Remote power cycle

Hi all!

Anyone heard of a UPS or power bar you can log into remotely and controle
the power outlets? If my webserver locks up and I cant log into it, I need
an alternate way of rebooting it!

Any ideas?

Thanks!

Scott

If extreme reliability is required, then system must
implement a watchdog timer. However any reliable OS (such as
NT based systems) can be shutdown remotely. Webservers should
only lock a failed task. Other task will keep working,
respond, and institute the remote shutdown process. Numerous
ways to do this from the kludge solution of using a UPS power
control program controlled remotely by a serial port; to using
an SNMP solution. You need not remotely interrupt AC power.

But here is the rub. If using the so unreliable Windows
9x/ME OS, then those lockup problems are directly traceable to
human failure - the guy who bought the Operating System.

More important is why the lockups occur in the first place.
You have first collected important facts that say or suggest
where or what is causing the lockup? Basic information that
is necessary even to answer your original question.

Scott Rogers wrote:
Hi all!

Anyone heard of a UPS or power bar you can log into remotely and
controle the power outlets? If my webserver locks up and I cant
log into it, I need an alternate way of rebooting it!

Oh yah, I agree with all of that, and when thinking it over I realized that
this would be VERY rare. I have an old NT server running with very few
problems and a mail server (2k3) running with NO problems. In fact the
current web server thats colocated (2k3) runs with zero problems too!

So really, this shouldnt be an issue. However... Im not the boss. And the
boss thinks that the world is coming to an end if the server is down for 30
seconds. Even if that only happens once in 10 years, thats the end of the
universe in his mind. So.. it aint up to ME!

So, Im just exploring ways of solving problems that may or may not come up.
It pays to be prepared!

Scott






w_tom wrote in :

If extreme reliability is required, then system must
implement a watchdog timer. However any reliable OS (such as
NT based systems) can be shutdown remotely. Webservers should
only lock a failed task. Other task will keep working,
respond, and institute the remote shutdown process. Numerous
ways to do this from the kludge solution of using a UPS power
control program controlled remotely by a serial port; to using
an SNMP solution. You need not remotely interrupt AC power.

But here is the rub. If using the so unreliable Windows
9x/ME OS, then those lockup problems are directly traceable to
human failure - the guy who bought the Operating System.

More important is why the lockups occur in the first place.
You have first collected important facts that say or suggest
where or what is causing the lockup? Basic information that
is necessary even to answer your original question.

Scott Rogers wrote:
Hi all!

Anyone heard of a UPS or power bar you can log into remotely and
controle the power outlets? If my webserver locks up and I cant
log into it, I need an alternate way of rebooting it!

On Thu, 24 Jun 2004 23:17:19 GMT, Scott Rogers
wrote:


Oh yah, I agree with all of that, and when thinking it over I realized that
this would be VERY rare. I have an old NT server running with very few
problems and a mail server (2k3) running with NO problems. In fact the
current web server thats colocated (2k3) runs with zero problems too!

So really, this shouldnt be an issue. However... Im not the boss. And the
boss thinks that the world is coming to an end if the server is down for 30
seconds. Even if that only happens once in 10 years, thats the end of the
universe in his mind. So.. it aint up to ME!

So, Im just exploring ways of solving problems that may or may not come up.
It pays to be prepared!

Scott


If server is set up to run stabily, then crashes, it could be that reboot
is not enough, it may not reboot, or crash again. If constant uptime is
that important then get a 2nd server.

There are methods of constructing what you need. For example, using a 2nd
computer, set it up so there is a parallel port controlled relay, that
relay being how the other system gets power. Granted, that's again a 2nd
computer, but technically speaking anything you log into is a 2nd computer
anyway, all a matter of it's integration. Something like a via miniATX
board plus port-relay and power outlets could be in a small metal
enclosure could be about half the size of a briefcase, but such a homemade
solution isn't typically the kind of fix a boss is looking for... explain
situation and alternatives.

Scott Rogers wrote:
Anyone heard of a UPS or power bar you can log into remotely and
controle the power outlets?

This is a UK product so probably not much good in Canada, but maybe they do
versions for other countries? We have one of these and it works fine.

http://www.sinetica.co.uk/netswitch.htm

--

Adam.