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  3. I thought it was a cardinal sin to force a server to reboot...?

I thought it was a cardinal sin to force a server to reboot...?

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  • T trønderen

    I stop my car to refuel it. Has never caused me any problems.

    F Offline
    F Offline
    fgs1963
    wrote on last edited by
    #14

    So if Boeing and Airbus randomly shutdown the aircraft they sold to airlines you'd be OK with that too? :laugh:

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    • T trønderen

      I stop my car to refuel it. Has never caused me any problems.

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      C Offline
      charlieg
      wrote on last edited by
      #15

      But here is the deal: "I stop my car to refuel it." You do that. Now imagine going down the road and having your car reboot itself... without your permission. I'm not quite sure what the argument is. Tell you what. Go into work and start unplugging peoples' computers and tell them it's for their own good. please post copies of your medical bills :).

      Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

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      • J Jeremy Falcon

        I haven't used Windows Server in years. But yeah, there was always supposed to be a reason to shutdown or reboot - even if there were updates. But, I've switched exclusively to Linux/Unix and will never in my life move back to Windows for a server. Unless I have to work for that is. Otherwise, nope.

        Jeremy Falcon

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        charlieg
        wrote on last edited by
        #16

        To be clear, it has nothing to do with server - this is a Microsoft cancer. I've had Windows 7 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Pro (annoying OS), and though I update the registry, MS figures out a way to reboot things. I've lost VMs running month long soak tests, because I finally had to sleep. It's simply absurd.

        Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

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        • C charlieg

          To be clear, it has nothing to do with server - this is a Microsoft cancer. I've had Windows 7 Pro, Windows 10 Pro, Windows 11 Pro (annoying OS), and though I update the registry, MS figures out a way to reboot things. I've lost VMs running month long soak tests, because I finally had to sleep. It's simply absurd.

          Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

          T Offline
          T Offline
          trønderen
          wrote on last edited by
          #17

          Sounds like a pair of scissors may be the best alternative for you. The only problem is that then we won't have the opportunity to hear what came out of it.

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          • C charlieg

            I've never managed to stop the MS bologna. I can hold it off, but if I say take a weekend off and don't notice a pending "update", I'll find a clean screen the next morning. I'm actually surprised there hasn't been a class action lawsuit to stop this crap. I'm assuming deep in the bowels of MS, they have servers running their software. I cannot remotely imagine they tolerate server reboots in their own facility.

            Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

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            honey the codewitch
            wrote on last edited by
            #18

            Microsoft makes a point to dogfood their own products. They even came up with the verb "dogfood" That tells me there's probably a way to turn the "feature" off, even if it's on by default (which it shouldn't be, but that's MS for you)

            Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

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            • D dandy72

              ...hence why I used Server 2022 when I built my latest dev VM. I got tired of finding out my previous Windows 10 dev VM had rebooted right after Patch Tuesday. But no, my dev machine rebooted last night at 00:45am. Lost an awful lot of context. Meanwhile, the VM *host*, running Server 2012 R2, back when it was still supported and getting updates, would patiently wait for months if I just let it. Surely server admins aren't putting up with this. Surely MS hasn't changed the default behavior so a server OS can now reboot if it just feels like it.

              M Offline
              M Offline
              Martijn Smitshoek
              wrote on last edited by
              #19

              First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

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              • D dandy72

                ...hence why I used Server 2022 when I built my latest dev VM. I got tired of finding out my previous Windows 10 dev VM had rebooted right after Patch Tuesday. But no, my dev machine rebooted last night at 00:45am. Lost an awful lot of context. Meanwhile, the VM *host*, running Server 2012 R2, back when it was still supported and getting updates, would patiently wait for months if I just let it. Surely server admins aren't putting up with this. Surely MS hasn't changed the default behavior so a server OS can now reboot if it just feels like it.

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                hevisko
                wrote on last edited by
                #20

                You mean Windows servers have UPtime???? I usually reboot them every couple of days to make sure they are actually able to boot again

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                • D dandy72

                  ...hence why I used Server 2022 when I built my latest dev VM. I got tired of finding out my previous Windows 10 dev VM had rebooted right after Patch Tuesday. But no, my dev machine rebooted last night at 00:45am. Lost an awful lot of context. Meanwhile, the VM *host*, running Server 2012 R2, back when it was still supported and getting updates, would patiently wait for months if I just let it. Surely server admins aren't putting up with this. Surely MS hasn't changed the default behavior so a server OS can now reboot if it just feels like it.

