Queue Server Systemd Service#

This document describes how to set up and manage the Bluesky Queue Server as a systemd service, allowing for automatic startup and management of the Queue Server on Linux systems.

Service Configuration#

Create a systemd service unit file at /etc/systemd/system/queueserver.service. The configuration should be based on the settings in src/apsbits/demo_qserver/qs-config.yml and src/apsbits/demo_qserver/qs_host.sh:

[Unit]
Description=Bluesky Queue Server Host Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=YOUR_USERNAME
Group=YOUR_GROUP

# Environment setup
Environment="HOME=/home/YOUR_USERNAME"
Environment="CONDA_ROOT=/opt/conda"

# Start-up script that activates conda and starts qs_host
ExecStart=/bin/bash -c 'source ${CONDA_ROOT}/etc/profile.d/conda.sh && \
    conda activate YOUR_ENV_NAME && \
    start-re-manager --startup-dir /path/to/your/startup/dir'

# Restart on failure
Restart=always
RestartSec=10

# Set working directory if needed
WorkingDirectory=/path/to/your/working/dir

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Configuration Parameters#

Before implementing the service, you need to modify the following parameters:

  • YOUR_USERNAME: System user that will run the service

  • YOUR_GROUP: System group for the user

  • CONDA_ROOT: Path to your conda installation

  • YOUR_ENV_NAME: Name of your conda environment containing the Bluesky Queue Server

  • /path/to/your/startup/dir: Directory containing your startup configuration

  • /path/to/your/working/dir: Working directory for the service

Service Management#

Installation#

  1. Save the service configuration file:

    sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/queueserver.service

  2. Reload the systemd daemon to recognize the new service:

    sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Basic Service Commands#

Start the service:

sudo systemctl start queueserver

Stop the service:

sudo systemctl stop queueserver

Restart the service:

sudo systemctl restart queueserver

Check service status:

sudo systemctl status queueserver

Enable service to start on boot:

sudo systemctl enable queueserver

Disable service from starting on boot:

sudo systemctl disable queueserver

Monitoring and Troubleshooting#

View service logs:

journalctl -u queueserver

Follow logs in real-time:

journalctl -u queueserver -f

Security Considerations#

  1. Ensure the service user has appropriate permissions:

    • Access to conda environment

    • Access to startup directory

    • Access to working directory

    • Required network permissions

  2. Consider setting up specific environment variables:

    • PYTHONPATH

    • Custom application configurations

    • Security tokens or credentials (use secure methods)

Additional Configuration Options#

The service can be further customized with additional systemd directives:

[Service]
# Logging configuration
StandardOutput=append:/var/log/queueserver/output.log
StandardError=append:/var/log/queueserver/error.log

# Resource limits
LimitNOFILE=65535
TimeoutStartSec=30
TimeoutStopSec=30

# Security enhancements
ProtectSystem=full
PrivateTmp=true
NoNewPrivileges=true

Troubleshooting#

Common issues and solutions:

  1. Service fails to start:

    • Check logs using journalctl -u queueserver

    • Verify conda path and environment name

    • Ensure all directories exist and have proper permissions

  2. Environment issues:

    • Verify conda environment activation

    • Check if all required packages are installed

    • Validate environment variables

  3. Permission problems:

    • Check user and group permissions

    • Verify file ownership in startup and working directories

    • Ensure systemd service user has necessary access rights

References#