Running Isis as a Windows Service
Running Isis under Windows Terminal Services
Isis v2 support a model of running as a Windows Service,
which is ideal for sites that require 24x7 operation. Once
Isis is installed as a service it simply runs in the background,
monitoring the applications at all times, until a user starts
the Isis console. At that point, Isis places the Windows Service
in to a suspended mode and allow the user to perform any operations
on the console that they require. Once the user has finished
with the console and has shut it down, Isis resumes the Windows
Service, monitoring in the background.
The first time Isis is installed on the machine you have the
option it configure the Isis Windows Service, if you choose
not to configure the service at that time, then you can do
so later by selecting Isis Windows Service off the File menu
in the Isis Console and enabling or disabling the Windows
Service as required.
When Isis is running as a Windows Service and you start the
Isis console you will see a screen similar to the following
appear. This dialog shows the fact that the Isis console is
communicating with the Isis service and requesting that it
stop monitoring and hands over control to the console that
you have just started, this process typically takes a few
seconds.
Once the console has been started then it can be used like
any normal Isis console. When the open console has been closed
then the Windows Service will resume processing in the background.
Isis supports Windows Terminal Services as a model for getting
access to the Isis console. However it should be noted that
the Isis console can only have a single user accessing it
at any time. As such Isis uses a handshake model to manage
the process of multiple consoles.
Isis uses a concept of a master console and only one Isis
console on the machine can be the master console at any one
time. If there is already a master console running and you
start a new console, then Isis will request permission from
the current master console for you to assume the master rights.
If another user is using the other console then they have
the ability to accept or refuse your request. If your request
is refused then the Isis console that you have started will
be shutdown, otherwise if the other user accepts your request
or fails to respond to your request within a period of time,
then their console will be shutdown.
The following dialog is shown when another user requests that
you give up the master console.
Using this mechanism, Isis is able to ensure that only one
copy of the Isis console is monitoring at any one time. If
there are no Isis consoles monitoring running on the system,
then the Isis Windows Service will resume its monitoring.
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