need to run a shutdown script

[Chris G]

On Thu, Jul 30, 2009 at 12:15:24PM +0200, Christoph Wickert wrote:
> Am Mittwoch, den 29.07.2009, 17:51 -0500 schrieb toddandmargo:
> 
> > okay.  I give up.  I have searched and searched.  I need to run a
> > shutdown script to turn off all my virtual machines before xfce 4.4.2
> > starts its shutdown sequence.   I will provide the script.  I just
> > need the directions as to where to put the script.  How does one
> > configure a shutdown script?
> 
> Why do your virtual machines depend on an x-session? 
> 
Because they are started as a GUI process under X, hence when you shut
X down they get killed which isn't very good for the virtual machines.

I hit *exactly* this problem and I have a bodge which I have added to
the file ~/.config/xfce4/xinitrc.  This is the file that (sort of)
starts and stops the xfce4 session and you can add things to happen
before and after the X GUI.  The relevant bit from my xinitrc is:-

    # Use ssh-agent if installed and not already running.  Run it separately
    # so it populates the environment here, so we can clean it up later.
    # Don't use ssh-agent if it has been disabled in Xsession.options
    if grep -qs ^use-ssh-agent "/etc/X11/Xsession.options"; then
    sshagent=`which ssh-agent`
    kill_sshagent=0
    if test -z "$SSH_AGENT_PID" -a "$sshagent" -a "x$sshagent" != "xno"; then
            eval `$sshagent -s`
            kill_sshagent=1
    fi
    fi

    # 
    #
    # My additions to run stuff on the desktop
    #
    /home/chris/bin/xstartup
    # Run xfce4-session if installed
    xfcesm=`which xfce4-session`
    case "x$xfcesm" in
            x|xno*)
            ;;
            *)
                    $xfcesm

                    if test $kill_sshagent -eq 1; then
                            eval `$sshagent -k`
                    fi
                    #
                    #
                    # My additions to close X applications down
                    #
                    /home/chris/bin/xshutdown   
                    exit 0
                    ;;   
    esac

      

    ##################
    # IMPORTANT NOTE #
    ##################

    # Everything below here ONLY gets executed if you are NOT using xfce4-session
    # (Xfce's session manager).  If you are using the session manager, everything
    # below is handled by it, and the code below is not executed at all. 
    If you're
    # not sure if you're using the session manager, type 'ps -e|grep xfce4-session'
    # in a terminal while Xfce is running.

    ##################


Then I add what I need in /home/chris/bin/xstartup and /home/chris/bin/xshutdown.

Specifically in /home/chris/bin/xshutdown I have:-

    VBoxManage controlvm 'XP MKIII' savestate

Which saves the virtual machine and only returns (so that the X
shutdown continues) when the save has completed.


I would prefer a 'proper' method of adding stuff like this but there
doesn't appear to be one.


-- 
Chris Green