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                  Mike Winiberg
                  wrote on last edited by
                  #21

                  On our older (2012 etc) servers, the performance degrades as updates build up until, in the end, you are forced to reboot to keep using the machines (DC, SQL Server etc). I suspect this is a deliberate strategy to force you to update. Only our desktop Windows machines reboot without warning. My win11 desktop restarted overnight last night, from within hibernation FFS! (Not the first time either...)

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                  • C charlieg

                    But as the OP asked, is it appropriate to just reboot servers "because"? And the answer is no. Never. And it got so bad with these idiots they had to put enterprise hooks in to turn this off. One writes software to be stable. Microsoft has deliberately engineered a sporadic reboot that none of my customers would ever tolerate. It's criminal. Let me give you one simple example. I need to be able to run soak tests for weeks/months at a time. I have multiple UPS', I am very careful with my hardware, etc. I've developed under openVMS, Solaris, HPUX, IBM AIX, Linux and Microsoft. The only company and OS that forces reboots is Microsoft. So, I'm not sure what the point of your comment is. The OP asked a simple question, and the answer is no. No OS should ever just reboot itself. So, I picked bologna to avoid profanity. You really don't want me speaking what I'm really thinking.

                    Charlie Gilley “They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety deserve neither liberty nor safety.” BF, 1759 Has never been more appropriate.

                    P Offline
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                    Peter Adam
                    wrote on last edited by
                    #22

                    But as the OP asked, is it appropriate to just reboot servers "because"? Yes, it is. The world is full of Tao practitioners.

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                    • D dandy72

                      ...hence why I used Server 2022 when I built my latest dev VM. I got tired of finding out my previous Windows 10 dev VM had rebooted right after Patch Tuesday. But no, my dev machine rebooted last night at 00:45am. Lost an awful lot of context. Meanwhile, the VM *host*, running Server 2012 R2, back when it was still supported and getting updates, would patiently wait for months if I just let it. Surely server admins aren't putting up with this. Surely MS hasn't changed the default behavior so a server OS can now reboot if it just feels like it.

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                      G Offline
                      Gary Wheeler
                      wrote on last edited by
                      #23

                      Ah, the advantages of living in an area where the infrastructure (like power and broadband) are... unreliable. At work the IT gestapo reboot your machine at will, fortunately after working hours. If you are on the company network it will happen. The power can be iffy as well. We have a massive generator for backup power, but it only runs our de-ionized water system. The offices can suck it. Home is slightly different. Both power and Internet can be unreliable, mainly due to the weather. My town has major outages at least once a year, and minor ones a couple of times. When I'm not actively using my machines, I've exited all apps except for my mail client (Outlook at work, Thunderbird at home). The boxes can reboot to their hearts content. I've always done this, because it's just safer. I don't see the value in having your development machine sitting there with a bunch of things running, breakpoints set, processes waiting. You're going to leave it like that at the end of the day and expect to remember all that context when you start again in the morning, or after a weekend? You're smarter folks than I am if you make that work. It's funny to me when people bitch about stuff like this when the solution is so utterly simple.

                      Software Zen: delete this;

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                      • J jschell

                        dandy72 wrote:

                        Surely server admins aren't putting up with this.

                        Not sure what you mean. Standard large distributed system architecture design would be to expect servers to reboot, fail, and even just disappear (taken down and not restored.) As an example AWS SLA is 99.99% per month. So it will fail. You only get back (money) for the time it was down if it was down for more than that. And it is generally up to you to figure it out and prove it.

                        dandy72 wrote:

                        so a server OS can now reboot if it just feels like it.

                        I believe one can turn patching off entirely. That however only prevents reboots due to a patch. Restarts for other reasons are possible. Some that I can think of - Manual reboot request - Perhaps detected error. So OS and/or hardware detected problem and restarted. - Power problem.

                        dandy72 wrote:

                        a server OS can now reboot if it just feels like it.

                        Perhaps not applicable to you but at least AWS will force updates for certain cases. They give notice but if the user has not updated the system by the specified date they will just do it.

                        B Offline
                        B Offline
                        BryanFazekas
                        wrote on last edited by
                        #24

                        jschell wrote:

                        Standard large distributed system architecture design would be to expect servers to reboot, fail, and even just disappear (taken down and not restored.)

