26 replies to this topic

[Tinus]

Lights-Out for WHS v1 is currently available as stable version 1.0.4 and as new beta version 1.5.0.

What is Beta 1.5.0?

Lights-Out Beta 1.5.0 for Windows Home Server v1 is a further development of Lights-Out 1.0 and offers a couple of new features and improvements.

Read here what's changed and what's new:
http://www.axonet.de...eta%201.0.5.pdf

Then uninstall your current version, download and install 1.5.0 Beta:
http://www.axonet.de...r1.5.0.1443.msi

Please note: This is a Beta version and may have bugs. Report any issues here in this thread!

[Manny Carvalho]

Thanks for your continued work on this great add-in Martin.

This is a feature request and not a bug since I haven't installed this yet.

One the things I like is the uptime diagram. I always extend the X axis but every once in a while I like to trim it down so the addition of the slider bar right there is great. But since I restrict the time period my server is on, it would be nice if I could control the Y axis as well. Rather than having a full 24 hours shown it would be nice if a Ymax and Ymin could be set as well.

It won't be the end of the world if it's too much work to do this but I'd use it to get rid of the irrelevant blank space.

Thanks.

Edit: While I'm asking and in the nice to have category. I wonder if the new backup window could have the bars inside the white outline the same color as the client in order to easily tell the time each individual client was backed up.

[Tinus]

Thanks for your suggestions, added to the wish list.

[bapski]

did you have the above link for 1.5.0? seems like a link to 1.0.4


my bad.. wasn't reading right..

[Captain Ham]

Manny Carvalho, on 12 February 2011 - 04:17 PM, said:

Thanks for your continued work on this great add-in Martin.

+1

Seem to have gotten myself settled with WHS2011 now, and Lights-Out is the icing on top. You have a licence ready and waiting here once we're on RTM

[bapski]

Captain Ham, on 13 February 2011 - 01:53 AM, said:

+1

Seem to have gotten myself settled with WHS2011 now, and Lights-Out is the icing on top. You have a licence ready and waiting here once we're on RTM

is there a LO add-in now for WHS2011?

[Captain Ham]

bapski, on 13 February 2011 - 02:41 AM, said:

is there a LO add-in now for WHS2011?

Rejoice, fellow Geek Brother, here it is:

http://forum.wegotse...me-server-2011/

Hallelujah.

[bapski]

Captain Ham, on 13 February 2011 - 11:33 AM, said:

Rejoice, fellow Geek Brother, here it is:

http://forum.wegotse...me-server-2011/

Hallelujah.

thank you.

[Marco van Laerhoven]

Thanks for your continued support for my favourate add-in!

Two small remarks after I upgraded to the new beta:
- I noticed the version number went from 1.0.3, to 1.0.4 to 1.5.0. Is this as intended?
- After the install, the WHS console keeps reporting there is an updated version to be installed (i.e. 1.0.4, my previous version). Of course I will remove the add-in from the software folder, but I didn't expect the older version to be reported after the upgrade...

I love the added features, expecially the "next backup" column and the option to suspend/hybernate computers! If I find a machine is running unintentionally, I can now easily switch them off!

[Tinus]

Quote

I noticed the version number went from 1.0.3, to 1.0.4 to 1.5.0. Is this as intended?

Yes, that's intended. 1.0.x where all bug fix release whereas 1.5 got a lot more new features.

Quote

After the install, the WHS console keeps reporting there is an updated version to be installed (i.e. 1.0.4, my previous version). Of course I will remove the add-in from the software folder, but I didn't expect the older version to be reported after the upgrade...

Should not happen and I can't reproduce that here. Maybe there was a problem with the internet access on your server and the old entry was not overwritten. When the problem still persists in the next days please send me your log files.

EDIT: read your comment a second time and got it. You are running a HP, yes? HP warns on every Add-In found but not installed. So simply remove the old 1.0.4 file and it should no longer display a warning.

[Marco van Laerhoven]

Tinus, on 14 February 2011 - 03:53 PM, said:

You are running a HP, yes? HP warns on every Add-In found but not installed. So simply remove the old 1.0.4 file and it should no longer display a warning.

