Auto-Launching Program After Predictive Failure

This feature, introduced in build 1.29, allows you to specify a program and path that will be launched in the event of a predictive drive failure (S.M.A.R.T. Error).

In order to specify the program you wish to launch, add to the command-line, -LB ProgramName, where ProgramName is the fully qualified file name of the program or script/batch file that you wish to launch. SMARTMon-UX will suspend processing until this program either completes or is terminated. (This is by design, as it prevents a predictive failure on subsequent polling cycles to re-launch the same script in perpetuity).

Auto-Launch Parameters Passed to Spawned Process

SMARTMon-UX will supply the auto-launch program several variables which can be used to control the action of the desired program. The parameters are, in order:

Implementation Note

If your auto-launch program is something that takes considerable time and overhead, like a backup program, you would want to insure that the backup program is not run again during the next polling cycle. In order to prevent this, you may wish to terminate a successful backup with a command that requires operator intervention or just terminates smartmon-ux.  For example, Windows users might wish to end the auto-launch program with the PAUSE command which suspends processing of a script and waits for keyboard input. (The shell script equivalent of PAUSE is read). As this prevents your script from completing without operator intervention, it suspends SMARTMon-UX as well.

Instructions and sample output for testing the autolaunch program can be found in the Auto-Launching Program After Predictive Failure Section

You may combine this auto-launch feature with other alerting mechanisms, such as the -M to send out E-Mail alerts and the -L option that facilitates saving event information in a flat file.

Testing Auto-Launch

Please consult the chapter, Testing Predictive Failure Alerts and Actions.