reviewservicecontrolmanager

Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage1of39AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
70.
VersionHistory.
21.
Introduction.
42.
KeyFeatures&Benefits.
53.
SystemRequirements64.
InstallService.
74.
1.
CommandLineSyntax.
74.
2.
CommandLineOptions84.
2.
1.
General.
84.
2.
2.
Logon.
104.
2.
3.
Monitoring114.
2.
4.
Customized"SanityChecks"134.
2.
5.
Notification(viaE-Mail)144.
2.
6.
Startup164.
3.
ReturnCodes.
164.
4.
Examples.
174.
5.
UsingtheAlwaysUpGUItoCreatetheCommandLine174.
6.
UsingtheAlwaysUpGUItoCreateanXMLfile195.
UninstallService.
205.
1.
CommandLineSyntax.
205.
2.
ReturnCodes.
205.
3.
Examples.
205.
4.
UsingSC206.
AlwaysUpService.
226.
1.
ExporttoXML.
226.
2.
StartorRestartyourApplicationintheCurrentSession227.
StartingandStoppingAlwaysUpServiceswiththeNETCommand.
247.
1.
ToStartaService.
247.
2.
ToStartaServiceinaSpecificSession.
247.
3.
ToStartaServiceinaSpecificUser'sSession.
257.
4.
ToStopaService258.
FilestoDistributewithyourApplications.
279.
IntegratingAlwaysUpCLTintoyourApplication'sInstaller2810.
Licensing&Registration2911.
TroubleshootingandReportingProblems.
3012.
AppendixI:TheSanityCheckUtility3112.
1.
SpecialCommandLineVariables3212.
2.
CheckingaWebServerwithhttp-ping3312.
3.
OtherSanityCheckUtilities.
3313.
AppendixII:TheInstallServiceXML3414.
AppendixIII:RemoteDesktopandTerminalServicesSessions.
3615.
AppendixIV:AlwaysUpWebService.
3616.
AppendixV:AlwaysUpEventLogMessages.
38AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage2of390.
VersionHistoryVersionDateUpdates12.
72021-01-15Variousfixesandperformanceimprovements.
12.
52020-11-27SupportforDropbox105+;includerecentactivityinemails.
12.
02020-01-05SmoothershutdownforDropbox;improvedvalidationwhenimportingfromXML.
11.
82018-04-12Addedhourlyrestartcapabilities.
11.
52018-11-10ImprovementsforSession0,Windows10andServer2016/201911.
02018-06-04Addedsupportfortags.
10.
52017-10-12Supportforrunningtheapplicationwithoutadminrights.
10.
02017-04-02Variousimprovements(DEP;Desktoprights;CPUmath).
9.
72016-08-21Bugfixes.
9.
52016-03-11Bugfixes.
9.
02014-11-02Optionstostoprunninginstances,preventsleep,minimizeloggingondelayedrestarts.
Removedtheoptiontopreventcloseonlogoff.
8.
82014-06-15Bugfixes.
8.
72014-05-07Stop/restartwhenthecomputerresumes.
8.
62013-07-02Registryentriestocontroleventlogwriting.
8.
52013-02-22Optiontopauseonstartuponlywhenbooting;Additionalcommandlinereplacements.
8.
02012-07-28Addedsupportforlauncherapplications.
7.
92012-01-07AddedsupportforsendingemailwithTLSorSTARTTLSencryption(forOffice365);Addedtheabilitytorunacommandwhentheapplicationstops.
7.
92011-06-25Addedoptionstosendemailwhentheservicestarts.
7.
82011-02-10Addedoptionstodelaythesanitycheck7.
52010-08-02Addedsupportfordisabledservices;asectiononInstallers7.
02010-02-21Intelligentrestarting/rebooting;waittimewhenstopping;supportthe"Automatic(DelayedStart)"option;supportforsuspendingthecomputerwhilewaitingtorestarttheapplication6.
82008-12-01Addedsupportforstarting/restartinginspecificsessions,sanitycheckreboots,cappingrestartattempts.
6.
72008-06-01Plaintextmailformatsupport.
6.
52007-11-01Startuppause.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage3of396.
42007-10-04Start"insession";Ensurenetworkisupoption;Stopcommand;Captureoutput;Automation.
6.
22007-08-19Newfeatures:Themainwindowcanbeadjustedonstartup(minimized/maximized/normally;ontop).
6.
02007-03-12SupportWindowsVista;Site&OEMBranding.
5.
72006-10-29Newfeatures:HideUI,restart-delay,etc.
5.
52006-08-25Newfeatures:XMLsupport,restorenetworkdrives,preventcloseatlogoff.
5.
02006-05-01Initialversion(frompreviousplain-textformat)AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage4of391.
IntroductionTheAlwaysUpcommand-linetools(CLT)aredesignedtorunandmanageanyWin32executable,batchfile,orshortcutasaWindowsservice.
Developerscaneasilyintegrateanddistributethemasapartoftheirownapplications.
FindoutmoreaboutAlwaysUpCLTat:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AlwaysUpCLT/AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage5of392.
KeyFeatures&BenefitsRunsyourapplication(32/64-bitexecutable,batchfileorshortcut)asaWindowsServiceMonitorsyourapplicationandrestartsitwheneveritfailsAbletomanagevirtuallyanyWin32applicationwithminimalconfigurationAbletodetectandrestartapplicationsthathang,hogtheCPUorconsumetoomuchmemory.
