MeanLoader Server Startup

[botmeister]

I guess you did not have any crash problems with v 1.02? I wonder if the problem has to do with hiding the console, srcds may not like the hidden window. I am running hlds under 1.2 without any problem, but I am only minimizing the console window.

BTW I have another release comming, but it's just a minor change to improve the log entries some more.

[lextalionis]

Yes it was so that 1.02 I had no issues, but I've now have seen an srcds.exe runtime error pop-up box w/o using meanloader service...so...it's not meanloader, but I think it's a problem since I last updated MS hotfixes...damn MS!

I'm running a test with 1.2 with user interface = yes and app = minimized and priority at normal (I always had this set at above, w/no probs before my MS hotfixes, but I've read a few cases on the steam fourums that people are having issues with srcds.exe process set to above normal. I just hope my srcds.exe runs as good on norm vs. above norm.).

Thanks,
lex

[lextalionis]

Oh, I forgot to ask...with regards to crash protection...if my srcds.exe process that's now a NT service via meanloader, shouldn't it ignore the srcds.exe error and reload the service upon the error? I did disable the app error thingy in drwatson like the install says to (did that during my first install of v. 1.02). I woldn't mind the srcds.exe error box occuring once every 24 hrs if somehow the process would be ignored and the server restarts.

Thanks,
Lex

[botmeister]

shouldn't it ignore the srcds.exe error and reload the service upon the error?

Ah, that one. I know exactly what you are talking about where a pop up message box appears stating that the program just bombed out. There's a [OK] box for you to click on.

What you are experiencing is normally considered to be bad programming practice and you should complain to Valve (or whoever is programming their stuff these days) to revert to an error logging facility instead of pop up messages that require user action to correct.

In this case of the pop up message, it happens when the software manages to trap the error before the program bombs out. It's funny (to me anyway) because we're actually better off without any error trapping. Although normally error trapping is considered as good programming practice, the problem is that pop up errors that suspend the entire application are terrible for a service application.

Think about it, a 24/7 service should NEVER require a user action to restart after an error, it's just plain silly.

Now perhaps there's an obscure setting that you can put into one of the srcds.exe config files which will disable the pop up messages, if so then that would solve the problem. You'll have to ask on the steam forums or elsewhere to try and get an answer.

I do plan on adding a further "crash" check to the server loader which attempts to detect the case when a program freezes, but remains as a loaded process. The problem is that when the pop uo message appears, the process remains loaded, and the service loader has no idea that the process has crashed. There is a way to check if the process is "responding", and if I can get it to work then if the program fails to respond for a user configurable period of time, then the loader will try and kill the process, then restart it.

The question remains if after a pop up message will the program continue to "respond" or not?

The other trouble I'll have is in testing such a feature out, since I do not have a way to reliably freeze applications or generate pop up errors.

[lextalionis]

If only you lived next to me...then you could test on my box ;-) I'll ask Steam Forums about this...you could be right about a server cfg entry to eliminate the pop-up.

http://forums.steampowered.com/forum...62#post2295362

Thanks,
Lex

[botmeister]

Well thanks to the internet we're practically neighbours. Since you have a reliably crashing server (now that's a good oxymoron!) I can send you the update for tesing when it's ready.

[robbob4]

lol 9_9

[botmeister]

Lextalionis, this beta test update is designed to detect hung programs and shut them down for a restart. Give it a try and let me know what happens.

meanloader121.zip

[lextalionis]

Just installed 121, so I'll let you know how it goes...didn't get any srcds.exe runtime error for some time and just got one so decided to give 121 a try.

Lex

[lextalionis]

So far so good...btw, how will this latest version take a dialog box with an "OK" button and okay it or close it and restart the service?

Lex