OMERO.server Windows Service
============================

OMERO.server installs a Windows Service to make the startup of the software
automatic at Windows boot time.

The :omerocmd:`admin start` command creates and starts a Windows service. In
turn, :omerocmd:`admin stop` stops and deletes the OMERO Windows service.
Therefore, once :omerocmd:`admin start` succeeds, it is possible to use all
the regular Windows utilities, like ``sc.exe`` or the Services Manager, to
stop OMERO.server without having the service removed completely.

If required, the OMERO.server service can be run as a different user
(by modifying the `Log On` settings of the Windows service).

Service `Log On` user
-------------------------

Default Windows Local System user
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^

When no specific Windows user has been defined using :omerocmd:`config set`,
the OMERO.server starts as the `Local System` user. This user has enough
permissions to access data on the local file system. In most circumstances
that should allow the OMERO.server service to access data inside the binary
repository.

Custom user
^^^^^^^^^^^
A custom user can be configured to run the OMERO.server service. You can
configure the OMERO Windows user by setting `omero.windows.user` and
`omero.windows.pass`::

    C:\OMERO.server\> bin\omero config set omero.windows.user USERNAME
    C:\OMERO.server\> bin\omero config set omero.windows.pass PASSWORD

.. warning::

    Setting `omero.windows.pass` exposes your user password in the OMERO
    configuration.

The user credentials can also be specified on the command line when running
:omerocmd:`admin start`. The :option:`-u` parameter value is the
user name, while the value of :option:`-w` corresponds to the user's
password::

    C:\OMERO.server\> bin\omero admin start -u omeservice -w password

You can verify that a different user has been set as the `Log On` user for
the OMERO.server service by accessing the Windows Services Manager (see
:ref:`server_service_user_win`).

.. _server_service_user_win:

.. figure:: /images/server-service-user-win.png
    :align: center

    Windows Service `Log On` User Settings


Service startup mode
--------------------

To start the Services Manager, simply navigate to :menuselection:`Start -->
All Programs --> Accessories --> Run` (Windows 7). In the dialog, type in
``services.msc`` and select :guilabel:`OK` (see :ref:`windows_run_services`).

.. _windows_run_services:
.. figure:: /images/windows-run-services.png
   :align: center

   Run Windows Services Manager


This will bring up the Windows Services Manager. Here you can see
the OMERO.master service running and also stop it. Additionally the
:guilabel:`Log On` tab can be accessed here to configure under which user
name the service is started (see :doc:`server-binary-repository`).

.. figure:: /images/windows-services-console.png
   :align: center
   :width: 55%

   OMERO.master Service

It is also possible to change the service start-up type from
:guilabel:`Automatic` to :guilabel:`Manual`. The automatic mode guarantees
that OMERO.server will start during the Windows boot phase. Manual mode
allows the logged in user or administrator to start the service after
Windows has finished booting.

Service events
--------------

Windows Event Viewer allows for watching events occurring in the OMERO.server
service. To start the viewer, follow the same path as for Windows Services
Manager, but this time type in ``eventvwr.msc`` (see
:ref:`windows_run_event`).

.. _windows_run_event:
.. figure:: /images/windows-run-event.png
   :align: center

   Starting Event viewer

The status events from OMERO.master will be registered in the
:guilabel:`Application` view (though the log output from the server is in
the configured directory).

.. figure:: /images/windows-event-viewer.png
   :align: center
   :width: 55%

   OMERO.master Events