Installing/Running LoggerNet as a Service

If you have LoggerNet Admin, you can install and run LoggerNet as a service. The advantage of running a software application as a service is that the software will run even when no user is logged in to the computer system. Some users may desire to run LoggerNet as a service, so that in the event of a loss of computer system power LoggerNet will resume data collection and scheduled task activities when power is restored to the computer and it “boots up”.

LoggerNet Admin includes LoggerNet Service Manager, which is used to install and control LoggerNet when running as a service. The LoggerNet Service Manager is opened from the Windows Start menu. The LoggerNet Service Status box at the top of the LoggerNet Service Manager window indicates whether or not LoggerNet is installed as a service and whether or not the service is running. When you first open the LoggerNet Service Manager, if LoggerNet has not been installed as a service you will need to select the Install button. Note that LoggerNet must be closed to install it as a service. If it is opened, you will be prompted to close it before you can continue.

Once LoggerNet is installed as a service, you can use LoggerNet Service Manager to Start the service (or Stop it if it is enabled). The LoggerNet service can be uninstalled by selecting the Uninstall button.

One caveat to running LoggerNet as a service is if LoggerNet uses system resources (such as a COM port that is continuously open waiting for datalogger call-back attempts) these resources will be unavailable to other applications until the service is stopped.

Note that when running LoggerNet as a service, tasks being run by the Task Master cannot interact with the desktop. Therefore, any tasks set up in the Task Master should not require any user interaction.

If LoggerNet is installed as a service, the service must be running for LoggerNet to run (either automatically or manually). You will be prompted to start the service if you try to launch LoggerNet manually when the service is installed but not running.

The first time LoggerNet is installed as a service, a LoggerNet user account is created. The LoggerNet service is run under this LoggerNet user account. This allows the LoggerNet Service to always run in the same environment with known user rights. You will be asked to enter and confirm a password for the LoggerNet user account. The password you enter can later be used to log in to the computer as the LoggerNet user. The password can be changed by pressing the Options button and then pressing Change Password.

NOTE: If the machine has a preexisting LoggerNet user account created from LoggerNet 3.4, it will be necessary to stop, uninstall the service, then reinstall the service in order to setup the password.

NOTE: The LoggerNet user account will not show up in your list of users when logging on to your computer. It can be viewed from the Windows Control Panel.