processes: mysql will not start when "useshell=dumb"

[Andreas Falck]

Object:  

Make sure mysql[d] always runs. 

Problem: 

mysql start script[1] "hangs", requires CTRL-C or "Enter" 
to return to shell.

Doc:

http://www.cfengine.org/docs/cfengine-Reference.html#processes
  
  useshell=true/false/dumb

  "By choosing the value `dumb' for this, cfengine ignores
  all output from a program and does not use a startup shell. This
  prevents programs like cron from hanging cfengine."

Ok, this must be what I'm looking for, but why doesn't mysql start in
'dumb' mode? (Other daemons, such as httpd, seems to work properly,
but again, most daemons return to the shell properly.)

cfagent.conf:

processes:

   # cfengine halts, but mysql starts:
   "mysql" restart "/etc/init.d/mysql start"             
  
   # cfengine finishes, but mysql does not start:
   "mysql" restart "/etc/init.d/mysql start" useshell=dumb

setup:

# GNU cfengine 2.1.8
# mysql 4.0.14 
# Linux 2.4 i686 (RH-7.3)

[1] #/etc/init.d/mysql start
--
Andreas