php execute a background process

Assuming this is running on a Linux machine, I've always handled it like this:

exec(sprintf("%s > %s 2>&1 & echo $! >> %s", $cmd, $outputfile, $pidfile));

This launches the command $cmd, redirects the command output to $outputfile, and writes the process id to $pidfile.

That lets you easily monitor what the process is doing and if it's still running.

function isRunning($pid){
    try{
        $result = shell_exec(sprintf("ps %d", $pid));
        if( count(preg_split("/\n/", $result)) > 2){
            return true;
        }
    }catch(Exception $e){}

    return false;
}

Write the process as a server-side script in whatever language (php/bash/perl/etc) is handy and then call it from the process control functions in your php script.

The function probably detects if standard io is used as the output stream and if it is then that will set the return value..if not then it ends

proc_close( proc_open( "./command --foo=1 &", array(), $foo ) );

I tested this quickly from the command line using "sleep 25s" as the command and it worked like a charm.

(Answer found here)

You might want to try to append this to your command

>/dev/null 2>/dev/null &

eg.

shell_exec('service named reload >/dev/null 2>/dev/null &');