I think what you're looking for is in the Perl FAQ:
How do I start a process in the background?

Several modules can start other processes that do not lock your Perl program. You can use IPC::Open3, Parallel::Jobs, IPC::Run, and some of the POE modules. See CPAN for more details.

You could also use 

system("cmd &")

[download]
or you could use fork as documented in "fork" in perlfunc, with further examples in perlipc.

Open source softwares? Share and enjoy. Make profit from them if you can. Yet, share and enjoy!

In reply to Re: launching external program with SYSTEM causes script to hang until program closed by naikonta
in thread launching external program with SYSTEM causes script to hang until program closed by d9vx

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