In ubuntu 12.04 and SageNB we have a startup script below.
Pedro
$ cat /etc/rc.local
#!/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.
#for the virtual machine disk
echo 120 > /sys/block/sda/device/timeout
#starting sageserver
su sageserver /home/sageserver/startnotebook >> /home/sageserver/startnotebook.rclocal.log 2>&1 &
exit 0
AND
$ cat /home/sageserver/startnotebook
#!/bin/sh
/home/sageserver/sage-5.2/sage -c "notebook(interface='localhost', directory='/home/sageserver/sage_notebook.sagenb',port=8000, accounts=False, timeout=900, server_pool=['sage%d@localhost'%i for i in range(1)], ulimit='-u 100 -t 36000 -v 500000')"
(eof)