Forking a process in Rails is messing up mongrel

I’m trying to run an external Ruby script from my Rails app.

To do this i’m using this function

def fork_with_new_connection(config, my_class = ActiveRecord::Base)
pid = fork do
begin
my_class.establish_connection(config)
yield
ensure
my_class.remove_connection
end
end
Process.detach(pid)
end

Then, within my controller I do this:

# fork a process
config = ActiveRecord::Base.remove_connection
fork_with_new_connection(config) {
  @environment = (RAILS_ENV == 'development') ? 'dev' : 'prod'
  system("ruby ./public/utils/delicious_import.rb -u #{@user} -p

#{@pass} -r #{@rating} -d #{current_user} -e #{@environment}")
}
ActiveRecord::Base.establish_connection(config)

I have two questions. First, is this the proper/correct way to run an
external script from a rails controller. I just want to fire off the
script and continue; I don’t want to wait around for its completion or
status.

Second, when I do this, my mongrel.pid file seems to be deleted as soon
as the child process completes. It looks like the child process’s
parent is a mongrel_rails process (which makes sense since I am running
mongrel), but then when the process dies, it also removes the
mongrel.pid file from my log/ directory.

I’m trying to run an external Ruby script from my Rails app.

I have two questions. First, is this the proper/correct way to run an
external script from a rails controller. I just want to fire off the
script and continue; I don’t want to wait around for its completion or
status.

Don’t know about fork, but whenever external scripts come up, everyone
recommends looking at backgrounddrb: http://backgroundrb.rubyforge.org/

-philip

Craig, please read this:

http://rubyforge.org/pipermail/mongrel-users/2006-August/001207.html

Not sure if it’s relevant, but might help.

Vish