Uptime.exe Tool Allows You to Estimate Server Availability with Windows NT 4.0 SP4 or Higher

ID: Q232243

The information in this article applies to:

SUMMARY

A new tool, Uptime.exe, is available for displaying system availability. Uptime.exe can be used to display the current uptime of the local or remote system. Optionally, it can also scan the Event log for key system events such as system restart or computers that are not responding (hanging). Where possible, it also calculates system availability. It is primarily intended for Windows NT Server 4.0 Service Pack 4 or later, though it operates in limited fashion on earlier versions.


MORE INFORMATION

Uptime.exe is a standalone program. To install the tool, simply copy the file into your Windows NT directory. You may then run the tool at a command prompt.

For extended help on this tool, type the following at a command prompt:

uptime /help
This tool is most accurate when run with administrator privileges, however, even without administrator privileges, the tool attempts to make a best estimate based on available information. In all cases, the results should be considered estimates.

It is important to note that the uptime and availability measurements reflect the local view of the operating system only. The "Total Uptime" measurement refers to the sum of all the time during the measured period where the operating system reported itself to be in normal operation. It does not reflect times when the server might be unavailable for other reasons, such at network outages.

It is also important to note that although the operating system is functioning normally, this does not mean that the server programs running on that server are operating normally. For instance, the operating system may be available, but a database running on that server may not be operating correctly.

Uptime depends on the Event log for the data it uses to calculate availability. The tool is not able to make calculations prior to the beginning of the Event log. If the Event log is cleared, no calculations are possible. Certain settings can be disabled limiting the accuracy of this tool. For example, writing an event when the system stops responding and displays a blue screen error message or disabling Dr. Watson for program error messages. Please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information on blue screen error messages:
Q192463 Gathering Blue Screen Information After Memory Dump
Please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base for information on Dr. Watson and application errors:
Q188296 How to Disable Dr. Watson for Windows NT
Q103861 INFO: Choosing the Debugger That the System Will Spawn
Uptime is only able to calculate availability when using Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 4 or later. Service Pack 4 introduced a "heartbeat" (as described in the Uptime Help file), and additional events for tracking system shutdowns. For more information about these events, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
Q196452 Why WinNT Reports 6005, 6006, 6008, and 6009 Event Log Entries
This tool is now available at the following Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/ntserver/nts/downloads/management/uptime/default.asp

Additional query words: crash crashes hang stops responding 


Keywords          : 
Version           : winnt:4.0 SP4
Platform          : winnt 
Issue type        : kbinfo

Last Reviewed: June 18, 1999