Abletostartyourapplicationasthesystemboots,torunwhennouserisloggedinandtorundespitelogon/logoffs--alltoguaranteeuptimewithoutmanualuserinterventionAbletorestartyourapplication(orrebootthecomputer)atascheduledtimeAbletoboostyourapplication'sprioritytoensurethatitgetspreferentialtreatmentonthehostcomputere-mailsyouwithdetailsofcrashes,restartsandotherproblemse-mailsyoudailyorweeklyreportsonyourapplication'sperformanceSupportstheintegrationofyourowncustom"sanitycheck"utilities,executedregularlytotestifyourapplicationisfunctioningnormallyornotAutomaticallydismissescommon"Applicationerror"dialogboxesthatpreventcrashedapplicationsfromfullyexitingAutomaticallydismissesDebugdialogboxesandlogsthedialogboxtextforsubsequentreviewbydevelopers--thusfacilitatingthedeploymentofapplicationsin"Debugmode"LeveragestheWindowsServicesAPItoachieverobust,low-levelapplicationcontrolinasecureenvironmentReportsallactivitiestotheWindowsEventLogSupportsautomation,toautomaticallyfillinforms,dismissdialogs,etc.
Capturesoutputfromconsoleapplications.
Veryefficient;demandsminimalCPU&memoryresourcesNoprogrammingrequired!
EasilyintegratesintoinstallersTherearethreeprogramsinthesuite,namelyInstallService,UninstallService,andAlwaysUpService.
Section4describestheseprogramsindetail.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage6of393.
SystemRequirementsAPentium-compatiblePCWindows10/8orWindowsServer2019/2016/2012(x86andx64versions).
5MBfreeharddrivespaceforinstallationfiles.
TheAlwaysUpcomponentsthatmanageandmonitoryourapplicationaredesignedtobeextremelyfrugalwithmachineresources.
Theyalmostalwaysconsumelessthan1%oftheCPU,lessthan10MBofRAM,anddon'tfallvictimtothe"MemoryGrowth"characteristicofmanyapplicationstoday.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage7of394.
InstallServiceInstallServiceisusedtoinstallanapplicationtorunasaWindowsService.
4.
1.
CommandLineSyntaxThecommandlinesyntaxforInstallServiceis:InstallService.
exe[Options]or,toinstallusinganXMLfile:InstallService.
exe-xmlwhere:isthenameoftheservice.
Themaximumlengthis200characters.
Forward-slash(/)andback-slash(\)cannotbeused.
isthefullcommandlineforrunningtheapplicationtobemonitored.
Ifthecommandlinecontainsspaces,caremustbetakentoensurethatitisinterpretedcorrectly.
Besuretoencloseeachcomponentthatcontainsspacesin"backslashquotes"(\"),andthenquotethewholecommandline.
Forexample:C:\ProgramFiles\Server\Server.
exe-configC:\MyFiles\config.
inishouldbeexpressedas:"\"C:\ProgramFiles\Server\Server.
exe\"-config\"C:\MyFiles\config.
ini\""isthefullpathtoanexistingXMLfiledescribingtheservice.
AdditionaldetailsabouttheXMLformatisavailableinAppendixII.
[Options]areoneormoreoptionsdescribedinthenextsection.
Note:Besuretousequotesaroundparameterscontainingspaces.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage8of394.
2.
CommandLineOptionsTofacilitatefeature-drivenaccess,wepresentthecommandlineoptionsgroupedbyfunctionality.
4.
2.
1.
General-wSpecifiestheapplication'sworkingdirectory.
Besuretoenclosepathsthatcontainaspaceinquotes(").
-nStarttheservice/application"Manually"fromtheServiceControlManager(ortheGUI-basedAlwaysUp).
Ifneither-n,-nd,or-nxisspecified,thebehaviorwilldefaultto"Automatic",andtheservice/applicationwillbestartedwhenWindowsboots.
-ndConfiguretheservice/applicationtostart"Automatically(DelayedStart)",1-2minutesafterWindowsboots.
ThisoptionisonlymeaningfulonWindowsVistaandlater.
-nxDisabletheservice.
Itwillnotbeabletostart/run.
-dpOnmulti-processorsystems,restricttheapplicationtorunononeormorespecificCPUs.
isabitvectorrepresentingthechosenCPUs.
EachbitrepresentsaCPU,with:1=CPU#12=CPU#24=CPU#38=CPU#4(etc.
)Forexample,tospecifyCPU#1andCPU#4,thevalueis1+8=9.
ToselectCPU#1,#2and#3,use1+2+4=7.
-fspecifiestheapplication'spriority:Idle=1BelowNormal=2Normal=3AboveHigh=5Real-time=6indicatesiftheapplication'spriorityshouldbereducedtoNormalwhenauserlogsontothecomputer:No=0Yes=1Ifnotspecified,theapplicationisrunatNormalpriority.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage9of39-mmShowtheapplication'smainwindowminimizedwhenitstarts.
-mxShowtheapplication'smainwindowmaximizedwhenitstarts.
-mmShowtheapplication'smainwindownormallywhenitstarts.
-ktKeeptheapplication'smainwindowontopofothers.
-stUsethegivencommandtostoptheapplication.
isthefullcommandlinefortheprogramtorun,includinganyarguments.
Pleaseusequotesaroundeachelementifthecommandlinecontainsspaces.
AlwaysUpwillwaitupto30secondsforthecommandtocompletebeforeterminatingtheapplication.
Seesection11.
1forspecialcommand-linevalues.
-swWaituptosecondsfortheapplicationtostopgracefullybeforeAlwaysUpforciblyterminatesit.
-scRunthegivencommandwhentheapplicationstops.
isthefullcommandlinefortheprogramtorun,includinganyarguments.
