The Core Technologies Blog

Professional Software for Windows Services / 24×7 Operation

AlwaysUp 12: Bulk Import & Improvements for Dropbox

Posted on March 14, 2020 (Revised November 15, 2020)

AlwaysUp version 12 is out!

Here are the most notable advancements in our popular “run anything as a Windows Service” software:

Easily import application XML files “in bulk” — instead of one at a time

The best way to copy (or move) an AlwaysUp application to a different computer is to:

Export the application to an XML file (from the existing installation), and then
Import the XML file to create a new application (with the new installation)

This works beautifully if you have one or two services, but importing files one by one creates significant overhead if you have 20 applications to restore!

The new “bulk import” capability aims to reduce that overhead. With the new feature, you simply select the files you wish to import and walk through the step-by step wizard to create your new applications.

Take a look at some of the screens:

Easily import your Windows Service applications into AlwaysUp

In the coming weeks, we’ll write an article that digs into this new process in greater detail. But in the meantime, please don’t hesitate to try it!

Smoother shutdowns for your Dropbox Windows Service

Customers running the popular Dropbox file synchronization software may notice that the latest version launches multiple copies of Dropbox.exe. One instance is responsible for file synchronization, while another two are there for crash protection and stability. The whole curious arrangement is described in our “Why are there 3 copies of Dropbox Running on my PC?” post from December 2019.

AlwaysUp version 12 understands how Dropbox works and will shut down the three processes in the optimal order. Doing so avoids orphaned/leftover processes whenever the Dropbox service stops.

Other fixes & improvements

Our team spent considerable time bulletproofing of the code for Windows Server 2019. The changes are the result of thousands of hours of testing in our rigorous quality assurance simulator.
The program’s Help menu now links directly to the most common FAQ entries, to provide expert guidance when customers need it most:
Licensing problems — though rare — are handled much more gracefully now. (We aim to eliminate the problems entirely in a future release.)
Our development team managed to sneak in a couple of under-the-hood tweaks for Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 19577, released last week. (Thankfully there don’t seem to be any significant changes to Windows Services in Microsoft’s latest revision of the forever OS.)

As usual, please review the release notes for the full list of features, fixes and improvements included in AlwaysUp 12.

Upgrading to AlwaysUp 12

If you purchased AlwaysUp version 11 (after June 2018), you can upgrade to version 12 for free. Simply download and install “over the top” to preserve your existing applications and all settings. Your registration code will continue to work as well.

If you bought AlwaysUp version 10 or earlier (before June 2018), you will need to upgrade to use version 12. Please purchase upgrades here — at a 50% discount.

See the full upgrade policy for additional details.

Enjoy!

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Posted in AlwaysUp | Tagged alwaysup, alwaysup-clt, bulk-import, dropbox, new-release | Leave a comment

Q&A: Why doesn’t OneDrive Delete my Files when Running as a Windows Service? [RESOLVED]

Posted on February 11, 2020 (Revised February 4, 2023)

Our client has AlwaysUp 11.8.3.74 installed on a Windows Server 2019 platform and uses it to deliver OneDrive as a service.

This was set up as per your guide back in August, however, recently we have noticed some issues with OneDrive sync functionality.

My problem is, if I delete a file in OneDrive via the web interface, OneDrive started by AlwaysUp (in this session or background, it doesn’t make any difference) will not delete the file in the local PC folder. If I stop the service and start OneDrive manually via the Start Menu, the file will be deleted immediately.

Everything is working fine, except deleting file via web interface and syncing this deletion to the PC.

Looking forward to your help.

— Bernd

June 11 2021: This issue has been resolved (jump to the details).