                        We are not talking about a unforeseen failure that crashes a server. We are talking about an outside third party intentionally rebooting a server at its whim, completely ignoring the needs of the owner of that server. For former is an "act of god". The latter is an "act of Microsoft".

                        jschell wrote:

                        Perhaps not applicable to you but at least AWS will force updates for certain cases. They give notice but if the user has not updated the system by the specified date they will just do it.

                        Emphasis mine. This is a totally different scenario, as the owner of the servers (AWS) gives notice to the tenants that maintenance is required, and acts when a deadline has been reached. Similarly, all computers and major systems at my employer undergo periodic maintenance. The respective owners give users (tenants) sufficient warning ahead of time, and any who fail to heed the warning, get what they get.

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                        • P PIEBALDconsult

                          Dunno. My Win 10 desktop system keeps chugging along waiting patiently for me to apply updates when I'm good and ready.

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                          BryanFazekas
                          wrote on last edited by
                          #25

                          Which version? Win10 Enterprise can have policies set to allow updates only on the owner's schedule, cutting Microsoft out. I run Win10 Professional at home, and AFAIK I can't easily shut off the updates, but I can snooze them for roughly 5 weeks. My practice is to snooze the updates, then every 3 to 4 weeks, when it's convenient for me, I unsnooze and let it do its thing. Then I snooze it again. UPDATE: I found a group policy setting that shuts off automatic updates and allows manual check. I'm going to try that.

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                          • P Peter Adam

                            But as the OP asked, is it appropriate to just reboot servers "because"? Yes, it is. The world is full of Tao practitioners.

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                            dandy72
                            wrote on last edited by
                            #26

                            You've never been employed as a server admin, have you? Or if you have...I'm guessing exactly once and never again.

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                            • B BryanFazekas

                              Which version? Win10 Enterprise can have policies set to allow updates only on the owner's schedule, cutting Microsoft out. I run Win10 Professional at home, and AFAIK I can't easily shut off the updates, but I can snooze them for roughly 5 weeks. My practice is to snooze the updates, then every 3 to 4 weeks, when it's convenient for me, I unsnooze and let it do its thing. Then I snooze it again. UPDATE: I found a group policy setting that shuts off automatic updates and allows manual check. I'm going to try that.

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                              M Offline
                              Mark Starr
                              wrote on last edited by
                              #27

                              If that works, can you please post a followup comment about it?:cool:

                              Time is the differentiation of eternity devised by man to measure the passage of human events. - Manly P. Hall Mark Just another cog in the wheel

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                              • B BryanFazekas

                                jschell wrote:

                                Standard large distributed system architecture design would be to expect servers to reboot, fail, and even just disappear (taken down and not restored.)

                                We are not talking about a unforeseen failure that crashes a server. We are talking about an outside third party intentionally rebooting a server at its whim, completely ignoring the needs of the owner of that server. For former is an "act of god". The latter is an "act of Microsoft".

                                jschell wrote:

                                Perhaps not applicable to you but at least AWS will force updates for certain cases. They give notice but if the user has not updated the system by the specified date they will just do it.

                                Emphasis mine. This is a totally different scenario, as the owner of the servers (AWS) gives notice to the tenants that maintenance is required, and acts when a deadline has been reached. Similarly, all computers and major systems at my employer undergo periodic maintenance. The respective owners give users (tenants) sufficient warning ahead of time, and any who fail to heed the warning, get what they get.

                                D Offline
                                D Offline
                                dandy72
                                wrote on last edited by
                                #28

                                BryanFazekas wrote:

                                We are not talking about a unforeseen failure that crashes a server. We are talking about an outside third party intentionally rebooting a server at its whim, completely ignoring the needs of the owner of that server.

                                This. So much this.

                                BryanFazekas wrote:

                                For former is an "act of god". The latter is an "act of Microsoft".

