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    Remote Restart

    Does anyone have a solution for a remote reboot of a hung/not responding machine? I have just returned from vacation and my HS server hung on day 3 - on return it appears that HS caused the hang. I was unable to RDC or VNC in.

    At work we have a system called Cyclades that I can web into and power cycle any machine even if its not responding - however they are $$$. Does anyone use a more home affordable system?

    To summarize - Is there a cheap system that will allow a power cycle of a device by accessing a built in web server?

    Jon

    #2
    If a PC has truly locked up, then the only reliable method is to use a hardware watchdog (PCI card) etc which will reboot the PC automatically.

    There are several software watchdog's available for Homeseer which will reboot the PC if Homeseer fails. Guardian Angel and my own are two that come to mind. Again, if everything has locked up, then these will fail.
    Jon

    Comment


      #3
      I found a used APC power strip that has web access on ebay for under $50...

      It seems to work for this purpose unless your network is down also. I've thought about creating a watchdog for it, so if homeseer doesn't send something once a minute to my WAP (which runs DD-WRT) it would send a reboot (power cycle) command to the the homeseer box
      Joe (zimmer62)

      BLSecurtiy, AC-RF2, RCS Serial Thermostats, RFXCOM SMarthome SwitchLinc, mcsXap, Global Cache GC100, SqueezeBox, TWA_ONKYOINTEGRA, BLLogMonitor, BLPlugins, BLRadar, BLSpeech, BLZLog.aspx, HSTouch (Windows, iPhone, iPod), USB Mimo touchscreens, VMWare Server, Vortexbox, Windows Home Server, MyMovies, Windows Media Center, X10, ZWave, and much much much more.

      Comment


        #4
        Originally posted by zimmer62 View Post
        ... I've thought about creating a watchdog for it, so if homeseer doesn't send something once a minute to my WAP (which runs DD-WRT) it would send a reboot (power cycle) command to the the homeseer box
        If the PC is truly locked up can you issue a reboot command?

        Comment


          #5
          Of course not..

          I put the parentheses in there meaning that the APC power strip that is network accessible would turn the power off and back on to the Homeseer PC.

          Right now I can get to that web accessible power strip from the internet, and I can reboot by cycling the power to up to 8 different devices individually.

          What I'd like to do is write a watchdog client that would run as a script on my DD-WRT router, that would listen for a heartbeat from the HSBox and then trigger the power cycle if x minutes go by without a heartbeat.
          Joe (zimmer62)

          BLSecurtiy, AC-RF2, RCS Serial Thermostats, RFXCOM SMarthome SwitchLinc, mcsXap, Global Cache GC100, SqueezeBox, TWA_ONKYOINTEGRA, BLLogMonitor, BLPlugins, BLRadar, BLSpeech, BLZLog.aspx, HSTouch (Windows, iPhone, iPod), USB Mimo touchscreens, VMWare Server, Vortexbox, Windows Home Server, MyMovies, Windows Media Center, X10, ZWave, and much much much more.

          Comment


            #6
            The install is a clean XP with the .55 beta of HS - it had hung had the screen saying to open a ticket with HS etc etc - this appeared about 6 times, I could not use the PC at all until I had closed all these down, after which HS quit itself, and then I was able to reboot.

            I was surprized that this had locked me out of RDC and VNC.

            Jon00 - I have had your Jon00RestartHS script installed, I used to run it a 3am every day, but recently wanted to try to see if the newer HS versions would work without this. Do you have another piece of software that I have missed or is this it?

            zimmer62 - could you confirm the APC model you use? I have the APC1500 UPS but I don't see any power cycle capabilities on their basic software - there is a network card that I can but for about $150 though....

            Thank you all for your advice - I wish there was a simple 'web enabled' power supply!

            Jon

            Comment


              #7
              Originally posted by nojstevens View Post

              Jon00 - I have had your Jon00RestartHS script installed, I used to run it a 3am every day, but recently wanted to try to see if the newer HS versions would work without this. Do you have another piece of software that I have missed or is this it?
              Jon
              It's different. It's a watchdog script that monitors a heart beat and processor usage from Homeseer. If it fails, it will restart the PC independently of Homeseer.

