lightsout
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Lights-Out

By on June 26, 2009 in Add-ins & Apps, Power Management, WHS v1

Experience Level: Standard

LightsOut is a power management add-in that allows you to place your home server in sleep or hibernation at scheduled times.

To go to sleep, you can choose from several methods:

  • On demand, when no more clients are active
  • Based on a calendar, as a single action or repeated each weekday
  • Or as a combination of both methods

You can define times, where the server has to be up and running:

  • Using the calendar
  • Based on the defined backup time

Wake up

A suspended or hibernated server can be resumed using a calendar event.
You can also install a small application on your client machines to wake up your server when needed.

Developer: Martin Rothschink

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More Info: Download | Support Forum | Review

Release History

Service Pack 2 Beta Refresh (2nd February 2011)

  • New option for client action after backup
  • Fixed end of DST problem with WHS v1 connector
  • Fixed wrong date formatting in calendar for some regions like Japanese
  • Fixed wrong backup date when client backup is disabled
  • Fixed problem with deleted tasklist (delete was not handled, tasks were not removed)
  • Fixed bug in edit properties dialog
  • Changed action after backup: runs only if started for backup with no user activity

Service Pack 2 Beta (27th December 2011)

  • Changed handling of Gateways or Repeaters
  • User Action instead of Standby or Shutdow
  • Fixed MAC detection on server for bridged server NICs
  • Fixed WHS v1 console crash after clicking on error link in monitored sources
  • Fixed unwanted client standby when client was started from shut down for a backup
  • Fixed problem with wake-up on client when no IPv4 route is available
  • Fixed remote access detection after IIS reset
  • Fixed handling of IP clients without a MAC
  • Fixed problem with incomplete or damaged xml data files
  • Changed internal structure of services (both server and client) to fix start-up problems
  • Changed handling of IP and MAC detection for WHS clients
  • Added new option for devices which act as router or repeater
  • Added a user action to run a user defined command instead of standby
  • Added handling of additional routers or gateways
  • Added client command line application
  • Added handling (starting) of dependent services on server resume

v1.5 Beta (11th February 2011)

  • Added client actions for shutdown, standby and reboot
  • Added share monitor
  • Added console session monitor
  • Added display of active monitors
  • Added day slider to uptime chart
  • Added display of scheduled backup times to computer tab
  • Fixed distorted status page when DPI setting of display has been changed to a nonstandard
  • value or when big fonts have been used
  • Changed background and font colours to allow high contrast theme

v1.0.9 (17th November 2010)

  • Backup - The computer tab in 1.0.9 will visualize the scheduled backup time of each client. This includes the schedule of WHS connector as well as any scheduled wake-up/backup by Lights-Out.
  • The uptime diagram now shows a slider which allows the immediate change of the displayed day count. The backup window is now displayed as outline.
  • Shutdown has been added to the actions after backup.

v0.8.2 (25th June 2010)

Important changes:

  • Fix for ACER Aspire easyStore H430 (see below)
  • Fix for wrong backup time calculation
  • Fix for occasionally wrong standby detection

Changes on LightsOut Client (used for server wake-up via WOL):

  • Improved support for virtual NICs installed by VirtualBox or Vmware
  • Improved support for VPN networks

v0.8

  • Localisation into French, Spanish, Chinese & Japanese
  • Whenever a restore operation is detected, LightsOut keeps the server running for 2 hours for each selected volume
  • The help file is now opened on the server and no longer requires a LightsOut client installation
  • The Uptime diagram shows tooltip details about computers and remote access
  • A version check has been added for SB Core service. When a fixed version is detected, a warning is no longer displayed.

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About Terry Walsh

Terry Walsh is the founding editor and owner of We Got Served. Since February 2007, the site has provided detailed coverage and analysis of the emerging home server category, and has subsequently grown into a trusted outlet for digital home news and reviews.
View all posts by Terry Walsh →

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  • Mutzer

    This add-in is great. Easy to install and configure.

    The home server is only powered on when one of the machines in the house is turned on, saving power, and still having the server running whenever a pc needs it.

  • Chris

    I love this add-on.
    It means I can bung our server up in the loft and leave it to it’s own devices. There’s about 12 hours a day where I don’t need it on because we are asleep or out of the house, so I have it power up around mid-day via this add-on so that I can remote connect and schedule any downloads or whatnot from my phone in time for when I get home.
    Limagito (a piece of software which automates file moves based on configurable rules, simply awesome and a must have for a WHS box) then monitors the download folders and moves them to the relevant media share location ready to watch or listen on the Popcorn Hour, Laptop or Mac :)

  • Todd

    Help needed. There was no hibernation can be selected in my lightsout setup.