Pleaseusequotesaroundeachelementifthecommandlinecontainsspaces.
-ofLogtheapplication'soutput(fromstdoutandstderr)tothegivenfile.
isthefullpathtothefilewheretheoutputwillbesaved.
Pleaseusequotesifthenamecontainsspaces.
Thiswillworkforconsole-basedapplications,notregularWindowsapplications.
-omWhenloggingoutput,don'tletthefilesizeexceedthegivenvalue(inMega-Bytes).
IfthefilegrowstoMBinsize,theoldestwillbediscardedtomakeroomfornewdata.
-jSetthegivendescriptionfortheservice.
Besuretoenclosethetextinquotesandlimitthelengthto200characters.
-psPreventthecomputerfromautomaticallygoingtosleepwhiletheserviceisrunning.
-tgAssociateoneormoretagswiththisapplication.
Multipletagsvaluesmustbeseparatedbyasemi-colon(the";"character).
Atagcannotcontainanyofthesecharacters:oAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage10of394.
2.
2.
Logon-listhenameofauser,underwhichtheserviceshallrun.
Note:Thisaccountneedstohavethe"Logonasaservice",whichcanbegrantedfromthe"ControlPanel/AdministrativeTools/LocalSecuritySettings"application(LocalSecurityPolicyonWindows2000).
Ifnot,itwillnotbeabletostart.
Itisrecommendedthatthisuserbeamemberofthe"Administrators"grouportheapplicationmaynotbeabletoshowitswindows.
shouldhavethefollowingformat:"\","Zone1\user4"forinstance.
Thedomain".
"ispredefinedasthelocalmachine.
Soonemightuse".
\user1"too.
Ifnotspecified,theservice/applicationwillberununderthebuilt-in"LocalSystem"account.
-pThepasswordfortheuseraccountunderwhichtheserviceshallrun.
-rrStarttheapplicationwithoutadminrights.
Onlyapplicablewhenaloginaccounthasbeenspecified(-l).
-lhHidetheapplication'swindowsinSession0–toavoidalertsfromtheInteractiveServicesDetectionservice.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage11of394.
2.
3.
Monitoring-kKeeptheprogramalive,restartingitwhenitcrashesorexitsunexpectedly.
AlwaysUpwilllogamessagetotheWindowsEventLogwheneveritrestartstheapplication.
-c[]Checkinterval.
isthenumberofmillisecondstopauseinbetweencheckstoseeiftheprogramhascrashed,orisdisplayingamessagebox.
Defaultsto2000ifnotspecified.
-mDismisscommon"applicationcrashed"messageboxes,loggingtheircontenttotheeventLog.
-msWhendismissingcommon"applicationcrashed"messageboxes,immediatelystoptheapplicationwhenthemostseriousareencountered.
-zStoptheapplicationwhenitgrowslargermegabytes.
-qStoptheapplicationifit"hogs"aCPUforlongerthanminutes.
Theapplicationisdesignateda"CPUhog"ifitusesmorethan95%oftheCPUoverthegivenduration.
-vStoptheapplicationifit"hangs"forlongerthanminutes.
-rmStoptheapplicationwhenthecomputerresumesfromasleep/hibernation/low-powerconsumptionstate.
-yStoptheapplicationregularly,atagiventime.
isanumericrepresentationoftheperiod:oMondays=1oTuesdays=2oWednesdays=3oThursdays=4oFridays=5oSaturdays=6oSundays=7oDaily=8(everyday)oEvery12Hours=9oEvery6Hours=10oEvery4Hours=11oEvery2Hours=12representsa24-hourtimevalueintheformatHH:MM:SS.
PleasebesuretospecifythethreeAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage12of39numbers.
Forexample,3:30AMisrepresentedas"03:30:00"and4PMis"16:00:00".
indicatesifthecomputershouldberebootedornot,with:No=0Yes=1-ymWhenstoppingtheapplicationatagiventime,onlystopitifithasgrownlargerthanmegabytes.
-ymWhenstoppingtheapplicationatagiventime,onlystopitifithasgrownlargerthanmegabytes.
-yiWhenstoppingtheapplicationatagiventime,onlystopitifithasbeenidleforatleastminutes.
-ylWhenstoppingtheapplicationatagiventime,onlystopitifnooneisloggedon.
-ytWhenstoppingtheapplicationatagiventime,keeptryingtostopforminutesifnotallconditionsaremetatthechosentime.
-daWhentheapplicationstops,restartitonthenexthour.
-dbWhentheapplicationstops,restartitonthenexthourorhalf-hour.
-dcWhentheapplicationstops,restartitafterthegivennumberof.
-dtWhentheapplicationstops,restartitataspecifictime.
mustbeinthe24-hourformat"HH:MM:SS".
Forexample"17:30:00"represents5:30PM.
-dfPerformthedelayonthefirstrun,whenAlwaysUpstartsupandrunsyourapplicationforthefirsttime.
-dsSuspendthePCwhilewaitingtostarttheapplication.
-dmMinimizewritingtotheeventlog(forapplicationsthatstop&restartfrequently).
-acRunthegivenautomationscript/programregularly.
isthefullcommandlineofthescript/program.
Besuretousequotesaroundeachelementifthecommandlinecontainsspaces.
Seesection11.
1forspecialcommand-linevalues.
specifiestheinterval(inseconds)betweeneachrunoftheautomationprogram.
SeethispageforsampleAutoItscripts:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AutoIt/-anOnlyruntheautomationprogramafewtimesaftertheapplicationstarts.
isthenumberoftimestorun,afterwhichAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage13of39theautomationscriptwillretire.