                                I think the fundamental problem here is that according to Microsoft, there is no difference between the two. :-)

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                                • H honey the codewitch

                                  Microsoft makes a point to dogfood their own products. They even came up with the verb "dogfood" That tells me there's probably a way to turn the "feature" off, even if it's on by default (which it shouldn't be, but that's MS for you)

                                  Check out my IoT graphics library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/gfx And my IoT UI/User Experience library here: https://honeythecodewitch.com/uix

                                  D Offline
                                  D Offline
                                  dandy72
                                  wrote on last edited by
                                  #29

                                  honey the codewitch wrote:

                                  That tells me there's probably a way to turn the "feature" off, even if it's on by default (which it shouldn't be, but that's MS for you)

                                  That was my primary point. As mentioned, I can have Server 2012 R2 wait for *months* with the reboot prompt waiting for me to click it - it'll never initiate the actual reboot on its own. But *something* has changed somewhere along the way so nowadays the Server releases are now as dumb as the consumer ones. If I try to manually reboot Server 2022, I'll get the prompt that's asking for the reason to reboot (unless I disable it). But even that, apparently, is not enough to prevent the OS from waiting indefinitely. Or Notepad waiting with a "Save Changes Y/N" prompt. That used to be enough to prevent a reboot. Not anymore. It used to kill every other process until it reached that one, but it never forced it to be killed.

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                                  • P PIEBALDconsult

                                    Dunno. My Win 10 desktop system keeps chugging along waiting patiently for me to apply updates when I'm good and ready.

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                                    dandy72
                                    wrote on last edited by
                                    #30

                                    PIEBALDconsult wrote:

                                    waiting patiently for me to apply updates

                                    Probably an important distinction: I'm not talking about waiting for me to install updates; I do have it install them (since that's something that can take a while, but can run in the background while I keep working). I just want it to wait for me after that to give the okay to reboot. That's how I've always done it. But in this particular case, I imagine, the prompt comes up while I'm away, it gets no response, then reboots on its own overnight. Server 2012 R2 (and probably others) waited indefinitely. 2022 won't even wait for 24 hours, whether you've seen the prompt or not.

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                                    • M Martijn Smitshoek

                                      First they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a socialist. Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out — because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out — because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me — and there was no one left to speak for me.

                                      D Offline
                                      D Offline
                                      dandy72
                                      wrote on last edited by
                                      #31

                                      That's always been a great quote. I fail however to understand how it applies here. I *am* speaking out. Are you saying I should've spoken out sooner?

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                                      • H hevisko

                                        You mean Windows servers have UPtime???? I usually reboot them every couple of days to make sure they are actually able to boot again

                                        D Offline
                                        D Offline
                                        dandy72
                                        wrote on last edited by
                                        #32

                                        hevisko wrote:

                                        I usually reboot them every couple of days to make sure they are actually able to boot again

                                        There was a point in time where I would have agreed with you wholeheartedly. But Windows has come a long way - even consumer editions. It's never had (so far) uptimes as long as it does nowadays, save for hardware failures (which in all fairness, no OS can survive) or bad drivers. But we're not talking about hardware failures here; we're talking about the OS deciding to reboot itself on its own, without giving you the option to postpone as you wish.

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                                        • G Gary Wheeler

                                          Ah, the advantages of living in an area where the infrastructure (like power and broadband) are... unreliable. At work the IT gestapo reboot your machine at will, fortunately after working hours. If you are on the company network it will happen. The power can be iffy as well. We have a massive generator for backup power, but it only runs our de-ionized water system. The offices can suck it. Home is slightly different. Both power and Internet can be unreliable, mainly due to the weather. My town has major outages at least once a year, and minor ones a couple of times. When I'm not actively using my machines, I've exited all apps except for my mail client (Outlook at work, Thunderbird at home). The boxes can reboot to their hearts content. I've always done this, because it's just safer. I don't see the value in having your development machine sitting there with a bunch of things running, breakpoints set, processes waiting. You're going to leave it like that at the end of the day and expect to remember all that context when you start again in the morning, or after a weekend? You're smarter folks than I am if you make that work. It's funny to me when people bitch about stuff like this when the solution is so utterly simple.

                                          Software Zen: delete this;

                                          D Offline
                                          D Offline
                                          dandy72
                                          wrote on last edited by
                                          #33

                                          Gary Wheeler wrote:

                                          I don't see the value in having your development machine sitting there with a bunch of things running, breakpoints set, processes waiting. You're going to leave it like that at the end of the day and expect to remember all that context when you start again in the morning, or after a weekend? You're smarter folks than I am if you make that work

                                          You have it exactly backwards. It's because it's so *hard* to get it back into that state that I leave it on overnight. There's no chance I'll remember it all otherwise.

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