Hi Bernd, sorry to hear of the problem! We investigated and here is what we found out:

The problem exists in OneDrive for Windows Version 19.192 (November 13, 2019)

We were able to reproduce the issue described on two Windows 10 test machines — one with version 1809 and the other running version 1903. We performed the following steps:

Downloaded and installed OneDrive Version 19.192.0926.0012.
Followed our step-by-step our tutorial showing how to setup OneDrive as a Windows Service.
Started OneDrive as a Windows Service (in the background, in Session 0).
Logged in to OneDrive online.
Deleted a file from the website.
On the local PC, opened File Explorer to the OneDrive folder holding the file just deleted.
Waited two minutes for the file to disappear from the local folder.

Unfortunately the file was never removed!

When we stopped the OneDrive service and restarted OneDrive normally on the desktop, the file was quickly removed from the local PC — just as you experienced.

Additions, renames and other file operations work fine

It seems that the problem is indeed limited to the propagation of online deletions.

We confirmed that these operations worked flawlessly, with changes synchronized between the OneDrive website and the PC in a few seconds:

Adding a file to the OneDrive website
Adding a file to the OneDrive folder on the local computer
Deleting a file from the OneDrive folder on the local computer

Deletions work properly with Files On Demand

Curiously, online file deletions are reflected on the local PC in one scenario — when Files On Demand (FoD) is engaged and the file has not yet been downloaded to the local computer.

When we executed the test above with FoD on, the file (or rather the “stub” representing the file) was quickly removed after its counterpart was deleted online.

Awaiting a fix from Microsoft

We’ve posted a message to the OneDrive forum asking for help but so far there has been no word from the folks in Redmond.

Hopefully Microsoft will provide a fix soon. We will be sure to let you know if we come up with a workaround before then.

UPDATE: Fixed in AlwaysUp version 12.8 (June 2021)

If you are encountering this problem, please:

Upgrade to the latest version of AlwaysUp.
Edit OneDrive in AlwaysUp and check the Launch the application without admin rights option on the Logon tab:
Save your changes.

When you next start OneDrive from AlwaysUp, all operations will work properly — including deletions.

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Posted in OneDrive | Tagged files-on-demand, onedrive, q&a, windows-services | 24 Comments

Q&A: How do I Test the “Check Web Server” Sanity Check?

Posted on January 7, 2020

I’ve already started the trial of the Service Protector and I’m comfortable with the way it is working. I manually stopped my web service and Service Protector started it up right away.

I’m specifically interested in detecting some nasty 502 errors and downloaded the check website BAT file.

Any suggestions on how to simulate or force a 502? My test environments rarely crash (of course) and I need to gain a little bit of confidence before applying to one of our big customers.

— Greg

Hi Greg, thanks for trying Service Protector.

After discussing with our team, here are three ways you can test:

1. Specify a non-working URL

To make the sanity check work, you had to specify your server’s URL in the batch file (in the SET url line).

For example:

      SET url=http://localhost:8080

To confirm that your service will be promptly restarted when the sanity check fails, simply specify a bogus URL in the batch file.

An invalid URL will cause the URL ping to fail and signal Service Protector to restart your Windows Service — every time the sanity check runs.

To perform this test:

Open the batch file in your favorite text editor
Update the SET url line with a URL that does not point to an actual site
Save the batch file
Launch Service Protector
Highlight your web server service and select Application > Start Protector
Wait for the sanity check to be run (as per the frequency you provided when you setup the sanity check)
Validate that your service is stopped and restarted, as expected

2. Update your web application to return a 502

The previous test applies to all failures, not only 502 errors.

If you have control of your web site code — in Laravel, Django, ASP.NET or another dynamic framework — you can create a URL endpoint that simply returns 502.

Put that URL that into the check website batch file (in the SET url line) and your service should be restarted whenever Service Protector runs the sanity check.

3. Use the free webhook service

If you don’t want to mess with your web site, we recommend use the free webhook service to create a URL that always returns a 502. If you place that URL in your batch file, your service should be restarted every time the sanity check is run.

