AutoBoot is a Control Panel/System extension that will reboot (restart) you Macintosh after a System Error ('bomb') or a Freeze-Up has occurred. This comes in handy when your Macintosh must be 'on-line' at all times, even when it is left unattended for long periods of time.
Uses can be found for file/web/database servers, kiosks, Macs used to receive faxes, … AutoBoot allows maximal availability of any Macintosh server, even if the software crashes or freezes.
Up to now I received thousands of thank you letters and e-mails from satisfied users, saying AutoBoot can be a real lifesaver ! No Macintosh Server should ever be without AutoBoot.
AutoBoot only handles "System Errors" or "Bombs", and not the infamous "Application errors" like these:
These kinds of errors don't halt the entire system, but one application stops running. To handle this problem you should install Keep It Up (KIU), another utility I wrote. KIU watches certain applications and monitors if they are still running. If an application for some reason no longer runs, KIU will attempt to relaunch this application (and open certain documents) or restart the computer. KIU also offers remote management features through a build-in web interface.
AutoBoot requires at least system 7. It is compatible with all OS versions up to and including OS 9.
AutoBoot can cause dataloss if improperly used, so please carefully read this entire document before installing AutoBoot on your Mac.
B. Installation
Just drop the AutoBoot control panel and AutoBoot extension in your System Folder and let the system put them in the appropriate folders. Remove all debuggers (e.g. Macsbug), because these conflict with AutoBoot. When you reboot, you should see the AutoBoot icon appear on the desktop:
If the icon is crossed out, and you don't get any other message, you probably are running a system earlier than 7. Do not change the name of the control panel nor move the control panel or extension to other folders.
If you're running System 7.5 or higher you must also disable the shutdown warning in the General Controls control panel:
C. Functionality
AutoBoot handles two kinds of errors: System Crashes (a System Error Dialog occurs on the screen) and Freeze-Ups (Mac doesn't respond any more, cursor freezes,…).
If your Mac crashes, it will show the system error dialog.
(the actual dialog may look different depending on your OS version)
After a some time, AutoBoot will restart the mac automatically. When this happens, all data that was not saved before is lost.
If the Mac freezes up, AutoBoot will also restart it after a certain amount of time.
You can test AutoBoot by launching the 'Bomb' applications that come with this package. At least one of them should cause a system error dialog like the one above. After a little while, AutoBoot will restart your Mac, which confirms that AutoBoot is functioning correctly. If this doesn't happen, consult the "AutoBoot FAQ" file for solutions.
Warning: I can not give a 100% guarantee that AutoBoot will always reboot your Mac after a crash or freeze-up. Sometimes AutoBoot can't restart a Mac if the crash completely locks up the system. Consult the "AutoBoot FAQ" file for more info on this subject.
D. Configuration
1.Restart after System Error:
If you switch this option on, your Mac will be rebooted when a System Error occurs. You can set a delay time between crash and restart (Restart Delay: minimum 0 and maximum 30 minutes) . Use zero minutes only if ultra fast recovery after a crash is necessary. I suggest you set this time to at least one minute.
2.Restart after Freeze Up:
If you switch this option on, your Mac will be rebooted when it freezes.
Important : It is very important to understand how AutoBoot attempts to detect a freeze-up. For this purpose, AutoBoot monitors the System's activity. Even when the computer appears to do nothing, each application is supposed to call certain housekeeping routines at regular intervals. AutoBoot monitors how often these routines are called to determine if the OS is still healthy and whether or not a restart is needed.
Unfortunately, some apps don't call these housekeeping routines as often as they should. One can easily detect these apps: for lengthy periods, they don't respond to user input, and one can not switch them to the background. Examples are: backup software, software installers, software to burn CD-ROMS,…When you use such an application, Autoboot might mistake such a situation for a Freeze Up, and reboot the Mac by mistake.
The configurable Inactivity Period determines how long normal operations can be suspended before AutoBoot decides the Mac has frozen. The minimum setting is 10 minutes, a period in which most applications will call the housekeeping routines at least once. You can lower this minimum period to 2 minutes by holding down the option key while lowering the inactivity period (registered users only !). Lowering the inactivity period below 10 minutes is NOT recommended.
