systemd-run

systemd
Developer Lennart Poettering lennart@poettering.net
systemd-run 1
systemd-run Run programs in transient scope or service or timer units
`systemd-run` OPTIONS COMMAND ARGS `systemd-run` OPTIONS TIMER OPTIONS COMMAND ARGS

## Description

`systemd-run` may be used to create and start a transient `.service` or a transient `.timer` or a `.scope` unit and run the specified COMMAND in it.

If a command is run as transient service unit, it will be started and managed by the service manager like any other service, and thus show up in the output of `systemctl list-units` like any other unit. It will run in a clean and detached execution environment. `systemd-run` will start the service asynchronously in the background and immediately return.

If a command is run with timer options, transient timer unit also be created with transient service unit. But the transient timer unit is only started immediately. The transient service unit will be started when the transient timer is elapsed. If `--unit=` is specified with timer options, the COMMAND can be omitted. In this case, `systemd-run` assumes service unit is already loaded and creates transient timer unit only. To successfully create timer unit, already loaded service unit should be specified with `--unit=`. This transient timer unit can activate the existing service unit like any other timer.

If a command is run as transient scope unit, it will be started directly by `systemd-run` and thus inherit the execution environment of the caller. It is however managed by the service manager similar to normal services, and will also show up in the output of `systemctl list-units`. Execution in this case is synchronous, and execution will return only when the command finishes.

## Options

The following options are understood:

`--scope`

  Create a transient `.scope` unit instead of the default transient `.service` unit.

`--unit=`

  Use this unit name instead of an automatically generated one.

`--property=`
`-p`

  Sets a unit property for the scope or service unit that is created. This takes an assignment in the same format as systemctl 1's `set-property` command.

`--description=`

  Provide a description for the service or scope unit. If not specified, the command itself will be used as a description. See `Description=` in systemd.unit 5.

`--slice=`

  Make the new `.service` or `.scope` unit part of the specified slice, instead of the `system.slice`.

`--remain-after-exit`

  After the service or scope process has terminated, keep the service around until it is explicitly stopped. This is useful to collect runtime information about the service after it finished running. Also see `RemainAfterExit=` in systemd.service 5.

`--send-sighup`

  When terminating the scope or service unit, send a SIGHUP immediately after SIGTERM. This is useful to indicate to shells and shell-like processes that the connection has been severed. Also see `SendSIGHUP=` in systemd.kill 5.

`--service-type=`

  Sets the service type. Also see `Type=` in systemd.service 5. This option has no effect in conjunction with `--scope`. Defaults to `simple`.

`--uid=`
`--gid=`

  Runs the service process under the UNIX user and group. Also see `User=` and `Group=` in systemd.exec 5.

`--nice=`

  Runs the service process with the specified nice level. Also see `Nice=` in systemd.exec 5.

`--setenv=`

  Runs the service process with the specified environment variables set. Also see `Environment=` in systemd.exec 5.

`--pty`
`-t`

  When invoking a command as service connects its standard input and output to the invoking tty via a pseudo TTY device. This allows invoking binaries as services that expect interactive user input, such as interactive command shells.

`--quiet`
`-q`

  Suppresses additional informational output while running. This is particularly useful in combination with `--pty` when it will suppress the initial message explaining how to terminate the TTY connection.

`--on-active=`
`--on-boot=`
`--on-startup=`
`--on-unit-active=`
`--on-unit-inactive=`

  Defines monotonic timers relative to different starting points. Also see `OnActiveSec=`, `OnBootSec=`, `OnStartupSec=`, `OnUnitActiveSec=` and `OnUnitInactiveSec=` in systemd.timer 5. This options have no effect in conjunction with `--scope`.

`--on-calendar=`

  Defines realtime (i.e. wallclock) timers with calendar event expressions. Also see `OnCalendar=` in systemd.timer 5. This option has no effect in conjunction with `--scope`.

`--timer-property=`

  Sets a timer unit property for the timer unit that is created. It is similar with `--property` but only for created timer unit. This option only has effect in conjunction with `--on-active=`, `--on-boot=`, `--on-startup=`, `--on-unit-active=`, `--on-unit-inactive=`, `--on-calendar=`. This takes an assignment in the same format as systemctl 1's `set-property` command.

`--no-block`

  Do not synchronously wait for the requested operation to finish. If this is not specified, the job will be verified, enqueued and `systemd-run` will wait until the unit's start-up is completed. By passing this argument, it is only verified and enqueued.

All command line arguments after the first non-option argument become part of the command line of the launched process. If a command is run as service unit, its first argument needs to be an absolute binary path.

## Exit status

On success, 0 is returned, a non-zero failure code otherwise.

## Examples

The following command will log the environment variables provided by systemd to services:

    # systemd-run env
    Running as unit run-19945.service.
    # journalctl -u run-19945.service
    Sep 08 07:37:21 bupkis systemd[1]: Starting /usr/bin/env...
    Sep 08 07:37:21 bupkis systemd[1]: Started /usr/bin/env.
    Sep 08 07:37:21 bupkis env[19948]: PATH=/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin
    Sep 08 07:37:21 bupkis env[19948]: LANG=en_US.UTF-8
    Sep 08 07:37:21 bupkis env[19948]: BOOT_IMAGE=/vmlinuz-3.11.0-0.rc5.git6.2.fc20.x86_64

The following command invokes the updatedb 8 tool, but lowers the block IO weight for it to 10. See systemd.resource-control 5 for more information on the `BlockIOWeight=` property.

    # systemd-run -p BlockIOWeight=10 updatedb

The following command will touch a file after 30 seconds.

    # date; systemd-run --on-active=30 --timer-property=AccuracySec=100ms /bin/touch /tmp/foo
    Mon Dec  8 20:44:24 KST 2014
    Running as unit run-71.timer.
    Will run as unit run-71.service.
    # journalctl -b -u run-71.timer
    -- Logs begin at Fri 2014-12-05 19:09:21 KST, end at Mon 2014-12-08 20:44:54 KST. --
    Dec 08 20:44:38 container systemd[1]: Starting /bin/touch /tmp/foo.
    Dec 08 20:44:38 container systemd[1]: Started /bin/touch /tmp/foo.
    # journalctl -b -u run-71.service
    -- Logs begin at Fri 2014-12-05 19:09:21 KST, end at Mon 2014-12-08 20:44:54 KST. --
    Dec 08 20:44:48 container systemd[1]: Starting /bin/touch /tmp/foo...
    Dec 08 20:44:48 container systemd[1]: Started /bin/touch /tmp/foo.

The following command invokes `/bin/bash` as a service passing its standard input, output and error to the calling TTY.

    # systemd-run -t /bin/bash

## See Also

systemd 1, systemctl 1, systemd.unit 5, systemd.service 5, systemd.scope 5, systemd.slice 5, systemd.exec 5, systemd.resource-control 5, systemd.timer 5, machinectl 1