Hi Tinus,

yes, you're correct; this is on a HP MSS. I'll remove the old add-in - thanks for your feedback!

[bapski]

seems like WHS is now not hibernating like it should be after my 1.5.0 install. i took a peek at the LO log file and i see this error running a lot"

2011-02-17 00:03:10:515 [ 1] DEBUG Exception in CreateListFromFile C:\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\LightsOut\TaskList.xml: There is an error in XML document (2, 2).

im attaching the whole file and see if you find anything thats keeping my WHS awake.

p.s.

i only have on PC that is constantly on but is not being monitored. 2 laptops that are monitored by LO but im pretty sure are not powered on.

what the heck can't attach the file.. will just email it to you . cant attach it either.. how do i send it?

[Tinus]

Thanks for reporting. That's the old calendar file which will not load until you create a new calendar entry. See release note.
But that should not block hibernation. Please create a new calendar entry (like a wake-up) and show if that fixes the issue.

[bapski]

Tinus, on 18 February 2011 - 07:07 AM, said:

Thanks for reporting. That's the old calendar file which will not load until you create a new calendar entry. See release note.
But that should not block hibernation. Please create a new calendar entry (like a wake-up) and show if that fixes the issue.

funny now it has been hibernating as it is supposed to be, this is after i set network monitoring connection to 100kb. dont you think this is way too high? so, why would i not have problems with it set at 40kb and suddenly jump to 100kb and work? am pretty sure i have no monitored client that is on.


strange you are right. my previous UPTIME SCHEDULES are gone. so i just re-created my UPTIME schedule again.

[Tinus]

You may want to use TaskManager on your WHS to verify the network load. I don't know why you have to increase the values, this area has not changed.

[mmyers]

Hello and thank you for continuing to work on this add-in. I was wondering if you would consider something in this new version to solve the following issue I have:

Currently, any machines that I have set to back-up outside the standard WHS back-up window via Lights-Out typically end up getting backed-up twice each day... Once by Lights-Out (early in the morning) and then again by the standard WHS backup (later in the afternoon). While this is not necessarily a bad thing, would it be possible to have some type of delection to prevent the standard back-up from occurring if a Lights-Out backup has already occurred that day on a given machine?

Thanks!

Mark

[Tinus]

Hi Mark, thanks for your feedback. The behaviour you want was actually implemented in Lights-Out up to 1.0.3. With 1.0.4 this changed to allow a second backup a day. When a Lights-Out backup is scheduled within the backup window, a WHS backup is suppressed. When run outside you can have two backups.

I plan to add an option to enable/disable that feature. In the meantime you can use that workaround: change your backup window to cover your scheduled backup.

[mmyers]

Thanks Martin. I appreciate the suggestion as far as timing and I also do look forward to having the option available again.

One other issue this discussion has brought back to mind is when trying to back-up multiple PC's with Lights-Out:

If I recall correctly, Lights-Out will start a back-up when a client comes online and within 2-7 minutes after wake-up. I can schedule the server to come on and then the first PC to be woken up a minute or two later and this works fine. For a 2nd or 3rd PC though, I have had to determine an average time for preceding back-up(s) to complete and schedule the 2nd or 3rd pc to be woken up at a corresponding later time. If the preceding back-ups vary too far beyond the average one way or the other then the 2nd or 3rd pc may or may not get backed-up on a given day. For example, if preceding back-ups are short, the server may turn off before it is time to wake and back-up the next PC or, if preceding back-ups are long, then the 2-7 minute window may be past for the next PC before the server is available.

I can get around these issues if I spread out the Lights-Out back-up schedule to ensure no overlap and have multiple events to wake up the server but I would like to keep the schedule as compact as possible and avoid multiple server starts and stops in the interests of efficiency.

Is it possible to have a client to recognize that another backup is in progress and wait until that was done rather than timing out after 7 minutes? This would seem to be one solution to the problem.

Thanks,

Mark

[mmyers]

Deleted accidental double post

[Tinus]

Backup chaining is also already on the wish list. Can't promise anything.

I recommend to set the schedule for the second machine to overlap the backup of the first machine. Lights-Out triggers the second backup but it does not actually run until the first finished. So the second machine simply waits a little bit.