# Mongrel\_cluster / cleanup of pid files / --clean why not a default?

**URL:** <https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mongrel-cluster-cleanup-of-pid-files-clean-why-not-a-default/138778>\
**Category:** Rails\
**Created:** [May 27, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mongrel-cluster-cleanup-of-pid-files-clean-why-not-a-default/138778 "2008-05-27T17:30:50Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aditya](https://www.ruby-forum.com/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/a/df705f/32.png) [@aditya](https://www.ruby-forum.com/u/aditya)\
**Post date:** [May 27, 2008, 5:30pm UTC](https://www.ruby-forum.com/t/mongrel-cluster-cleanup-of-pid-files-clean-why-not-a-default/138778/1 "2008-05-27T17:30:50Z")

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Hi Guys,

After trying to come up with a solution for a problem whose solution  
existed all that while, i wish to ask why its not really a default in  
the first place?

Often, mongrels on our server crash (we’re looking into those problems  
by the way), but they dont clean up pids files on their way out. I can  
understand why that would happen, no worries.

But on restart, restart/start commands usually complain that pid files  
remain behind unless you provide the --clean option in which case it  
has the best possible outcome, which is, checks if the process  
mentioned in the pid is running and then does nothing or if the  
process is not running, cleans the pid file. Wonderful! Why is this –  
clean command not the default in mongrel\_cluster and mongrel\_rails?

Just wondering!

Cheers,  
Aditya