Steven, Thanks for the quick response. here is what my mysql entry looks like in /etc/rc.local: # MYSQL if [ X"${mysql}" == X"YES" ]; then if [ -x /usr/local/bin/mysqld_safe ]; then echo -n " mysql"; /usr/local/bin/mysqld_safe --socket=/var/www/var/run/mysql/mysql.sock & sleep 10 echo -n " syslog-ng2mysql"; /etc/check_syslog-ng2mysql.sh & fi fi and here is the /etc/check_syslog-ng2mysql.sh script i sent in yesterday: #!/bin/sh ps=`ps -ax | grep "\--password=x" | awk '{ print $9 }'` if [[ $ps != "" ]]; then echo "syslog-ng2mysql is alive." else if [ ! -p /tmp/mysql.pipe ]; then mkfifo /tmp/mysql.pipe kill -HUP `cat /var/run/syslog-ng.pid` fi mysql -u root --password=password syslog < /tmp/mysql.pipe fi I don't think the problem is that mysqld is not started when i issue the mysql command in the script. I think it has something to do with how openbsd starts daemons from within /etc/rc.local and /etc/rc. When i reboot this server, the /etc/check_syslog-ng2mysql.sh does nto start at all. Basically I am just looking for other ways to start /etc/check_syslog-ng2mysql.sh or more to the point the "mysql -u root --password=password syslog < /tmp/mysql.pipe" line which just dumps the data from a named pipe created by syslog-ng, over to the mysql db. Thanks for all the help. --- 5 January 2005 "We must learn to welcome and not to fear the voices of dissent. We must dare to think about "unthinkable things" because when things become unthinkable, thinking stops and action becomes mindless." (J. William Fulbright, 1905-1995) --- Robert V. Coward UNIX System Administrator Computer Science Corporation