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Can we still auto reboot frozen computer?

In past versions of the OS we have been able to select "automatically reboot computer if it freezes" in Computer Preferences > Energy Saver


I have 10.9 Mavericks on 4 Mini Servers and 2 Pro Servers and the selection seems to have gone.


Over the last two weekends I have had two different servers freeze, requiring trips to manually reboot them.


Does anyone have a work-around other than auto restarting each week to try to get ahead of problems?


-Erich

OS X Server

Posted on Apr 20, 2014 4:55 PM

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Posted on Apr 21, 2014 4:47 AM

Depending on your hardware, it may already be set on by default. To test, run this command:


sudo systemsetup -getrestartfreeze


If the return is


Restart After Freeze: On


Then the feature is on. If not, use sudo systemsetup -setrestartfreeze on to enable.


However, this has always been a tricky thing to detect. I recommend connecting the server to a managed switched PDU. There are conditions in which OS X will fail to reboot when diskarbitrationd refuses to release volumes (common with Xsan). In these cases, the server has not froze. It simply is unable to complete the task requested but it technically operational (yet remote access is lost). With a switched PDU, you can cut power to the device. When power is returned, the unit will come back on.


R-

Apple Consultants Network

Apple Professional Services

Author "Mavericks Server – Foundation Services" :: Exclusively available in Apple's iBooks Store

7 replies
Question marked as Best reply

Apr 21, 2014 4:47 AM in response to Erich Wetzel

Depending on your hardware, it may already be set on by default. To test, run this command:


sudo systemsetup -getrestartfreeze


If the return is


Restart After Freeze: On


Then the feature is on. If not, use sudo systemsetup -setrestartfreeze on to enable.


However, this has always been a tricky thing to detect. I recommend connecting the server to a managed switched PDU. There are conditions in which OS X will fail to reboot when diskarbitrationd refuses to release volumes (common with Xsan). In these cases, the server has not froze. It simply is unable to complete the task requested but it technically operational (yet remote access is lost). With a switched PDU, you can cut power to the device. When power is returned, the unit will come back on.


R-

Apple Consultants Network

Apple Professional Services

Author "Mavericks Server – Foundation Services" :: Exclusively available in Apple's iBooks Store

Apr 21, 2014 6:54 AM in response to Strontium90

Strontium90


I checked our newer mini servers and as you indicated restart after freeze is indeed running already. I understand that this is a challenging thing to control. Just bad luck on my part that it happened twice in a couple of weeks I guess.


The switched PDU was the next option I was looking at if I can find something with reasonable pricing.


Thanks for the quick response.


-Erich

Apr 21, 2014 7:44 AM in response to Erich Wetzel

I've received pointers to Sophisticated Circuits and Data Loggers for remote power management tools from some folks. Various mid-grade less-interruptible power supplies (LIPS) (such devices are never truly uninterruptible) also have optional or available remote power control capabilities, and it's generally a good idea to have a server connected to a LIPS in any case.

Apr 21, 2014 11:25 AM in response to MrHoffman

MrHoffman,


Sophisticated Circuits seems to be out of date but Data Loggers seems to be exactly the type of thing we need. They have modest cost gear that will allow manual and automatic variable ping tested cycling of power to items plugged into their eqiupment. If a user set number of pings do not come back, the system will cycle the power to the appropriate device. That would have automatically solved the problem for me within a short time of it occuring and I would have had no involvement in the process which is even better.


Now comes the challenging part, we are now running Mini servers which are modest in their draw but we have several. If you put the backup power supply after the power controller the computer's power is not cut when the controlled outlet is cut. If you put the backup supply before the power control it is supplying everything powered by that device and now the servers cannot be set to go off on their own as battery power declines to the set shut off point.


Do you know of any companies that provide both needs in one piece of gear?

Apr 22, 2014 7:48 AM in response to Erich Wetzel

I agree with Strontium90 that it is probably not a good idea to rely just on the software Restart after freeze. I also checked one of my Mavericks running Mac mini servers and it was turned on but failed to reboot the server after a crash. I suspect it is more likely to only cover Kernel Panic type crashes where you get the 'grey veil of death'.


I have in the past successfully used an APC managed PDU like the following


https://www.apc.com/products/resource/include/techspec_index.cfm?base_sku=AP7900


You can use a web-browser to remotely power-cycle a socket i.e. off, pause, on, to simulate a hard reboot.

Can we still auto reboot frozen computer?

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