-fdStoprestartingtheapplicationifitfailstimesinminutes.
4.
2.
4.
Customized"SanityChecks"SeeAppendixIfordetailsonthe"SanityCheck"feature.
-tPerformaperiodic"Sanitycheck"ontheprogrambeingmanaged.
Theisthefullcommandlineofthesanitycheckprogram,e.
g.
"C:\apps\testServer.
exe10.
10.
10.
104552".
Pleaseusequotesaroundeachelementifthecommandlinecontainsspaces.
Theprogrammustcompletewithanerrorstatusof0tobeconsideredsuccessful.
Ifunsuccessful,theapplicationwillberestarted.
Seesection11.
1forspecialcommand-linevalues.
-aChecksanityinterval.
isthenumberofsecondstopauseinbetweenrunsofthesanitycheckprogram.
Defaultsto30ifnotspecified.
-xChecksanitytimeoutinterval.
Waituptosecondsforaresponsefromthechecksanityprogram.
Ifnoneisreceived,considertheresultafailure.
Thiswillcausetheprogramtobeterminated.
Thedefaultvalueis120ifnotspecified.
-xdDelayforminutesbeforerunningthefirstsanitycheckaftertheservicestarts.
Thismaybeusefulifittakesawhileforyourservice/applicationtobeready-xrApplythesanitycheckdelayoneachrestart,notjustonthefirstrun.
Onlyvalidwiththe-xdflag.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage14of394.
2.
5.
Notification(viaE-Mail)-oisthethe"To"addressforallemailmessages.
Multipleaddressescanbespecifiedbyseparatingthemwithacommaandplacingthewholevalueinquotes,forexample:"admin@myserver.
com,system@myserver.
com".
(Note:thisistheletter'o',notazero)-gisthenameorIPaddressyourSMTPmailserver.
Forexample"mail.
mydomain.
com"or"smtp.
gmail.
com".
Defaultsto"mail"ifnotspecified.
-hwillbeplacedinthe"From:"fieldofmailsentviaSMTP.
Forexample,brian@mydomain.
comIfnotspecified,themailsentmaynothavea"From:"address.
-3Therealnametobeplacedinthe"From:"fieldofemailsentviaSMTP.
Forexample,"BrianSmith".
Ifnotspecified,theemailsentmaynothavea"From:"name.
-bSendanemailmessagewhenan"applicationcrashed"messageboxhasbeendismissed.
-rSendanemailmessagewhentheapplicationcrashesorstopsprematurelyandhastoberestarted.
-rsSendanemailmessagewhentheservicestarts.
-rbIfsendinganemailwhentheservicestarts(withthe-rsoption)onlysendanemailifthestartupisbecausethemachinehasbootedOnlymeaningfulwiththe-rsflag.
-4TheportnumberassociatedwiththeSMTPmailserver.
Defaultsto25ifnotspecified.
-5IndicatesthattheSMTPserverusesSSLtosendemail.
-5sIndicatesthattheSMTPserverusesSTARTTLStosendemail.
-6IndicatesthattheSMTPserverrequiresauthentication.
Anauthenticationmethodmustbespecified(seebelow)-7Specifiestheauthenticationmethodtobeusedwhensendingemail.
isanumericrepresentationoftheauthenticationmethod:AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage15of39CRAM-MD5=1AUTH-LOGIN=2AUTH-PLAIN=3NTLM=4AllauthenticationmethodsexceptNTLMrequirealoginandpassword(seebelow)-8Specifiestheusername/logintoaccesstheSMTPmailserver.
-9SpecifiesthepasswordtoaccesstheSMTPmailserver.
-tmSendemailsinplaintextformatinsteadofHTML.
-etAdditionaltexttobeincludedineachemailmessagesent.
Pleasespecifyatmost30charactersandpleaseputquotesaroundthevalue.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage16of394.
2.
6.
Startup-rnAutomaticallyrestoreanynetworkdrivesaccessibletotheuserwhowillruntheapplication.
Onlyworksfordrivesmappedautomaticallyatlogon,withouttheneedfortheusertotypeinapassword.
Maytakesometimeatstartupifdriveaccessis"slow".
-ntEnsurethattheWindowsnetworkingcomponents/servicesareupandrunningpriortostartingtheapplication.
-ptWaitforsecondsbeforestartingtheapplication.
-prOnlywait(withthe–ptoption)onlywhentheservicehasbeenstartedshortlyafterareboot.
-1Runthegivenprogramatstartup,priortorunningtheapplication.
isthefullcommandlinefortheprogramtorun,includinganyarguments.
Pleaseusequotesaroundeachelementifthecommandlinecontainsspaces.
-11Inadditiontoatstartup,runthestartupprogram(givenwiththe-1optionabove)whenevertheapplicationisrestarted.
-2Ensurethatthegivenservicesarestartedpriortostartingtheapplication.
isthelistofservicenames,availablefromtheControlPanelServicesapplication.
Separatemultiplenameswithacomma(,),forexample"LmHosts,Netman"-isBeforefirststartingtheapplication/service,stopallinstancesoftheconfiguredapplication.
-irStopallinstancesoftheconfiguredapplicationbeforerestartingit.
Onlyrelevantwhenthe-isoptionisspecified.
4.
3.
ReturnCodesInstallServicereturns0(zero)onsuccessandnon-zeroonfailure.
Whenitfails,thereasonforfailureisreportedtothestandardoutput(stdout).
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage17of394.
4.
Examples1.