              Here in the UK, you can get plug-in units that will reset a mains supply on reception of a telephone call or an SMS message. May be another method to think about.
              Jon

              Comment


                #8
                Originally posted by nojstevens View Post
                zimmer62 - could you confirm the APC model you use? I have the APC1500 UPS but I don't see any power cycle capabilities on their basic software - there is a network card that I can but for about $150 though....
                APC AP9212 Master Switch w/ AP9606 Management Card
                I think I paid around $35 including shipping.

                I'm wondering if I just got lucky on ebay... I got this without doing any research first. I had to use an exploit to unlock the password from it, and buy some special cables ($1.50 each) but it worked great after I did that.

                Originally posted by nojstevens View Post
                I wish there was a simple 'web enabled' power supply!
                Just before I found this on ebay, I was looking at a DIY version. I was going to go one of two routes. Ethernet enabled micro controller, and a relay. Or using the ADI Ocelot (which is essentially a micro controller) and its relays etc.

                The roll your own was going to cost less than $50, (that was my limit) but it was also going to take a fair amount of work to do it safely, and securely.

                I also wish there was some very simple solution, like a network addressable X10 module, or even something like an apple airport express having a built in relay or something. So many good ways to get this done if the manufacturer would just add $3 worth of parts to an existing product.
                Joe (zimmer62)

                BLSecurtiy, AC-RF2, RCS Serial Thermostats, RFXCOM SMarthome SwitchLinc, mcsXap, Global Cache GC100, SqueezeBox, TWA_ONKYOINTEGRA, BLLogMonitor, BLPlugins, BLRadar, BLSpeech, BLZLog.aspx, HSTouch (Windows, iPhone, iPod), USB Mimo touchscreens, VMWare Server, Vortexbox, Windows Home Server, MyMovies, Windows Media Center, X10, ZWave, and much much much more.

                Comment


                  #9
                  Thank you.

                  This is a tad pricey ($295) but would look pretty in my rack....

                  http://www.digital-loggers.com/EPCR2...FQqF3godjVQoGA

                  Jon

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Here is what I use and it is reasonably priced ($89). It has a built in web server and it lets you turn on/off 8 outlets.

                    http://www.digital-loggers.com/lpchelp.html
                    James

                    Running HS 3 on Win10 .

                    Comment


                      #11
                      I didn't see that - its buried on their web site - thank you - I think I will pull the trigger on one of these, and also look at Jon00s software

                      Thank you all for your input

                      Jon

                      Comment


                        #12
                        This is what I use to call in and send an X10 signal to an appliance module to reboot my router, weather server, HS server, and cable modem.
                        http://shop2.frys.com/product/5438329
                        💁‍♂️ Support & Customer Service 🙋‍♂️ Sales Questions 🛒 Shop HomeSeer Products

                        Comment


                          #13
                          off-topic: My HS 2 server runs in the garage on XP. That computer never has email use. It doesn't web surf to other than a dozen trusted webcams/websites.

                          It has run for years without hanging. I do reboot it now and then due to fiddling/upgrades. Often runs for a two months between elective reboots.
                          Speech recognition disabled.
                          A dozen HS scripts and events
                          I/O things
                          X10 via USB adapter (used to be RS232)
                          Edgeport 8 port serial linking to IRman and other stuff
                          NetCallerID talking caller ID and white-listing numbers (my own freeware)
                          LaCrosse weather station (serial) interface and push to WeatherUnderground servers every 15 min.

                          That PC also simultaneously runs the HS web server, and SageTV (a TiVo-alike, no fees).
                          Two TV tuners, one PCI bus and one USB. For Sage.
                          1TB disk in RAID1.

                          ASUS AMD 3800 dual core CPU, 1GB RAM.

                          (I had an ECS motherboard- never again. Four fault-free ASUS in a row).

                          Comment


                            #14
                            I have used the "USB Autoreset" from Cleware for the last 3/4 years - http://www.cleware.de/produkte/p-usbautoreset-E.html. It comes with it's own program which runs and sends a heartbeat to the USB device. If the PC locks up and no heartbeat is received within a (configurable) timeout, the device resets the PC.
                            The device connects to a USB port and also to the reset connector on the motherboard, providing a passthrough cable so you can still reset the PC with the reset button.

                            John

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