can't start Crowd from system user - have to use root user

Question

I can't start Crowd from a system user. I have to use the root user.

I've followed the instructions here:

https://confluence.atlassian.com/display/CROWD027/Setting+Crowd+to+Run+Automatically+and+Use+an+Unprivileged+System+User+on+UNIX

but it doesn't actually start when I type ./start_crowd.sh as a system user.

If I'm not logged in as root, when I type ./start_crowd.sh, it LOOKS like it starts:

Using CATALINA_BASE: /home/myacct/apps/crowd-install-2.12/apache-tomcat
Using CATALINA_HOME: /home/myacct/apps/crowd-install-2.12/apache-tomcat
Using CATALINA_TMPDIR: /home/myacct/apps/crowd-install-2.12/apache-tomcat/temp
Using JRE_HOME: /usr/lib/jvm/java-1.8.0-openjdk-1.8.0.131-0.b11.el6_9.x86_64
Using CLASSPATH: /home/myacct/apps/crowd-install-2.12/apache-tomcat/bin/bootstrap.jar:/home/myacct/apps/crowd-install-2.12/apache-tomcat/bin/tomcat-juli.jar
Using CATALINA_PID: /home/myacct/apps/crowd-install-2.12/apache-tomcat/work/catalina.pid
Existing PID file found during start.
Removing/clearing stale PID file.
Tomcat started.

... but if I then type

ps faux | grep java

there's nothing listed, and Crowd doesn't respond when I try to load it in the browser.

If I run ./start_crowd.sh as root, then run ps faux | grep java , I DO see it in the output, and I can access it from the browser.

What can I check or try to get Crowd to run from a user that's not root?

((By the way, I accidentally hit Tab while typing this and ended up on the previous page, having lost everything I'd typed. Can you add a "sure you want to leave this page?" prompt so people don't lose their questions?)

Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Answer

They could be owned by another user than root.  Sorry, I should have been more clear about that.

After checking that, move on to the log files - what do catalina.out and the confluence log say happens when it fails to start?

Kris W · Answer

HI Nic,

Thanks so much for the quick reply.

However, I confirmed that nothing is owned by root:

ls -lR crowd-install-2.12/* | grep root
ls -lR crowd-home/* | grep root

- both return no results.

But when I tried again, Crowd acts like it starts when run as non-root, but doesn't actually appear in the ps , and I have to start it as root.

Can you suggest anything else to check?

Thanks.

Nic Brough -Adaptavist- · Answer

The usual culprit of this is file ownership.  Once you've accidentally started it as root, some files become owned by root, and that stops the dedicated user from being able to write to them.

Check the file ownership across the whole installation and home directories.