Thefollowinginstallsthe"Notepad"applicationasaservice,whichrunsnotepad.
exeonthespecifiedtextfile,restartingitwheneveritcrashesorstopsunexpectedly:InstallServiceNotepad"c:\winnt\notepad.
exec:\data.
txt"-k2.
Thefollowinginstallsthe"MyServer"service,whichruns"C:\MyServer\MyServer.
exe/fast/usermodetrue"fromdirectory"C:\MyServer\Run"asuser"tbrown"withpassword"thepassword".
Theapplicationwillberestartedwheneveritcrashesorstopsunexpectedly,wheneveritusesmorethan512MBofRAM,andeverydayat3AM.
Theapplicationwillbestartedonlyafterthe"Netman"(NetworkConnections)servicehasstarted.
E-mailwillbesenttoadmin@mydomain.
comusingserver"mail.
mydomain.
com"whenevertheapplicationisrestarted,orwheneveramessageboxisdismissed:InstallService.
exe"MyServer""C:\MyServer\MyServer.
exe/fast/usermodetrue"-k-m-oadmin@mydomain.
com-halwaysup_report@mydomain.
com-g"mail.
mydomain.
com"-r-b-l".
\tbrown"-p"thepassword"-w"C:\MyServer\Run"-y83-z512-2"Netman"4.
5.
UsingtheAlwaysUpGUItoCreatetheCommandLineTheAlwaysUpGUIcanbeusedtoeasethecreationoftheInstallServicecommandline.
Basically,youconfigureyourapplication/serviceintheAlwaysUpGUIandselectaspecialOEMmenuitemtorevealthecommandlineusedtoinstalltheservice.
Tousethismethod:1.
InstalltheAlwaysUpGUIpackage(availableathttps://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AutoIt/)2.
Copyyourlicensefile("alwaysup.
dat")tothelocationwhereAlwaysUpwasinstalled(bydefault,"C:\ProgramFiles\AlwaysUp").
3.
StartAlwaysUp4.
Createyourservice/applicationAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage18of395.
Highlighttheserviceinthelistandselect"CommandLine|InstallServicecommandline.
.
.
"fromthe"Application"menu:6.
Thefollowingwindowwillbepresented:AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage19of397.
Copythecommandlinefromthewindowbyclickingonthehyperlinktext.
Notethatthe"CommandLine"menuisNOTavailableonmachineswithoutacommand-linelicense(asspecifiedinthealwaysup.
datlicensefile).
4.
6.
UsingtheAlwaysUpGUItoCreateanXMLfileTheAlwaysUpGUIcanexportanexistingAlwaysUpservicetoanXMLfile,whichcanlaterbeusedtoinstalltheserviceonanothermachine.
Tousethismethod:1.
InstalltheAlwaysUpGUIpackage(availableathttps://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/)2.
Copyyourlicensefile("alwaysup.
dat")tothelocationwhereAlwaysUpwasinstalled(bydefault,"C:\ProgramFiles\AlwaysUp").
3.
StartAlwaysUp4.
Createyourservice/application5.
Highlighttheserviceinthelistandselect"Export…"fromthe"Application"menu.
6.
Thiswillbringupastandard"SaveAs"dialogboxwhereyouspecifythenameoftheXMLfiletobewritten.
Inaddition,theAlwaysUpGUIsupportssimpledrag-and-dropfromthelistofapplicationstoWindowsExplorer(orthedesktop,etc.
)tocreateasuitableXMLfile.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage20of395.
UninstallServiceUninstallServicewillremoveaservicepreviouslyinstalledwithInstallService.
5.
1.
CommandLineSyntaxThecommandlinesyntaxforUninstallServiceis:UninstallService.
exeWhere:isthenameofanexistingservicethatwasinstalledusingInstallService.
5.
2.
ReturnCodesUninstallServicereturns0(zero)onsuccessandnon-zeroonfailure.
Whenitfails,thereasonforfailureisreportedtothestandardoutput(stdout).
Notethattheservicewillbestoppedpriortouninstallingit,soitisnotnecessarytoexplicitlystopitbeforeuninstalling.
5.
3.
ExamplesThefollowingwoulduninstallthe"Notepad"servicecreatedinsection2.
3:UninstallServiceNotepad5.
4.
UsingSCThe"SC"commandcanalsobeusedtouninstalltheservice.
PleaseseethefollowingpagesfordetailsonSC:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/blog/windows-services/essential-tools-windows-services-sc-exe/https://ss64.
com/nt/sc.
htmlAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage21of39WhenusingSC,youmustspecifytheservicenamewithaspecialsuffixaddedbyAlwaysUpwhenitwasinstalled.
Forexample,ifyourserviceiscalled"Notepad",thenameoftheserviceshouldbe"Notepad(managedbyAlwaysUpService)".
YouwouldinvokeSCas:SC.
exedelete"Notepad(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage22of396.
AlwaysUpServiceAlwaysUpServiceisaninternalcomponentdistributedwiththesuite.
Itisresponsibleforactuallyrunningyourapplicationasaserviceandcanbeinvokedtoexportanapplication'sconfigurationasXML,ortostartyourapplicationinthecurrentsession6.
1.
ExporttoXMLThecommandlinesyntaxtoexportanapplication'sconfigurationasXMLis:AlwaysUpService.
exe-exportxmlWhere:isthenameofanexistingservicethatwasinstalledusingInstallService.
isthefullpathtoafilenameinwhichtosavetheXML.
Thefileisoverwrittenifitalreadyexists.
PleaseseeAppendixIIfordetailsontheXML.
6.
2.
