running a python script on server

Question

i have a python script on the server

#!/usr/bin/env  python
import cgi
import cgitb; #cgitb.enable()
import sys, os
from subprocess import call
import time
import subprocess
form = cgi.FieldStorage()

component = form.getvalue('component')
command = form.getvalue('command')

success = True

print """Content-Type: text/html\n"""

if component=="Engine" and command=="Start":
    try:
         process = subprocess.Popen(['/usr/sbin/telepath','engine','start'], shell=False, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
         print "{ans:12}" 
    except Exception, e:
         success = False
         print "{ans:0}"

When I run this script and add the component and command parameters to be "Engine" and "Start" respectively - it starts the process and prints to the shell

"""Content-Type: text/html\n"""
{ans:12}

but most importantly - it starts the process!

however, when I run the script by POSTing to it, it returns {ans:12} but does not run the process which was the whole intention in the first place. Any logical explanation?

Maybe you need to wait for the subprocess' running is finished. Add process.communicate() before print "{ans:12}" — jinghli
– jinghli, Commented Jan 7, 2013 at 14:27

Chris Seymour · Accepted Answer · 2013-01-07 11:42:45Z

1

I suspect it's one of two things, firstly your process is probably running but your python code doesn't handle the output so do:

process = subprocess.Popen(['/usr/sbin/telepath','engine','start'], shell=False, stdout=subprocess.PIPE)
print process.stdout.read()

This is the most likely and explains why you see the output from the command line and not the browser, or secondly because the script is run through the browsers as the user apache and not with your userid check the permission for /usr/sbin/telepath.

edited Jan 7, 2013 at 11:42

answered Jan 7, 2013 at 11:33

Chris Seymour

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2 Comments

Alon_T Over a year ago

i do see the output on my browser though..It's just that if I run the script from my browser by invoking POST to it the process doesn't start even though it appears to invoke the popen()

Alon_T Over a year ago

I will check the permissions issue though :-(

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