/etc/init.d/cassandra for CentOS

etc-init.d-cassandra

#!/bin/bash
# init script for Cassandra.
# chkconfig: 2345 90 10
# description: Cassandra
# script slightly modified from 
# http://blog.milford.io/2010/06/installing-apache-cassandra-on-centos/
 
. /etc/rc.d/init.d/functions
 
CASS_HOME=/cassandra/apache-cassandra-1.2.4
CASS_BIN=$CASS_HOME/bin/cassandra
CASS_LOG=$CASS_HOME/../log/system.log
CASS_USER="root"
CASS_PID=/var/run/cassandra.pid
 
if [ ! -f $CASS_BIN ]; then
  echo "File not found: $CASS_BIN"
  exit 1
fi
 
RETVAL=0
 
start() {
  if [ -f $CASS_PID ] && checkpid `cat $CASS_PID`; then
    echo "Cassandra is already running."
    exit 0
  fi
  echo -n $"Starting $prog: "
  daemon --user $CASS_USER $CASS_BIN -p $CASS_PID >> $CASS_LOG 2>&1
  usleep 500000
  RETVAL=$?
  if [ "$RETVAL" = "0" ]; then
    echo_success
  else
    echo_failure
  fi
  echo
  return $RETVAL
}
 
stop() {
  # check if the process is already stopped by seeing if the pid file exists.
  if [ ! -f $CASS_PID ]; then
    echo "Cassandra is already stopped."
    exit 0
  fi
  echo -n $"Stopping $prog: "
  if kill `cat $CASS_PID`; then
    RETVAL=0
    echo_success
  else
    RETVAL=1
    echo_failure
  fi
  echo
  [ $RETVAL = 0 ]
}
 
status_fn() {
  if [ -f $CASS_PID ] && checkpid `cat $CASS_PID`; then
    echo "Cassandra is running."
    exit 0
  else
    echo "Cassandra is stopped."
    exit 1
  fi
}
 
case "$1" in
  start)
    start
    ;;
  stop)
    stop
    ;;
  status)
    status_fn
    ;;
  restart)
    stop
  usleep 500000
    start
    ;;
  *)
    echo $"Usage: $prog {start|stop|restart|status}"
    RETVAL=3
esac
 
exit $RETVAL

In start() on line 31 the statement RETVAL=$? doesn't get the return value of daemon --user ..., but that of usleep 500000, because that's the last executed command. This will always be 0, because the sleep command barely ever fails. Move the statement on line 31 up one line to fix this bug.

Usually init.d scripts should have the descriptor.
You could put this after you initial comment block:

### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides: cassandra
# Required-Start: $local_fs $network $syslog
# Required-Stop: $local_fs $syslog
# Should-Start: $syslog
# Should-Stop: $network $syslog
# Default-Start: 2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop: 0 1 6
# Short-Description: Start Cassandra Service
# Description:       Cassandra Database Server
### END INIT INFO