WatchDog and Auto Starting RT Server

This TechNote will outline the set up steps to implement the use of IQWatchDog for RTServer. It will
also discuss the option of putting RTServer in the start up menu in order to automatically start the
RealTime server.

IQWatchDog for RTServer

EnterpriseIQ includes a product called IQWatchDog (RT_WD.exe), which automatically attempts to

reconnect RTServer to Oracle in the event of a loss of connection to the Oracle server. This feature
also logs the errors generated by the loss of connection for troubleshooting later, if needed. If the RT
Server goes down, IQWatchDog will capture the cycles for each press. The cycles captured by
WatchDog can be viewed in Production Reporting in a field called WD Cycles.

IQWatchDog Setup
For IQWatchDog to monitor and reconnect RTServer you must add “auto” to the shortcut for the
program. This option removes the necessity to click the start button once the application has opened.
To do this right click on the shortcut, go to Properties/Shortcut tab and add a space and then "auto"
(no quote marks) to the end of the Target for the item.

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IQWatchDog

RealTime Watchdog should be installed to your local home directory on the RealTime computer. If it is
not in the local home directory you can copy it from the Master Home directory.

In the course of everyday use, you will not have to launch the RealTime Watchdog program. Once
installed, it does its job without the need for human intervention. However, WatchDog has two states,
enabled and disabled. The stop sign indicates the state. If WatchDog is in the disabled state, it will not
restart RealTime (or IQAlert or eServer). When initially installed, WatchDog is enabled. Users must
click on the Stop Sign to change the state to disabled. Once disabled, it will remain that way until the
Stop Sign is again depressed and the state changes back to enabled (i.e. if you exit when it is disabled,
it remains disabled).

In the event you are having trouble connecting to Oracle or are losing connection the following
information will assist you and IQMS Technical support staff in troubleshooting the error.

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Using Windows Explorer, run RT_WD.EXE from the Local Home directory (C:\Program
Files\IQMS\IQWin32). The Window shown above indicates a new Instance ID (date and time stamp)
of each time RTServer was manually started. Beneath each of these entries are the Watchdog's
actions to reconnect RealTime for that Instance. Any errors that cause a loss of connection or prevent
RealTime from connecting will be noted here.

Go to File/Properties.

The default values for RealTime Watchdog are shown above. The Max attempts to restart and Delay
between attempts are used to determine how many times the watch dog will try to restart RTServer
when it goes down.

The Keep History settings determine how many historical instances to retain (manual startups of
RealTime) and how many historical attempts to reconnect per instance to retain in the tree view attempt
log.

Remember: You MUST startup RTServer with AUTO on the command line. If RTServer goes down
RT_WD will "awaken" and restart RTServer using the same icon parameters that it was originally
started with.

Auto Start

Adding RTServer to the Start Up Group

RTServer, the main utility program that transfers RealTime production data from the work centers to the
Oracle server, can be started up automatically each time the computer running the executable is

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started. This is accomplished by simply placing the RTServer executable in the Start Up program group
of the main menu.

However, it is sometimes advantageous to also have the RT computer automatically log into the
network, relieving the necessity of having a technician nearby during the boot up process. Please see
below for more information on how to set up the RT computer to accomplish this task.

IMPORTANT: Note that automatically starting RTServer will not always be successful. For example, in
the event of an electrical outage, it is possible that the Oracle server will also be forced to re-start.
Because several minutes may be required for the Oracle services to fully run (specifically, the Oracle
Instance and the TNS Listener), it is possible that the RT computer will boot and launch RTServer
before the Oracle services are ready. This will cause a failure, and the RTServer software will have to
be manually rebooted. You can delay the start of the RTServer computer by modifying the Start/Shut
down properties of NT. Open the System program, found under Start|Settings|Control Panel|System.
Open the Startup/Shutdown tab. Modify the value in the Show List for value to something around 5
minutes (300 seconds). This will delay the start up of the RTServer, allowing Oracle to launch
completely before RTServer attempts to log on. IQMS recommends testing this scenario to be sure the
time is sufficient for the Oracle server to reboot, and the RTServer computer does not attempt to
automatically log on before the Oracle server is ready.

Auto Login Set up

From the Start option on the desktop, click Settings, then TaskBar, and then the Start up Menu tab.
Click Add to add RTServer. Within the Command Line edit box, use the Browse button to find the local
home copy of RTServer, which is normally on the \program files\IQMS\IQWin32 directory. Be aware
that the program must launch from the local home directory – it will not operate if run from the network
or any other location. Add the word “auto” (without quotes) to the end of the path on the shortcuts.
Without this added, RealTime will connect to Oracle but will NOT begin counting cycles (STARTUP
button will not activate).

Please note the example below:

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Click Next to continue, then select the StartUp folder under the Programs branch. This places the
program in the startup group. Click Next to choose a name. The system will default to RTServer which
is normally adequate. Click Finish to store this information.

If you choose to remove this option, use the same technique, but select Remove from the Taskbar
option, then find the Startup branch and click on RTServer. Clicking OK will remove the file.

Auto Logon to Windows

Some users may prefer to also have the system automatically logon to the network, without user
intervention. This can be accomplished by adding two lines to the Registry.

NOTE: Always back up the Registry before modifying any values! IQMS is not responsible for
loss of data or other problems associated with changes made to the Registry. If you are unsure
how to make registry entries, STOP NOW and contact your system administrator.

Using Regedit, find the following key:

Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon

Verify that the key DefaultUserName is already in the list of keys, with a valid value. It should show the
last person/name to log into the computer. If this value is not set up, you will need to add it, using the
technique described below.

Using the right click menu, select New then String Value. Enter the following value exactly as shown:

AutoAdminLogon

Once complete, highlight this new value, right click again and select Modify. Add the value 1 to the
dialog box. This tells Windows to attempt to automatically log the user into the system without
displaying the standard Logon box each time the system is booted.

Next, right click again, select New and String Value again and create a key called DefaultPassword.
Once created, again right click and enter the password the DefaultUserName uses when logging in.

With the AutoAdminLogon set to 1, and the user and passwords filled, NT will now bypass the normal
login procedure and launch right to the desktop. During this phase, RTServer, which is now set to auto-
start, will launch by itself and begin to receive data.

IMPORTANT: Be sure to read the information above concerning launching RTServer AND Oracle after
a power failure. Oracle often requires several minutes before the services are fully functional. Use the
delay tactic described above to circumvent this issue.

Please call Technical Support at 805-227-1122 if you have any questions.

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