I know this isn't ideal in a server environment but here goes...
I'm running an HP Proliant server with Windows server 2003 installed. The server is mainly used for keeping the family's stuff all in one place but giving them access to it over VPN etc. and for business use. As the server is in the house I don't want it running constantly adding more money to the already soaring electricity bill.
What I want to do is this: The server is plugged in but shut down. I want it so that when a client PC is switched on, it can wake the server in order to login and surf the net etc. I have had success with this to a certain extent. I ran a wake on LAN script on the client PC and it woke the server fine. That part i'm OK with.
What I can't do is switch the server off when it's not being used. Initially i thought i could get away with using scheduled tasks to set the server to shut down if 30 mins idle time passed. Didn't quite work as planned. 30 mins came and gone and it shut down while people were still using the network. What I need it to do is monitor the 'network's idle time' and if there has been no network activity in 30 mins then shut down the server.
Not ideal I know but i'm at a loss as to what to do.
Any suggestions?
Garry Noble
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Garry, wasn't really recommending that program, but rather suggesting searching for something similar. I'm not personally familiar with any.
As you have discovered I am not a programmer, but if you wanted to write something that would be based on network activity, there might be a way to "read" the processes monitored by "performance" in Administrative tools. However, it may never come to a standstill. PC's, especially servers send out broadcasts from time to time that probably affect the counters.
Rob,
I'll do a few searched on Google to see if that throws anything up.
You got a point there, i hadn't thought about the fact the connection may never be totally idle. Hmmm, i'm still thinking of going down the route of .net with this one. I'm thinking:
Write a small program that runs in the background of each client that monitors the client's idle time.
Say 30 mins has gone by, the program sends something to the server to say, hey i'm idle.
If all clients eventually report back via the program that they are idle then the server can begin it's shutdown process.
If the client then becomes active again, the wake on LAN signal is broadcast to the server.
Sounds easy in theory but need to see how i get on with the programming. I'll post any results here but i'm still open to suggestions.
Garry
Wonder it it would be easier to check for open files, assuming they only open files on the server. No open files for X minutes, shut down.
Though this is very uncommon, as servers "normally" need to be up all the time, I wonder if you are leading the pack. I don't see this as something that will happen in businesses soon, but many people now have home servers, and Microsoft has just release a home server version. Wonder with an attempt world wide to "reduce greenhouse gasses", if projects similar to yours will become more common.
Here, in Canada, common practice was to leave PC's on all night to receive updates and run virus scans. Many of use are changing this to still run these operations at night but before midnight and then shut down. 6-8hrs/PC isn't much but x 1000's adds up.
I would think that having pointed out that it is not possible within the server's configuration, would have properly addressed the original question and the suggestion that a 3rd party or custom software would be required would qualify as an acceptable answer....to the initial question. Though I agree a solution has not been found, I would think closing and awarding of points to this question, or adding a pointer, would be more appropriate than deleting the question. As stated in EE guidelines; "sometimes you cannot do that, is the correct answer"
Just my thoughts.
--Rob
Thanks Vee_Mod
OK here's my solution, I have devised a small VB.net application that resides on every client computer. The program uses the computer idle time to decide whether or not it is idle. A UDP packet is broadcast to the server every 5 mins to say if it is active or inactive.
If a client computer is idle for at least 30mins, a boolean variable 'clientidle' is set to false and broadcast over UDP to the server.
Once the server see's that all clients are inactive, it goes through its shutdown procedure.
There are a few things that obviously need tweaked but so far initial tests are good.
Garry Noble
Business Accounts
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by: RobWillPosted on 2008-01-08 at 18:35:53ID: 20615034
I don't know that this is possible with the windows server O/S. It kind of contradicts the design that servers are to always be available. Does it really use that much power?
Should you want to pursue this, you might want to consider 3rd party software. A quick search revealed one such app:
http://www.softsea.com/rev
Keep in mind you will not be able to wake up the server with the VPN connections.