StartorRestartyourApplicationintheCurrentSessionIfyouwishtostartorrestartyourapplicationinthesessionthatyouarecurrentlyloggedinto,thesyntaxisasfollows:AlwaysUpService.
exe-start-in-current-sessionorAlwaysUpService.
exe-restart-in-current-sessionWhere:isthenameofanexistingservicethatwasinstalledusingInstallService.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage23of39PleaseseeAppendixIIIforadiscussionofSessionsandwhyyoumaywanttostartyourapplicationinthismanner.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage24of397.
StartingandStoppingAlwaysUpServiceswiththeNETCommandAlwaysUpServicecanbemanipulatedusingthe"net.
exe"command(justasanyotherservicecanbe).
7.
1.
ToStartaServiceRun:netstart"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"Where:isthenamegivetotheserviceatinstallationNoticethatyoumustaddthe"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"suffixasthatishowtheserviceisactuallynamedintheServiceControlManager.
Forexample,tostartanAlwaysUpservicenamed"Server",use:netstart"Server(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"Theapplicationwillbestartedinthedefaultsession,andwillbesuitableformostapplications(andallofthosewithoutauserinterface).
7.
2.
ToStartaServiceinaSpecificSessionOnsystemswithmultiplesessions,AlwaysUpcanbedirectedtolaunchtheapplicationinaspecificsession,makingtheapplicationswindowsavailabletotheuserloggedinthere.
Run:netstart"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"/Where:isthenamegivetotheserviceatinstallationistheIDofthesessionwheretheapplicationistoberunAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage25of39Noticethatyoumustaddthe"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"suffixasthatishowtheserviceisactuallynamedintheServiceControlManager.
Forexample,tostartanAlwaysUpservicenamed"Server"insession2,use:netstart"Server(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"/2PleaseseeAppendixIIIforadiscussionofSessionsandwhyyoumaywanttostartyourapplicationinthismanner.
7.
3.
ToStartaServiceinaSpecificUser'sSessionOnsystemswithmultiplesessions,AlwaysUpcanbedirectedtolaunchtheapplicationinauser'ssession,makingtheapplicationswindowsavailabletohim.
Run:netstart"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"/"user:"Where:isthenamegivetotheserviceatinstallationistheusername/loginoftheuserloggedintothesessionwheretheapplicationistoberunNoticethatyoumustaddthe"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"suffixasthatishowtheserviceisactuallynamedintheServiceControlManager.
Forexample,tostartanAlwaysUpservicenamed"Server"inusermjones'ssession(sothattheapplicationisvisibletohim),use:netstart"Server(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"/"user:mjones"PleaseseeAppendixIIIforadiscussionofSessionsandwhyyoumaywanttostartyourapplicationinthismanner.
7.
4.
ToStopaServiceAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage26of39Run:netstop"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"Where:isthenamegivetotheserviceatinstallationNoticethatyoumustaddthe"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"suffixasthatishowtheserviceisactuallynamedintheServiceControlManager.
Forexample,tostartanAlwaysUpservicenamed"Server",use:netstop"Server(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"Additionaldetailsonthe"net"commandareavailablehere:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/blog/windows-services/essential-tools-for-windows-services-net-command/https://ss64.
com/nt/net-service.
htmlAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage27of398.
FilestoDistributewithyourApplicationsThesefilesshouldbedistributedwithyourapplications:FilenameDescriptionAlwaysUpService.
exeThemainexecutableforrunningyourapplication.
InstallService.
exeUsedtoinstalltheservice.
Itcanbedeletedaftercompletingyourinstallationprocess.
UninstallService.
exeUsedtouninstalltheservice.
Onlynecessaryifyouprovideawaytouninstallyourapplication.
EventMessageFile.
dllSupportingDLLGHCrUtils.
dllSupportingDLLAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage28of399.
IntegratingAlwaysUpCLTintoyourApplication'sInstallerAlwaysUpCLTwasdesignedtobeeasilydeployedwithtoday'smostpopularinstallationsoftware(WindowsInstaller,InstallShield,InnoSetup,etc.
).
WhileeachInstallerhasitsownwayofdoingthings,thefollowingstepsmustbeperformedtodistributeAlwaysUpseamlesslyalongsideyourapplication:1.
CopytheAlwaysUpexecutablesandsupportingDLLstoadirectoryofyourchoice.
(Section8liststhefiles.
)IfyouhavealreadypurchasedAlwaysUpCLT,pleaseincludeyour.
DATlicensefileaswell.
2.
Run"InstallService.
exe"(describedinSection4)withtheparametersnecessarytoconfigureAlwaysUpCLTtorunyourapplicationasaservice.
3.
Startyourapplication,ifdesired(seeSection7).
That'sit!
Afterinstallation,AlwaysUpCLTwillrunyourapplicationasconfiguredinstep2.
Pleasedon'thesitatetogetintouchwithusifyouneedhelpintegratingAlwaysUpwithyourapplication'sinstaller.
Wewillbehappytoassist.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage29of3910.
Licensing&RegistrationTheAlwaysUpcommand-linecomponentsarefreetoevaluateforthefirst30days.
Afterthetrialperiodalicensemustbepurchasedtocontinueusage.
Ifyoufindtheprogramsuseful,weencourageyoutolicensethem.
ThesmalllicensingfeechargedwillfundcontinueddevelopmentofAlwaysUpandwillentitleyoutoexpeditedsupportfromCoreTechnologiesConsultingLLC,theauthorofthesoftware.
Pleasesendemailtosupport@CoreTechnologies.
comforlicensingdetails.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage30of3911.
