run exe on different computer

[daved170]

Hi everybody,
I'm building a small python program that run a service (exe file) on
my servers.
I don't want to use remote desktop and it's siblings.

I would like to have some information on how to run an exe on a
different computer and if there a way to check if that exe is still
alive.

Thanks
Dave

 

[rootkit]

Il 13/09/09 09.43, daved170 ha scritto:

Hi everybody,
I'm building a small python program that run a service (exe file) on
my servers.
I don't want to use remote desktop and it's siblings.

I would like to have some information on how to run an exe on a
different computer and if there a way to check if that exe is still
alive.

assuming windows as your target, look at this:
http://timgolden.me.uk/python/wmi.html

 

[Dave Angel]

Hi everybody,
I'm building a small python program that run a service (exe file) on
my servers.
I don't want to use remote desktop and it's siblings.

I would like to have some information on how to run an exe on a
different computer and if there a way to check if that exe is still
alive.

Thanks
Dave

On a question like this, you really need to supply much more information
on your constraints. You could start by saying these servers are
running Windows Server 2003. And that they're on a domain (rather than
a workgroup). And that you're trying to access them from another
machine within the same local domain, not over the internet. And that
your local machine is on the same domain, and has an account with admin
privileges for all the desired servers. And that you are allowed to do
a one-time install (of something) on each server prior to this
particular need. And that each server already has Python version 2.5
installed, and the IT department won't allow you to install any later
version.

Then once you have an environment, you need to specify just what kind of
program you want to run on those servers. Is it an EXE program? Or is
it Python, with a particular script? Does it really need to be a
*service*, which has a particular set of constraints, and should be
installed, and started/stopped using the service manager. Do you want
this program to restart whenever the servers are restarted?

One solution that should work for nearly every Windows topology might be
to go to each server, run the scheduler task, and specify a new batch
file to be run upon boot. This batch file can check a specified
(shared) directory for a python script, and if found, run it. If not
found, sleep for 60 seconds or so, then repeat. Note that it's a good
idea to put a five minute delay at the very beginning, in case the
script needs to be deleted at the next boot. Sometimes a bug requires
surgery, and it's good to have enough time to do it.

Now, to control those servers from another machine, copy an appropriate
script into the prearranged directory. Within a minute, it'll be
running, and it can post whatever results it likes in another accessible
directory.


Whether this is a "safe" thing to do is a separate question. Generally
an IT department likes to have some control over just what programs run
on their servers, and for good reason.


DaveA

 

[daved170]

On a question like this, you really need to supply much more information
on your constraints.  You could start by saying these servers are
running Windows Server 2003.  And that they're on a domain (rather than
a workgroup).  And that you're trying to access them from another
machine within the same local domain, not over the internet.  And that
your local machine is on the same domain, and has an account with admin
privileges for all the desired servers.  And that you are allowed to do
a one-time install (of something) on each server prior to this
particular need.  And that each server already has Python version 2.5
installed, and the IT department won't allow you to install any later
version.

Then once you have an environment, you need to specify just what kind of
program you want to run on those servers.  Is it an EXE program?  Or is
it Python, with a particular script?  Does it really need to be a
*service*, which has a particular set of constraints, and should be
installed, and started/stopped using the service manager.  Do you want
this program to restart whenever the servers are restarted?

One solution that should work for nearly every Windows topology might be
to go to each server, run the scheduler task, and specify a new batch
file to be run upon boot.  This batch file can check a specified
(shared) directory for a python script, and if found, run it.  If not
found, sleep for 60 seconds or so, then repeat.  Note that it's a good
idea to put a five minute delay at the very beginning, in case the
script needs to be deleted at the next boot.  Sometimes a bug requires
surgery, and it's good to have enough time to do it.

Now, to control those servers from another machine, copy an appropriate
script into the prearranged directory.  Within a minute, it'll be
running, and it can post whatever results it likes in another accessible
directory.

Whether this is a "safe" thing to do is a separate question.  Generally
an IT department likes to have some control over just what programs run
on their servers, and for good reason.

DaveA

Hi DaveA
Thanks for your answer. I'll try to clearify myself.
For now I'm trying to do that on client & server that are win XP. They
both on the same domain (maybe in the future they'll be runinig on the
web). I have admin user on both my computers.
I have both an exe and a python app that I'd like to control from my
client.
Insted of logging to my Server I would like to write a python app at
my client that allows me to control both that exe and my Server-python-
app. I don't want to use the schedualer because I would like to
control it from my client.
I can install whatever I'll like on both of the computers. they are
mine and I have full access for them.
I hope I clearify myself and if there are more solutions I'll be happy
to be noted.
Thans
DaveD

 

[Dave Angel]

Hi DaveA
Thanks for your answer. I'll try to clearify myself.
For now I'm trying to do that on client & server that are win XP. They
both on the same domain (maybe in the future they'll be runinig on the
web). I have admin user on both my computers.
I have both an exe and a python app that I'd like to control from my
client.
Insted of logging to my Server I would like to write a python app at
my client that allows me to control both that exe and my Server-python-
app. I don't want to use the schedualer because I would like to
control it from my client.
I can install whatever I'll like on both of the computers. they are
mine and I have full access for them.
I hope I clearify myself and if there are more solutions I'll be happy
to be noted.
Thans
DaveD

If you only have those two machines, you aren't on a NT domain, you've
got a workgroup. A Windows domain is hosted by a server OS, and XP can
only be a client on a domain. Without being on an NT domain, security
is much sloppier. In some ways that makes things easier, but you may
hit a brick wall if you need more than one kind of simultaneous access
to another machine.

