Tried to access my PCs remotely but.

They were on when I left the house!

[Hubie]

I'm assuming it was an automatic microsoft update...however...doesnt that restart your machine?

I use gotomypc on 2 computers in the house...both were on as normal when i left the house. THen i tried to access them a few hours later...nothing.

finally i had a friend 'break-in' to my house, and he found both machines were powered off. A power outage? all my clocks show the right time.

whats done is done but the question still remaines...

If I plan on remotely accessing my PCs at home, how can I prevent them from powering off...EVER? I smell disaster if I need to access these PCs and I cant have someone power them on (maybe in the middle of the night...maybe i live somewhere 'far out').

It was very scary today and luckily I had a trusted friend nearby to help. But i dont want this happening again.

Who here uses remote access to use their PC? how to avoid this?

Hubes

[lammert]

A small dip on the electrical net may have caused both computers to switch off. Many dips last only a second or a few seconds and you won't see it on electrical clocks. If you have a router installed, you could see when it was last restarted.

If this happens often in your region, consider the installation of a UPS, but a UPS is not recommendable in situations with less power outages than say once a year. I have seen more than once corporate servers shutting down, not because there was a power outage, but because the UPS reported an internal error or because of bad batteries.

I have worked with a company that developed UPS systems for professional use (army etc). After knowing how such a system works and what could go wrong with them, I often advice against them if they are not really needed. One of the problems with UPS systems for example is that if their output power is close to the maximum, they are not able to blow fuses in attached devices if something goes wrong, causing fire in some circumstances.

[trillianjedi]

how to avoid this?

I do have a UPS. If you get a decent one, with plenty of excess capacity and you look after the batteries, you won't have a problem. That also conditions the power line, smoothing out peaks etc.

Haven't had a problem with it in 2 years. Ultimately, there will be unforseen things which will happen when you're away (the cat chews through a CAT V etc).

Lack of access is a risk you just have to live with.

The alternatives:-

1. Co-locate your servers to a dedicated facility.

2. Change the way that you work. Do you really need access to the PC's or just the data (in which case FTP to a co-lo server)?

TJ