Run script with rc.local: script works, but not at boot

On some linux's (Centos & RH, e.g.), /etc/rc.local is initially just a symbolic link to /etc/rc.d/rc.local. On those systems, if the symbolic link is broken, and /etc/rc.local is a separate file, then changes to /etc/rc.local won't get seen at bootup -- the boot process will run the version in /etc/rc.d. (They'll work if one runs /etc/rc.local manually, but won't be run at bootup.)

Sounds like on dimadima's system, they are separate files, but /etc/rc.d/rc.local calls /etc/rc.local

The symbolic link from /etc/rc.local to the 'real' one in /etc/rc.d can get lost if one moves rc.local to a backup directory and copies it back or creates it from scratch, not realizing the original one in /etc was just a symbolic link.

In this example of a rc.local script I use io redirection at the very first line of execution to my own log file:

#!/bin/sh -e
#
# rc.local
#
# This script is executed at the end of each multiuser runlevel.
# Make sure that the script will "exit 0" on success or any other
# value on error.
#
# In order to enable or disable this script just change the execution
# bits.
#
# By default this script does nothing.

exec 1>/tmp/rc.local.log 2>&1  # send stdout and stderr from rc.local to a log file
set -x                         # tell sh to display commands before execution

/opt/stuff/somefancy.error.script.sh

exit 0

In Ubuntu I noticed there are 2 files. The real one is /etc/init.d/rc.local; it seems the other /etc/rc.local is bogus?

Once I modified the correct one (/etc/init.d/rc.local) it did execute just as expected.

I ended up with upstart, which works fine.