{"id":10745,"date":"2021-11-22T05:42:01","date_gmt":"2021-11-22T13:42:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/?p=10745"},"modified":"2022-02-21T13:37:42","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T21:37:42","slug":"version-8-released","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.coretechnologies.com\/blog\/service-protector\/version-8-released\/","title":{"rendered":"Service Protector 8 Maximizes Service Uptime with Advanced Sanity Checks"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Service<\/div>\n

Service Protector<\/a> 8.0 was released on November 9 2021. Here are the most significant changes in this new version:<\/p>\n

Easy to use Sanity Checks will help you keep your service running 24\/7<\/h2>\n

Are you struggling with a Windows Service that says<\/i> it’s running but is actually dead on its feet<\/b>?<\/p>\n

How about a network server that is supposed to accept incoming TCP\/IP requests but is suddenly refusing all network connections<\/b>?<\/p>\n

Or a service that is hung and has stopped updating a log file<\/b>?<\/p>\n

Those nuanced situations — where the service is running but not actually working<\/b> — can torment you and your customers who rely on the service!<\/p>\n

Fortunately, Service Protector’s new sanity check feature is here to help.<\/p>\n

What is a sanity check?<\/h3>\n

A sanity check is a “helper” utility that Service Protector runs to detect if a service is not functioning as expected. And whenever a sanity check detects a problem, Service Protector knows that it’s time to restart the service.<\/p>\n

Service Protector version 8.0 supports four powerful sanity checks. They can:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. \n

    Test basic TCP\/IP network connectivity<\/b>;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  2. \n

    Check that a log file was recently updated<\/b>;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  3. \n

    Confirm that a web server is responding<\/b> properly;<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

  4. \n

    Run your own custom program<\/b> to detect any kind of problem you like.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    The user manual<\/a> describes how to configure a sanity check. For now, let’s review a real-world scenario where a sanity check can improve reliability and uptime.<\/p>\n

    Protecting the Apache Windows Service with a sanity check<\/h3>\n

    Apache<\/a> is the world’s premier web server. It installs as a Windows Service, to start at boot and remain running all the time:<\/p>\n

    \"Apache<\/a><\/div>\n

    This step-by-step guide<\/a> show how to bulletproof the Apache Windows Service with Service Protector.<\/p>\n

    Even though Apache is very reliable, customers have reported situations where the service is running but the web server refuses to serve pages. In those cases, attempting to visit a URL fails with a timeout or protocol error.<\/p>\n

    With Service Protector 8, we can deploy a sanity check to watch out for that. Here’s how:<\/p>\n

      \n
    1. \n

      Start by editing the Apache entry in Service Protector.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

    2. \n

      Switch to the Monitor<\/b> tab. Check the Whenever it fails a periodic sanity check<\/b> box and click the Set<\/b> button:<\/p>\n

    3. \n

      In the Add Sanity Check<\/b> window, choose the Check that a web server is responding properly<\/b> entry and click Next<\/b>:<\/p>\n

    4. \n

      Enter the web address you would like to monitor. If this URL is inaccessible, Service Protector will recycle Apache.<\/p>\n

      Since Apache is running on your machine, the default localhost URL will likely work:<\/p>\n

    5. \n

      At this point, specify how often Service Protector should fetch the URL. Every 5 minutes is enough for us:<\/p>\n

    6. \n

      Finally, review the summary and click Add<\/b> to record your new sanity check:<\/p>\n

      \"Add<\/a><\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

      And with that sanity check in place, Service Protector will attempt to fetch the URL every 5 minutes.<\/p>\n

      If the page comes back normally, nothing will happen. <\/p>\n

      But if there is a problem fetching the page, Service Protector will quickly stop and restart the Apache Windows Service to resume normal web services.<\/p>\n

      In effect, we’ve capped Apache’s downtime at five minutes!<\/b><\/p>\n

      Service Protector is fully compatible with Windows 11<\/h2>\n
      \"Windows<\/div>\n

      Here at Core Technologies, we’ve been interrogating Windows 11<\/a> for the past few months — ever since preview builds became available via the Windows Insider program<\/a>.<\/p>\n

      To date, Service Protector 8 has performed very well. We have detected zero incompatibilities. In fact, our testing services (including MySQL, Print Spooler and our home-grown simulators) have performed as well as they did under Windows 10.<\/p>\n

      Other fixes & improvements<\/b><\/h2>\n
        \n
      • \n

        We’ve improved internal logging. As a result, we’ll be able to diagnose problems and resolve thorny issues quicker.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n

      • \n

        “splwow64.exe” processes, which are spawned to aid in printing, are terminated when launched from a Windows Service.<\/p>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

        \nAs usual, please review the release notes<\/a> for the full list of features, fixes and improvements included in Service Protector version 8.\n<\/p>\n

        Upgrading to Service Protector 8<\/h2>\n

        If you purchased Service Protector version 7 (after January 2021), you can upgrade to version 8 for free<\/b>. Simply download and install over your existing installation to preserve your existing services and all settings. For instance, your registration code will continue to work.<\/p>\n

        If you bought Service Protector version 6 or earlier (before January 2021), you will need to upgrade to use version 8<\/b>. Please buy upgrades here — at a 50% discount<\/a>.<\/p>\n

        See the complete upgrade policy<\/a> for more details.<\/p>\n

        Enjoy!<\/a><\/p>\n