    Btw, hibernation is working via RDC.

  • Troy

    I have not been able to install this add In, I already asked on the support forum but no response!
    It started to install then failed now i cant uninstall or reinstall…….can anybody help please?

    • michael

      I am having the same problem. I go through the normal ‘uninstall’ method using the add-in settings option, but when it finishes, the Add-in is still there. Help!

  • Pingback: Add-in Update: LightsOut 0.8.2 | We Got Served - Windows Home Server & Your Digital Home

  • Martin

    @Troy and @Michael:
    Where have you asked for help? Please always use the forum here http://forum.wegotserved.com/index.php?showforum=89

  • jvi

    Could LightsOut take WHS down after daily client backups as soon as all the clients have been backed up, instead of a fixed time of day (or night)? This would save hours of power consumption.

  • Tom

    Per section 2.1 of the instructions, is it possible and advisable to:

    1. install and run Process Explorer on WHS?
    2. edit the WHS registry

    I seem to be missing something.

    TIA.

  • Steve

    Are there any pros/cons to powering down the server vs. leaving it on all the time? I’m not really concerned about power consumption, but rather, what will enable the hardware to last the longest amount of time? TIA!

    • DrewE

      If you leave your server on all of the time then you do not have the need for such software.
      This is for people who want to save energy BUT have their WHS up and running AS IF it was always on.
      This is what I expected my SCALEO to be able to do when I bought it BUT the delivered software was NOWHERE near what it needs to be for such functionality.
      LightsOut finally bring several feature together into one add-in/client sevice for GREAT Power managment.

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  • Jerry

    Jusy added the Lights Out add-in after doing the SBCore service removal. Now my HP media smart just sits there and loops between power down to power up. Can’t access it from HP server console or remote desktop. Can someone tell me which forum I should go to for help. I mean I am so frikin depressed, I get a really bad feeling it’s hosed up so bad and will lose all my data. I can’t figure out if I want to just scream or put my head down and cry. I need HELP……………badly

  • WHS-noob

    Wow. this sounded like a great add-in! I’m really glad I read these posts — very valuable — and saw the difficulties folks are having with it. I think I’ll pass!

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  • Miss15

    This includes newspapers and paper packaging, reputedly highly biodegradable yet one can find nearly whole copies of newspapers from decades past in landfills. ,

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  • Alexander

    G’day you all, I have Lights out running on my server now for several weeks it look promising, but somehow both my desktop and my server keep waking up after some time in hibernation or sleep modus.
    I have set the server to go into hibernation after 1:00 am and wake up again at 8:00 am. My desktop is allowed to go into sleep modus after not being used for two hours.
    The lightout setting are set to always on during backup (0:00 – 1:00) and monitoring for 10 min and then go into hibernation.

    A couple of times it all worked as set and supposed, but regularly both my server and my desktop wake up after a couple of hours.

    I am wonderering if there might be a service doing this in the the background, or if my desktop going into sleep modus could wake up my server.

    its kind of strange and I don’t have a clue right now which one of both is causing the problems, or that it has something to do with shared interrest on both from both machines at some point….

    If someone has a idea or clue, it would be appriciated by me if you would like to share your knowlege.

    Alex.

  • Jon

    The concept of this add-in is great – too bad you have to mess with WHS components to get it to work. If you’re running WHS on an HP Mediasmart server, get ready to be frustrated…after following all install instructions explicitly, my server went into a restart loop that was only fixed with a system restore. Fun! Thanks for the totally sweet, totally broken add-in.

  • Pingback: Add-in Update: LightsOut Reaches 1.0 | We Got Served - Windows Home Server & Your Digital Home

  • DrewE

    This is one great add-in.
    Finally many many feature all in one add-in.
    I no longer need to have up to 4 other add-ins or services on the local machines installed in order to get the functionality ‘Always Available, but NOT always on’.
    For people who want there WHS to ONLY be running when needed otherwise be hibernating or in StandBy, this is the add-in to do it.

  • Brian

    Have had old free version 0.8 working for some considerable time. After some minor initial problems related to clients, Lights Out works like a dream. Well done. I know about the new commercial version, but am more than happy with the old. This program works. I would recommend it to a newbie.

  • GLO

    Hi,

    The download link is dead now.

    Where else can i grab the Lightsout file?

    Thanks

  • Anonymous

    Light-Out seems like a good program but everytime it kicks me off hibernation mode I find myself on a barren planet ruled by apes! Help!

    Kidding. Lights-Out doesn’t work on my EX470. It runs but only Suspends the server. Which is code for shutting down the server. It’s a rather mean code word, me thinks. Shortest trial period ever.