TroubleshootingandReportingProblemsPleaseconsulttheAlwaysUpFAQfortroubleshootingtipsandanswerstofrequentlyaskedquestions:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AlwaysUp_FAQ.
htmlIfyouencounteraproblemwhileusingAlwaysUp,pleasesendemailto:support@CoreTechnologies.
comBesuretoincludethefollowinginformation:YourOperatingSystemTheversionofAlwaysUpinuseDetailedstepsforreproducinganysoftwarebugs/issuesFeelfreetosendrequestsforenhancementstothesameaddress.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage31of3912.
AppendixI:TheSanityCheckUtilityAlwaysUpcanperiodicallyrunaprogram(a"Sanitycheckutility")toperiodicallycheckiftheapplicationbeingmonitoredisfunctioningnormally.
Theutilityshouldexitwithareturncodeof:0whenthechecksucceeds;1whenthecheckfailsandtheapplicationshouldbestoppedandrestartedasyouhaveconfigured;10whenthecheckfailsandthecomputershouldberebooted;100whenthecheckfailsandyourapplicationshouldbestoppedandnotrestarted;anyothervaluewhenthecheckfailsduetoanerrorindependentoftheapplicationbeingmonitored(suchasanerrorinternaltotheutility),ortosimplyindicatefailurewithoutcausingarestart.
Inthethirdcase,theapplicationisnotrestartedbutamessageiswrittentotheeventlog(andanemailissentifsoconfigured).
Notethatifthesanitycheckutilityfailstocompletein120seconds,theapplicationwillberestarted.
Thepopular"ConnectToSocketSanityCheck"program(withfullsourcecode)isavailableinthe"SanityCheck"sub-directory.
Givenahostandportonthecommandline,itreturns0ifasocketcouldbeopened,1ifthesocketcouldnotbeopened,and-1iftherewasaninternalerrorinitializingthesocketsAPI.
ItcanbeusedtocheckifaTCP/IPapplication,suchasawebserver,isacceptingconnections.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage32of3912.
1.
SpecialCommandLineVariablesAlwaysUpisabletopassyoursanitycheckprogram(andanyoftheothercommandsinvokedtosupportyourapplication)oneormore"special"values.
ComposeyourcommandlinewiththeappropriatestringandAlwaysUpwillmakethesubstitutionbeforeinvokingyourprogram.
ReplacementStringReplacedWith$ALWAYSUP_PIDTheprogramidentifier(PID)ofyourrunningapplication,asseenintheTaskManager,or-1iftheapplicationisnotrunning.
$ALWAYSUP_EXENAMEThenameoftheexecutableruntoinvokeyourapplication.
(Justthename,notthefullpath.
)$ALWAYSUP_APPNAMEThenameofyourapplicationinAlwaysUp.
$ALWAYSUP_APPSTARTTIMEThetimewhentheapplicationbeingmonitoredwasstarted,inthefixedformat"YYYY/MM/DDHH:MM:SS".
Thisvalueistheemptystringiftheapplicationisnotrunning.
$ALWAYSUP_APPUPTIMEThenumberofsecondsthathaveelapsedsincetheapplicationbeingmonitoredwasstarted.
Thisvalueis-1iftheapplicationisnotrunning.
$ALWAYSUP_SERVICENAMEThenameoftheservicecreatedbyAlwaysUp.
Thiswillbethenameofyourapplication,plusasuffixof"(managedbyAlwaysUpService)".
$ALWAYSUP_SERVICESTARTTIMEThetimewhentheservicecreatedbyAlwaysUpwasstarted,inthefixedformat"YYYY/MM/DDHH:MM:SS".
$ALWAYSUP_SERVICEUPTIMEThenumberofsecondsthathaveelapsedsincetheservicecreatedbyAlwaysUpwasstarted.
$ALWAYSUP_RUNNUMBERThenumberoftimesAlwaysUphasstartedyourapplication.
Thiswillbe0beforeAlwaysUpstartsyourapplicationandwillincreaseby1eachtimethatAlwaysUpstarts/restartsyourprogram.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage33of39Forexample,tohaveAlwaysUppassyourSanitycheckprogramtheapplication'sprogramidentifier(PID),thenyourcommandlinemightresemblethis:C:\myserver\my_check.
exe$ALWAYSUP_PIDIfyourmainapplicationisrunningwithPID563,thenyourSanityprogramwillbeinvokedlikethis:C:\myserver\my_check.
exe56312.
2.
CheckingaWebServerwithhttp-pingOurfreehttp-pingutilitycanalsobeusedtoensurethatyourwebserverisservingpages.
Thissanitycheckscriptwillusehttp-pingtotrytodownloadagivenpagefromyourserverandwillsignalAlwaysUptorestartyourapplicationifthedownloadfails:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/check-web-server-sanity-check.
batPleaseeditthescripttospecifytheaddressofyourownwebserver/pagebeforeusingit!
Findoutmoreabouthttp-pinghere:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/http-ping/12.
3.
OtherSanityCheckUtilitiesWehavecreatedafewSanityCheckprogramsthatcanbeeasilydownloadedandusedfreeofcharge.
Pleasevisitourwebsitetoseewhatisavailable:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/Plugins/Ifyoudon'tfindwhatyouneedthere,pleasesendusanemaildescribingindetailwhatyourSanityCheckshoulddoandwewilltryourbesttocreateoneforyou.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage34of3913.
AppendixII:TheInstallServiceXMLAsoutlinedinsection2.
1,theInstallService.
exeutilitycanacceptXMLdescribinghowtheapplicationistobeinstalled.
