---
name: "tryto"
section: "1"
platform: "linux"
package: "socklog"
version: "2.1.0+repack-6"
release: "Debian 13 (Trixie)"
platforms: ["linux"]
url: "https://new.carta.tech/tryto"
---

# tryto(1)

tries to run a command limited by a timeout or number of tries, can be used to run as svlogd(8) processor.

## NAME

tryto - tries to run a command limited by a timeout or number of tries, can be used to run as [svlogd(8)](/svlogd/8.md) processor.

## SYNOPSIS

**tryto** \[-pPv\] \[-t *sec*\] \[-k *ksec*\] \[-n *tries*\] *prog*

## DESCRIPTION

*prog* consist of one or more arguments.

**tryto** runs and watches *prog*, feeding its standard input to *prog*'s standard input. If *prog* exits with a return code other then 0, **tryto** runs *prog* again after sleeping one second.

If the number of retries reaches the maximal number of *tries*, **tryto** prints an error message and gives up.

If the timeout *sec* seconds is reached and *prog* is still running, **tryto** sends a TERM signal to *prog*, waits *ksec* seconds for *prog* to terminate, then sends a KILL signal if *prog* still is there, and exits as soon as possible.

## OPTIONS

- **-t *sec***

  timeout. Set the timeout to send TERM to *prog* to *sec* seconds. Default is 180.

- **-k *ksec***

  kill timeout. Set the timeout to send KILL to *prog* to *ksec* seconds. Default is 5.

- **-n *tries***

  Set the maximal number of tries to *tries*. If *prog* exited with a return code other that 0, **tryto** tries to rewind standard input to the beginning using [**lseek**(2)](/lseek/2.md) before starting *prog* again. Default is 5.

- **-p**

  processor. Use this option if you run **tryto** as a [**svlogd**(8)](/svlogd/8.md) processor (see below).

- **-P**

  process group. Run *prog* in a new session and process group, and send signals on timeout to *prog*'s process group instead of its pid.

- **-v**

  verbose. Print verbose messages to standard error.

## PROCESSOR

If **tryto** sees the **-p** option, **tryto** runs as a [**svlogd**(8)](/svlogd/8.md) or [**multilog**(8)](/multilog/8.md) processor, making use of filedescriptors 4 and 5:

Before starting *prog*, **tryto** moves the filedescriptor 5 to 2, so all error messages from **tryto** and *prog* will be saved in [**svlogd**(8)](/svlogd/8.md)'s *state* to be processed on the next run of **tryto** **-p**.

After starting *prog*, **tryto** first feeds all data it reads from filedescriptor 4 into *prog*'s standard input, then all data from filedescriptor 0.

If *prog* fails by timeout *sec* seconds or maximal number of *tries*, **tryto** prints all data from standard input to standard output, an error message to standard error, and exits with 0.

## EXIT CODES

If **tryto** itself fails, it returns 111.

If **tryto** runs as a [**svlogd**(8)](/svlogd/8.md) processor, **tryto** returns 0 in all other cases.

If *prog* was run successfully, **tryto** returns 0.

If *prog* failed by timeout, **tryto** returns 100.

If *prog* failed by maximal number of *tries*, **tryto** returns the last return code from *prog*.

## SEE ALSO

[socklog(8)](/socklog/8.md), [uncat(1)](/uncat/1.md), [svlogd(8)](/svlogd/8.md), [multilog(8)](/multilog/8.md), [lseek(2)](/lseek/2.md)

 http://smarden.org/socklog/\
  http://smarden.org/runit/

## AUTHOR

Gerrit Pape \<pape@smarden.org\>