I am wanting to have Pingplotter (latest version) run on a Win 2K3 server all the time. It runs fine, I have the service installed and running just fine.

However, when I logout of the server and then log back in, I must load the workspace again and there is no data captured.

Any suggestions?

I'm assuming you read the "Running PingPlotter Pro as a service" part of our manual here:

http://www.pingplotter.com/manual/pro/running_as_a_service.html

Most people that have had problems with this are running PingPlotter Pro on a W2K3 server using Windows Terminal Services (WTS) to access it. When you start the service, a default login with WTS won't show the running instance of PingPlotter (the service instance), so you'll start another instance (non-service).

To get everything working, you need to be interacting with the service instance. You'll know you're working with the service because the File -> Exit menu option is disabled. If this option is enabled and available for use, then you're dealing with PingPlotter Pro as an application not a service.

If you're using WTS to access PingPlotter Pro, then you need to take a special step to get things working.

The challenge with WTS is that the UI for the service instances doesn't appear unless you're logged in as the console. The great thing about Windows 2003 is that it's easy to log in as the console, which should clear things up for you quite a bit.

I'm assuming you're using Windows XP for a remote client to hook up to your Windows 2003 server. From your start/run menu, enter:

mstsc /console

This starts the terminal services client in console mode. Log in to your server using the same credentials you were using before.

This gets you to the console user interface of your server. If PingPlotter Pro is running as a service, it will already be showing in your tool tray at this point. This is different than when you log in to WTS as a normal user. The service instance of PingPlotter Pro can only interface with the console of your server. Imagine, if you will, that 10 people are logged on to your WTS server - how would the PingPlotter Service be able to interact with all of them? This is why logging in from the console is required (which Windows limits the count of to just one).

Once you configure those settings correctly - *in the service instance*, then rebooting should remember the values.

Please let us know if we're pointing you in the right direction here.

- Pete

Hello,

I experienced the very same Problem here. I use Windows Server 2003 x64 Edition Service Pack2.

My use case: Some people have to use Pingplotter on this machine to alter the configuration or enter some targets. This has to be done on either way: logging in to the machine via RDP or using the builtin webserver.

Afterall, the given solution does not work for me. The service is configured to run by a special user. The Service is not configurable. The Application (if started) runs its own instance.

I hope there is another solution or workaround

There is no way to have PingPlotter running as a service *and* to have it interacting with multiple remote desktop sessions at the same time. You can use the remote desktop switches (as discussed in the previous response), which has been used successfully by many people.

Beyond this, there are a few possibilities, depending on the environment you're using and requirements you have.

* If your people are connecting to a single Windows 2003 server because that's the only way out of your network, then you can set up a remote agent on the server and have them run the local client on their machines. See here for details on this: http://www.pingplotter.com/manual/pro/remote_trace.html
* You can run PingPlotter on a Windows XP "server" somewhere (rather than the 2003 server). The problem here is the user interface of the service can only be surfaced through the console on Windows 2003 - and because XP is always running as the console, you can log in just fine that way.
* If you need to make settings changes, stop the service, run PingPlotter as an application and make changes, then close the application and re-run the service. This will then load all your changes. Then use the web interface to add/remove targets.

Depending on your environment's constraints and requirements, there may be other solutions. If you let us know your needs in more detail, we'll be happy to respond.

- Pete

Hello Pete,

Logging in with only one user at a time using the console login is ok for us. However, the service is not configurable through the application while the service is running. (We never got the Application running without the Exit-Option)

We are going to use only the Webserver (running the pingplotter as service). But here seems to be another Problem. Pingplotters remembers only one (the last entered) target, when the service is restartet.

Check the Control Panel, Services applet and go to Properties of the PingPlotter Service. Go to the "Log On" tab and make sure that PingPlotter is set to Log on as: Local System account, and that the "Allow service to interact with the desktop" is turned On. These two settings are crucial (and PingPlotter automatically sets them when it's installed as a service, but maybe something didn't work right...).

Please let us know what you find there.