Run MultiChain as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

How to Run MultiChain 24/7 as a Windows Service with AlwaysUp

Automatically start MultiChain anytime your server boots, without having to log in. Easily survive crashes, accidental shutdowns and other interruptions.

MultiChain is an open source platform for building blockchain applications.

To install the MultiChain daemon ("multichaind.exe") as a windows service with AlwaysUp:

  1. If you don't already have MultiChain set up, download the MultiChain zip file and extract it to a folder on your hard drive. We extracted to "C:\MultiChain" and that folder will appear throughout this tutorial.

    MultiChain installed on Windows Server 2016

    Please ensure that you can run MultiChain from the command line (with the appropriate runtime parameters). If MultiChain doesn't work now, it will not magically work as a windows service later on!

  2. Download and install AlwaysUp, if necessary.

  3. Start AlwaysUp.

  4. Select Application > Add to open the Add Application window:

    Add Application

  5. On the General tab:

    • In the Application field, enter the full path to the MultiChain daemon executable, multichaind.exe. You will find it in your MultiChain installation directory.

      Since we have installed MultiChain in C:\MultiChain, we'll enter C:\MultiChain\multichaind.exe.

    • In the Arguments field, enter your parameters to multichaind.exe. Since we're initializing a blockchain called "chain1", we will enter "chain1 -daemon".

    • In the Name field, enter a name for this application in AlwaysUp. We have used MultiChain but you can specify something else if you like.

    MultiChain Windows Service: General Tab

  6. Click over to the Logon tab and enter the user name and password of the windows account where you created the blockchain you wish to use.

    MultiChain Windows Service: Logon Tab

  7. Next, switch to the Startup tab and check the Ensure that the Windows Networking components have started box. This informs AlwaysUp that MultiChain needs the TCP/IP networking stack to start and operate properly.

    MultiChain Windows Service: Startup Tab

  8. And finally, switch to the Extras tab. Since multichaind will be running in the background as a service and we won't be able to see its console window, let's capture its output to a file. You can check this file if MultiChain fails to isn't functioning properly.

    Check the Capture output to this log file box and enter the full path to a new file. The log file shouldn't grow too large but feel free to check the box below to auto-trim the contents if you know otherwise.

    MultiChain Windows Service: Extras Tab

  9. We're now done configuring MultiChain to run as a windows service, so click the Save button. In a couple of seconds, an application called MultiChain will show up in the AlwaysUp window. It is not yet running though (the state will be Stopped):

    MultiChain Windows Service: Created

  10. To start MultiChain, choose Application > Start "MultiChain". The state will transition to Running. Check the log file (configured in step 8) to confirm that startup was successful:

    MultiChain Windows Service: Running

  11. That's it! Next time your computer boots, MultiChain will start up immediately, before anyone logs on.

    We encourage you to edit MultiChain in AlwaysUp and check out the many other settings that may be appropriate for your environment. For example, boost priority to give multichaind more CPU time, hide the console window and avoid the Interactive Services popup, send email whenever the daemon stops, and much more.



MultiChain not working properly as a Windows Service?

  • Did you specify the right account in step 6? Trying to run MultiChain in an account where it hasn't been installed/run before may not work. We received this error when we tried to run as the System user (the default for windows services):

    MultiChain Error

  • Consult the AlwaysUp Troubleshooter - our online tool that can help you resolve the most common problems encountered when running an application as a windows service.
  • From AlwaysUp, select Application > Report Activity > Today... to bring up a HTML report detailing the interaction between AlwaysUp and MultiChain. The AlwaysUp Event Log Messages page explains all the messages.
  • Browse the AlwaysUp FAQ for answers to commonly asked questions and troubleshooting tips.
  • Contact us and we will be happy to help!

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