5.2 Running Web Server as a Service

Although Web Server can be run manually, Synactive recommends running it as a service. A service is an application that starts when the Windows operating system starts and which runs in the background as long as Windows itself is running. Services provide the following benefits. This is particularly beneficial to products such as the Web Server, which are not intended to be stopped and restarted on a regular basis.

• Services allow applications to continue running even while users are logged off, thus saving the overhead of restarting for each new user.
• Services enable servers to process requests even when no users are logged in.
• Services allow applications to run and perform tasks in specific user accounts, which can differ from the currently logged on user account.

In this section, we will explain how to run Liquid UI Web Server as a Windows service, as this is standard practice for Web Server deployments.

1. Verify that you have the two files listed below. These files typically are located in your Web Server directory, as follows: C:\Program Files\Synactive Inc\Webserver

   • instsrv.exe
   • srvany.exe
   Note: The 'instsrv.exe' file is included in the Web Server package from Synactive. However, to get the 'srvany.exe' file, you must download it from the Microsoft site below.

   http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=17657

2. Open the command prompt and type in the following.

   C:\>"C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\Instsrv.exe" GuiXTWebServer "C:\Program Files\Windows Resource Kits\Tools\Srvany.exe"

   The following message will appear.

   The service was successfuly added!
   
   Make sure that you go into the Control Panel and use
   the Services applet to change the Account Name and
   Password that this newly installed service will use
   for its Security Context.

3. Go to Start > Run and type in the following command, then click OK.

   regedit

   Warning: This command will launch the Windows Registry Editor. Please note that the following steps are intended for advanced Windows users only. Editing the Windows Registry incorrectly can cause permanent damage to your system.

4. Open the following Registry key.

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services\GuiXTFuzion

5. Right-click on the 'GuiXTFuzion' key and select 'New -> Key' from the resulting dropdown list. Name the new key 'Parameters'.

6. Right-click on the new 'Parameters' key and select 'New -> String' from the resulting drop-down menu. Name the new string 'Application'.

7. Right-click on the new string and select 'Modify'. Enter the path to the Web Server application (GuiXT4WebApp.exe). An example path is shown below.

   C:\Program Files\Synactive Inc\Webserver\GuiXT4WebApp.exe