TheXMLisgovernedbytheschemaavailableatourwebsite:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AlwaysUpCLT/alwaysup_installservice.
xsdXMLtoinstalltheWindows"Notepad"applicationwithAlwaysUpfollows:NotepadTestInstalledviaXMLusingAlwaysUpc:\winnt\notepad.
exeAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage35of39admin@yourdomain.
comAdministratoralwaysup@yourdomain.
commail.
yourdomain.
com25lanmanworkstationThisfileisalsoavailableat:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AlwaysUpCLT/install_notepad_alwaysup_sample.
xmlAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage36of3914.
AppendixIII:RemoteDesktopandTerminalServicesSessionsWheneverauserlogsintoaWindowsPC,heinteractswitha"session"–hisownprivategraphicalsandboxwithadedicateddesktopandsetofwindows.
PCswithTerminalServicesandRemoteDesktopsoftwareallowmultipleuserstobeloggedintoasinglePCsimultaneously,witheachuserhavinghisownprivatesessionandtheillusionofbeingtheonlyuserofthePC.
Thisprivacyensuresthatapplicationwindowsinonesessionarenotvisiblein(noraccessibleto)anothersession.
EachsessionisidentifiedbyauniquesessionID.
WindowsservicescanbeaffectedbyPCssupportingmultiplesessions.
WhenthePCbootsandservicesarestarted,onlyonesessioniscreatedandallserviceswillruninthatsession.
Thatsessionisknownas"Session0".
WhenAlwaysUpisrunningyourapplicationinSession0,itisnotvisibleinanyothersession.
IfyoustartaRemoteDesktopConnectionandyouaregrantedanothersession(withanon-zeroID),youwillnotbeabletointeractwithyourapplicationrunninginSession0.
OldtrickssuchasstartingRemoteDesktopwiththe"/console"flagwillallowyoutoconnecttotheSession0onWindowsXPand2003,butwillnotdothejobonnewerversionsofWindowsasSession0isisolatedthere.
Ifyourapplicationisrunninginadifferentsession,youcanuseAlwaysUptorunitinthecurrentsessionandmakeitswindowsandtrayiconsavailabletoyoubyselecting"Startinthissession"or"Restartinthissession"fromthe"Application"menu.
Notethatrestartingwilltemporarilystopyourapplication.
Additionalinformation:WhatisSession0Isolationhttps://www.
coretechnologies.
com/WindowsServices/FAQ.
html#WhatIsSession0IsolationImpactofSession0IsolationonServicesandDriversinWindowsVistahttps://www.
coretechnologies.
com/WindowsServices/Microsoft-Impact-of-Session-0-Isolation-on-Services-and-Drivers-in-Windows-Vista.
pdfTerminalServicesSessionshttps://docs.
microsoft.
com/en-us/windows/desktop/TermServ/terminal-services-sessionsAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage37of3915.
AppendixIV:AlwaysUpWebServiceAlwaysUpWebServiceisafreeadd-onprogramthatallowsyoutocontrolAlwaysUpfromyourwebbrowser.
Findoutmoreanddownloadthelatestversionat:https://www.
CoreTechnologies.
com/AlwaysUp/AlwaysUpWebServiceAlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage38of3916.
AppendixV:AlwaysUpEventLogMessagesAsistheconventionwithWindowsServices,AlwaysUpreportsinformation,warnings,anderrorstotheWindowsApplicationEventLog.
ThatlogisaccessiblethroughtheControlPanelEventViewerapplet.
EachentryisloggedonbehalfoftherelatedAlwaysUpapplication.
Forexample,ifyouhaveanapplicationcalled"MyServer",thentheEventLogwillhaveentrieswith"MyServer(managedbyAlwaysUpService)"asthedesignatedsource.
Thefollowingpagepresentsthevariousmessagesthatcanbelogged,alongwithmoredetailedinformationforeachsituation:https://www.
coretechnologies.
com/products/AlwaysUp/AlwaysUp_EventLog.
html16.
1.
HowtoSuppressWritingtotheEventLogEventloggingcanbeentirelydisabledorlimitedbycategoryviaaregistrykey.
Todosoforaspecificapplication/service:1.
StarttheRegistryEditor,Regedit.
exe.
2.
NavigatetoHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\3.
Inthetreeontheleft,clickontheservicethatyouwishtomodify.
Ifyourapplicationiscalled"Notepad",thenlookfor"Notepad(managedbyAlwaysUpService)".
4.
Fromthemenu,select"Edit>New>DWORD(32-bit)value".
5.
Renamethenewvalueontherightto"EventLogMask".
6.
Right-clickonthatnameandselect"Modify.
.
.
"7.
Setthevalueto:0todisableallwritingtotheeventlog1ifyouwantonlyerrors3ifyouwanterrorsandwarnings7ifyouwanterrors,warningsandinformation(thedefault)8.
ClickOKtorecordthevalue.
9.
ClosetheRegistryEditor.
AlwaysUpCommand-LineToolsManualVersion12.
7Copyright2001-2021,CoreTechnologiesConsulting,LLCPage39of39ThechangeswilltakeeffectthenexttimeyourestartyourapplicationinAlwaysUp(orrebootyourPC).
NotethatyoucanaffectallAlwaysUpapplicationsbysettingtheEventLogMaskvalueinHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\CoreTechnologiesConsulting\AlwaysUp(orHKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\CoreTechnologiesConsulting\AlwaysUpon64-bitmachines)instead.
Howeveranindividualservice'ssetting,whenpresent,willoverridethatmastersetting.