Is this EXE file you want to run on the server something out of your
control, or could you customize that as well? Because if you can, then
the distinction between that and your server-python program is probably
unimportant. Call the programs you might want to run: X1, X2, X3.

In order to run X1 on that server without opening a console (or remote
desktop, or whatever) on it, you will have to have something else
already running which is willing to be a proxy on your behalf. You then
communicate with that program to tell it what to run, and when. I
suggested a batch file for that program, call it S. It could just as
easily have been a python script, but there's no advantage that I can
see. The idea is to make sure that S is always running (which is why
you put it into the scheduler; it'll be restarted whenever the machine
is booted).

Anyway, the idea is that S is a very lightweight program, and it can
launch any possible Xn. And the only question is how you want the
client to talk to S. If S is a fancier program, you might use sockets,
or whatever, but on a local system, the file system works pretty well.
And a batch file is about as lightweight as you can get; the only
external program it needs is "sleep.exe".

It's quite possible that DCOM (for example) includes something that acts
like S, but when I was working in that field 15 years ago, it was very
messy, and fragile. I favor simpler systems when they're possible. If
you want to pursue this route, check out the Win32 extensions
http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/ (or just get ActivePython,
which includes them with the usual stuff). See function
CoCreateInstance <pythoncom__CoCreateInstance_meth.html>, which can
launch an OLE Automation Server remotely.

Or you could run SimpleXMLRPCServer on your server (again, from the
scheduler). Once started, it watches for requests over the internet.

Once X1 is running, you probably want to use sockets or something like
that to communicate between your client and X1. At that point, the
overhead isn't as important.

HTH
DaveA

 

[Sean DiZazzo]

If you only have those two machines, you aren't on a NT domain, you've
got a workgroup.  A Windows domain is hosted by a server OS, and XP can
only be a client on a domain.  Without being on an NT domain, security
is much sloppier.  In some ways that makes things easier, but you may
hit a brick wall if you need more than one kind of simultaneous access
to another machine.

Is this EXE file you want to run on the server something out of your
control, or could you customize that as well?  Because if you can, then
the distinction between that and your server-python program is probably
unimportant.  Call the programs you might want to run:   X1, X2, X3.

In order to run X1 on that server without opening a console (or remote
desktop, or whatever) on it, you will have to have something else
already running which is willing to be a proxy on your behalf.  You then
communicate with that program to tell it what to run, and when.  I
suggested a batch file for that program, call it S.  It could just as
easily have been a python script, but there's no advantage that I can
see.  The idea is to make sure that S is always running (which is why
you put it into the scheduler;  it'll be restarted whenever the machine
is booted).

Anyway, the idea is that S is a very lightweight program, and it can
launch any possible Xn.  And the only question is how you want the
client to talk to S.  If S is a fancier program, you might use sockets,
or whatever, but on a local system, the file system works pretty well.  
And a batch file is about as lightweight as you can get;  the only
external program it needs is "sleep.exe".

It's quite possible that DCOM (for example) includes something that acts
like S, but when I was working in that field 15 years ago, it was very
messy, and fragile.  I favor simpler systems when they're possible.  If
you want to pursue this route, check out the Win32 extensions  http://sourceforge.net/projects/pywin32/(or just get ActivePython,
which includes them with the usual stuff).  See function
CoCreateInstance <pythoncom__CoCreateInstance_meth.html>, which can
launch an OLE Automation Server remotely.

Or you could run SimpleXMLRPCServer on your server (again, from the
scheduler).  Once started, it watches for requests over the internet.

Once X1 is running, you probably want to use sockets or something like
that to communicate between your client and X1.  At that point, the
overhead isn't as important.

HTH
DaveA

+1 to XMLRPC

I guess that is assuming you can just fire it off and let it work. It
would be much more difficult to set up a gui on a remote machine that
controls a server program.

Here's a link to code I use for a windoze xmlrpc server that runs as a
service on several server machines. http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/msg150695.html

You can define a class on the xmlrpc server with any methods you want
to execute on the client. Then just connect to the server machine
from the client, and execute whatever methods you choose. (These can
execute subprocesses that call external programs.) The return values
(when available) are sent back to the client.

I think that the call to the xmlrpc from the client blocks until the
remote call is finished. (Not positive) So, if you need, you can set
up the server class with a "poll()" method, call the xmlrpc method in
a separate thread, and poll it until you know its done.

Another idea...

I use heartbeats to tell if a daemon/service is still running. Check:
http://code.activestate.com/recipes/52302/

Set up a heartbeat server somewhere, and then set up the client
portion in your windoze service. I have the server write it's up/down
status to a database, and then I can read the status of lots of
daemons from anywhere I want.

If you are looking to monitor alot of daemons/services that are
installed on several machines, heartbeats are the way to go.

~Sean