Watchdog for Windows XP now available

[irads]

See http://fit-pc2.com/wiki/index.php?title ... Windows_XP

[ajlean]

Hi I have just received my FIT-PCi and having no luck with watchdog for xp. I have copied the drivers to the correct directories, I have imported the two registery patches, I have run C:\watchdog enable 60 and I have enabled the watchdog timer in bios with its setting of 255. I have assumed only use the watchdog app once to set the parameters and it does not need to be activated each time the PC is booted??
The computer still keeps rebooting, both when logged ot an xp account and on login page. Can you please advise where I am going wrong.

Thank you

ps. I am using the PC remotely and logging in using windows remote desktop.

[Leonid]

Hi.

In order to operate at system with watchdog, you have to perorm the following instructions:

1. Enable the watchdog in the BIOS, set it to 255 sec.
2. Within 255 seconds after the boot, run the watchdog application with "reload" option. For example: "watchdog reload 60".
3. Reload the watchdog periodically within 60 second.

Note: While the watchdog's settings in BIOS are persistent, the watchdog application should be activated during every boot.

[ajlean]

I want to have watchdog operating incase the remote Fit-PC2i locks. However, while the Fit-PC2i is on, XP will not be logged onto a user until someone logs in with Windows RDP. How can I use watchdog under these circumstances so that it monitors the PC ?

Second question, I notice you say that the 'watchdog enable 60' application has to be run within the 255 seconds to prevent a reboot. How can this be done automatically?

Thankyou

[Leonid]

Hi.

1. Can you, please explain more precisely your scenario?

2. You can run an application automatically through registry. For more information, please refer the followig links:
http://oreilly.com/pub/a/oreilly/window ... _0401.html
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/179365

[ajlean]

Sure,

The Fit-PC is located remotely at ski-lodge that has an on-site automation system (that is old and does not have internet remote capability). The lodge is not occuppied for at least 9 months a year. A special PC program is used to control and monitor the automation system. The automation system communicates using RS232 to the Fit.PC. The Fit-PC is connected to the internet. The Fit-PC is on all the time (powered by the automations systems backed up 12voltdc supply).

To control the automation system, a remote PC logs into the Fit-PC using 'Windows Remote Desktop' over the internet - the automation systems control program installed on the FIT-PC is then activated so the automation system can be operated, monitored and the logs downloaded.

Because the FIT-PC2i is on all the time, I want use the watchdog functionality to reboot the FiT-PC should it lock-up, either when using it with RDP or when it is waiting for a Windows RDP session login as the lodge is about 5 hours drive from my home should the Windows FIT-PC2i freeze.

The watchdog system needs to be monitoring when the Windows XP Fit-PC2i is on, but not user logged on.

I hope this is clearer,

Thanks

[mars]

are there any news on this issue?

I'd also like to use the watchdog as explained by ajlean.

Actually, I think misunderstood somthing about the watchdog stuff - here's what I think, it should work like:

• in the BIOS I active the watchdog and set 255 seconds
  if I don't do anything else, the computer will always restart after the 255 seconds have passed.
• so I need to install the watchdog service (http://fit-pc2.com/wiki/index.php?title ... Windows_XP) which will be registered as a system kernel driver and starts up automatically, even before any user logs in.
• then I must call "watchdog.exe enable 60" once: this will write the 60 seconds interval into the registry and the zport.sys driver will reset the watchdog timer every 60 seconds:
  so as long as the system does not hang and the watchdog timer is reset, everything's fine. and if it hangs, the computer will be restarted -great.

all the registry settings seem fine and the watchdog service is also running (I used the program "Driver View" http://www.nirsoft.net/utils/driverview.html to check this)


but obviously I am wrong - or made some other mistake - can anyone please explain, what I am missing?

[Leonid]

Hi.

The updated watchdog driver is attached.
Please, read readme.txt file before using the watchdog.

[mars]

thanks: that works as expected

[mars]

I found one more thing with this watchdog that I don't understand.

Following situation:
In BIOS I have activated the watchdog with 120s.
In WinXP I've activated the watchdog.exe with 60s.
Everything's okay, but:
When I stop the Windows-Service called Watchdog, the watchdog.exe is stopped (does not show up anymore in the Win-Taskmanager). So now, I would expect the watchdog to kick in within the next 60 to 120s, but it doesn't!? What am I missing?

my hardware is a fit-pc2i
D2G-C2000-W
ACN
101117-500

OS: windows XP

TIA