You should set the Inactivity Period as high as possible, to prevent accidental restarts. If you use certain applications, like software installers, backup programs, software to burn CD-ROMs, … you should switch "Restart after Freeze Up" off. You can also prevent AutoBoot from loading by holding down your mouse button at boot time.
p.s.: if you move the position of your mouse, the timer that measures the inactivity period will be reset. If you want to leave "Restart on Freeze-Up " on, and yet run applications that don't call the housekeeping routines regularly, you can prevent an accidental restart by moving the mouse every few minutes.
3. Post Notification on restart
If you check this option, a notification will be posted to the user after the reboot caused by a system crash/ freeze-up. The notification will give the time and reason of the crash, and also the number of reboots since the power was turned on. If the notification is not dismissed by the user, it will remove itself after about 10 minutes.
Warning: (pre-OS 9 only) this notification, when not dismissed, will disable all foreground processing till it removes itself. An example of foreground processing is the launching of the startup application(s). Background processing will continue however. When maximal availability is wanted, do not check this option.
Note: internal AutoBoot errors will always be communicated to the user by a notification, even if this option is turned off.
4. Maintain log file.
The log file will be called 'AutoBoot Log' and will be created in the preferences folder. It will contain the same messages as the notifications: the time and reason of the crash, and also the number of reboots since the power was turned on. I strongly suggest to check this option to keep a log of all reboots, in order to identify machines that have a problem.
Note: The log and notification messages are written to disk AFTER the reboot. In certain circumstances the reason for the restart may get lost during the restart. AutoBoot will report that the reason for restarting the mac is unknown.
Note2: internal AutoBoot errors will always to logged, even if this option is turned off.
5. Restart Mac after power failure
This option is only available on some Macintosh models. It ensures that your Mac will automatically power on after a power failure.
Warning: Use this option only if your OS version does not include the "Energy Saver" control panel. The ES control panel offers a similar option you should use instead: open the Energy Saver CP, choose Server Settings from the Preferences menu, and enable "Automatically restart after a power failure".
6. Registration
This software is Shareware. You are invited to evaluate it for 3 weeks to determine if it's useful for you. After this period, you will be regularly reminded to pay your shareware fee. After each user reboot, you will be presented with a notification, inviting you to pay your shareware fee. This message, when not dismissed, will remove itself after 10 minutes to allow foreground processing to continue. The message will also be logged.
After you pay your fee, you will receive a serial number, which you must use to register your copy and remove all shareware reminders.
E. Shareware
This software is shareware. This is not another term for free software, as many people seem to think. Shareware software must be paid, just like ordinary commercial software. The difference is that a shareware author uses cheap distribution channels to keep costs down and this system also allows you to evaluate the software before you decide to purchase it.
Support the shareware system by paying your shareware fee ! Many great shareware products have gone commercial because people did not take up their responsibility and paid their fees.
Distribution:
You can distribute this software by giving it away to friend, upload it to a BBS or ftp/website. Basically you can distribute it any way you like, as long as you don't ask any money for it, other than a small charge related to distribution costs (cost of a disk, postage or download fee) and keep it together with this unmodified document in the original compressed archive this product came in.
You may not sell this product or bundle it with any other products (commercial or other) without explicit written permission by the author of this software.
You may not modify AutoBoot or this document in any way nor distribute AutoBoot without this document or the other files and applications that came with it.
Check the AutoBoot web pages if you want info on the latest release, download sites, tips, ...
http://www.vl-brabant.be/mac
Price:
The fee is U.S. $22 for one copy; $17/copy if you buy more than one copy.. Mind you: you don't pay for the number of users, but for the number of Macs you run AutoBoot on.
A site license is U.S. $220.
You will receive a personal registration number that will reflect the number of copies you paid for .
Payment:
All shareware payments are handled by Kagi. Look in the Registration folder for details on how to register.
Contact info:
e-mail: karlp@macbel.be or karl@kagi.com
Check the AutoBoot web pages if you want info on the latest release, download sites, tips, ...
http://www.vl-brabant.be/mac
LIMITED WARRANTY AND LIABILITY:
THIS SOFTWARE COMES 'AS IS'. I CAN NOT BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR ANY DAMAGE OR LOSS OF DATA CAUSED BY THIS PRODUCT DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, WHATEVER THE NATURE OF THE DAMAGE. I DO NOT GUARANTEE THAT AUTOBOOT WILL IN FACT REBOOT A MACINTOSH AFTER A SYSTEM CRASH NOR DO I GUARANTEE IT WILL NOT REBOOT A MACINTOSH AT ANY OTHER TIME.