To create the endpoint:

Open this page in your browser: https://webhook.site/
A unique URL will be created automatically for you:
This URL is immediately usable, but it will return HTTP Status code 200 by default. Click the Edit button and change the Default status code to 502. You might as well put in some response text, to explicitly signal what the URL does too:

Visit the URL to ensure that it is responding as expected:

Note that the URL won’t be available forever. From the Webhook.site Terms of use:

For non-Premium URLs, data may be automatically deleted after a maximum of 7 days.

So you’ll have to purchase a premium offering if you want the URL to persist.

Happy testing!

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Posted in Service Protector | Tagged 502-http-status-code, check-website-sanity-check, sanity-check, service-protector, webhook.site | Leave a comment

Why are there 3 copies of Dropbox Running on my PC?

Posted on December 14, 2019 (Revised January 7, 2023)

Whenever you fire up Dropbox (or it starts automatically at login), you will soon notice three Dropbox.exe processes running on your PC. Though unusual, that is completely normal behavior. It’s just how Dropbox works.

You can see the three processes running in the Windows Task Manager:

Or better yet, if you really want to understand what is going on, turn to Microsoft’s excellent Process Explorer. Its helpful tree panel will reveal the hierarchical relationship between the Dropbox processes — one parent and two children:

But why are 3 copies of Dropbox started? Isn’t one enough to synchronize all the files and folders that the software is managing?

And why is one using significant CPU and memory while the other two remain small and idle?

Fortunately the command line parameters for each instance of Dropbox reveal what is going on…

#1 is the “Main” Dropbox process

With the help of Process Explorer, we can see that the main/parent executable runs with a single parameter: /home:

That is consistent with the desktop shortcut to start Dropbox, which specifies the same parameter:

So that’s the one we started.

Digging in a little deeper, we saw this process consistently using a small bit of CPU (1-10%) and a fair chunk of memory (200+ MB).

Furthermore, we noticed that the CPU and memory would jump whenever we placed a new file in the Dropbox folder.

Our conclusion? This parent process is responsible for Dropbox’s primary activity: copying your files to and from the cloud.

#2 is the “Crashpad Handler”

The second process has a massive command line — over 3600 characters!

Most of the command line is meaningless without a technical understanding of the arguments, but the first parameter stands out: -type:crashpad-handler:

This “crashpad handler” consumes a mere 2 MB of RAM — infinitesimal, by today’s standards. What is its purpose?

Our research suggests that the process implements Crashpad — a crash reporting system developed by Google.

From the software’s stated objective:

Crashpad is a library for capturing, storing and transmitting postmortem crash reports from a client to an upstream collection server. Crashpad aims to make it possible for clients to capture process state at the time of crash with the best possible fidelity and coverage, with the minimum of fuss.

So it is very likely that when the main Dropbox process crashes or runs into trouble, the “crashpad handler” will jump in to collect information and beam it back to Dropbox headquarters for subsequent analysis.

#3 is the “Exit Monitor”

The third process has a command line just shy of 400 characters in length. Its “type” is exit-monitor:

As the type suggests, exit monitor’s job is to watch the main Dropbox process and restart it if it fails. Its purpose is to make sure that Dropbox is always running on your machine — even in the face of crashes and other failures.

To sum up

Having three Dropbox.exe processes is completely normal. Dropbox performs your file synchronization in one executable but the other two are there to support the robust operation of the software. It’s all good!

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Posted in Dropbox | Tagged alwaysup, crashpad, dropbox | 12 Comments

Q&A: What’s the Difference between AlwaysUp and Service Protector?

Posted on December 7, 2019

We own a license of both AlwaysUp and Service Protector. It seems like AlwaysUp is able to do more (larger feature set) however the pricing is less then Service Protector. We are setting up new servers and need to transfer one of these programs over and I’m having a hard time deciding which to install on our new servers.

— Stephen

Hi Stephen. Thanks for being a customer, and for getting in touch!

You are right — AlwaysUp and Service Protector have quite a lot in common.

