point for a given phase; when within the third phase

          of the six-phase A/UX boot process, the progress bar can not

          be advanced beyond the point 3/6ths of the total length of

          the progress bar (nor reduced to a point less than 2/6ths of

          the total length of the progress bar).  To advance the pro-

          gress bar further you must use the -n option and its



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     startmsg(1M)                                         startmsg(1M)



          nextphase argument.

          Phase   Description

          1.      The A/UX Startup application loads the kernel.

          2.      The kernel is launched.  Then, init spawns macsysin-
                  it.  If the -v (verbose) flag option was not passed
                  to launch during startup, macsysinit launches
                  macsysinitrc which launches StartMonitor and Com-
                  mandShell.

          3.      The root file system is checked.

          4.      autoconfig runs, and the device-driver startup
                  scripts are executed.

          5.      File systems other than the root file system are
                  checked.

          6.      Background processes (daemons) listed in
                  /etc/inittab are spawned.

          StartMonitor monitors the boot process after it is spawned
          in phase two, after which the current phase, and completion
          percentages within the current phase, can be established
          with startmsg.

     FLAG OPTIONS
          The following flag options are interpreted by startmsg:

          -    Read argument strings from standard input.  These
               strings can contain any of the other startmsg options,
               just as they would be passed on the command line.  This
               option is mutually exclusive of all others on the com-
               mand line.

          -pnumphases
               Specify the total number of phases in the boot process.
               This message should normally only be sent once.

          -nnextphase
               Specify which phase of booting is starting.

          -dpcntdone
               Specify what percentage of the current phase has com-
               pleted.

          -mmsgselector [substr1 ... substr4]
               Specify the index, msgselector, into an array of mes-
               sage strings to select the one to be displayed in the
               dialog box.  Up to four substrings may also be speci-



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     startmsg(1M)                                         startmsg(1M)



               fied.  When specified, these substrings are incorporat-
               ed into the the selected message string in correspond-
               ing order.  So the first substring replaces the first
               substring placeholder in the selected message string
               that is stored in the StartMonitor resource file. The
               second, third, and fourth substrings specified are han-
               dled similarly.

          -q
               Send the quit signal to StartMonitor.

     FILES
          /etc/startmsg
          /usr/include/sys/startmsg.h

     SEE ALSO
          macsysinit(1M), StartMonitor(1M).






































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