Both are focused on 24x7x365 operation, to ensure that your mission-critical software is always available. And both employ advanced features like CPU & memory monitoring, email alerts, and customized failure detection to strive for 100% uptime.

However AlwaysUp and Service Protector are different in one fundamental way:

Service Protector works with existing Windows Services
AlwaysUp enhances regular, desktop applications

So the choice of which one to use comes down to the software you want to run 24/7.

For example, let’s say that you want to ensure that your Apache web server is always serving customers. Since Apache is packaged and delivered as a Windows Service, you would use Service Protector.

On the other hand, if you want to make sure that the Dropbox file synchronization software is always backing up your files, you would need AlwaysUp because Dropbox is not already a Windows Service.

How do I know if my application is a Windows Service or a regular application?

You have a couple of options.

First, you can check the application’s documentation. The publisher will probably mention if the application is designed to run “headless” as a Windows Service.

Second, if the documentation is unavailable, you can install the application and see where it lands. A Windows Service will be listed in the Services Control Panel application.

Start the Services app by typing services.msc from the Start button. You can also find it by searching for “services” in Control Panel:

Look for your application in the list. Be sure to scroll through and read the descriptions — sometimes the short names lack detail:

If your application is listed in Services, go with Service Protector.

Otherwise, you have a regular desktop application and you should choose AlwaysUp.

In either case, please take advantage of the free 30-day trial to make sure that our software will solve your problem and work exactly as you expect!

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Posted in AlwaysUp | Tagged alwaysup, q&a, service-protector, windows-services | Leave a comment

The Core Technologies Blog

Professional Software for Windows Services / 24×7 Operation

AlwaysUp 12: Bulk Import & Improvements for Dropbox

Easily import application XML files “in bulk” — instead of one at a time

Smoother shutdowns for your Dropbox Windows Service

Other fixes & improvements

Upgrading to AlwaysUp 12

You may also like...

AlwaysUp Helps Versonix Develop & Test Their Cruise Reservation System

Service Protector 8 Maximizes Service Uptime with Advanced Sanity Checks

Q & A: My VB6 App Doesn't Refresh in Session 0 — Help!

Q&A: Why doesn’t OneDrive Delete my Files when Running as a Windows Service? [RESOLVED]

The problem exists in OneDrive for Windows Version 19.192 (November 13, 2019)

Additions, renames and other file operations work fine

Deletions work properly with Files On Demand

Awaiting a fix from Microsoft

UPDATE: Fixed in AlwaysUp version 12.8 (June 2021)

You may also like...

Q & A: How Can I Generate a Crash Dump Before AlwaysUp Restarts my Application?

How to Automatically Dismiss Popups from a Windows Service

How to Confirm that OneDrive is Synchronizing your Files

Q&A: How do I Test the “Check Web Server” Sanity Check?

1. Specify a non-working URL

2. Update your web application to return a 502

3. Use the free webhook service

You may also like...

Q&A: My Google Drive keeps Disappearing. Help!

Windows Server 2012 Certified

How to Make AlwaysUp Restart your Program Multiple Times per Day (without using the Task Scheduler)

Why are there 3 copies of Dropbox Running on my PC?

#1 is the “Main” Dropbox process

#2 is the “Crashpad Handler”

#3 is the “Exit Monitor”

To sum up

You may also like...

Q&A: Can my Legacy Application Read Network Drives when Run as a Service?

Watch out for Dropbox Prompts when Running as a Service!

4 Affordable Tools to Monitor & Bulletproof your Web Application/Server

Q&A: What’s the Difference between AlwaysUp and Service Protector?

How do I know if my application is a Windows Service or a regular application?

You may also like...

Why you should Disable Smart Sync when Running Dropbox as a Windows Service

Q&A: Why isn't AlwaysUp Writing to the Windows Event Logs?

Introducing the AlwaysUp Troubleshooter: Helping you configure your application as a Windows Service

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