MBS - Add automatic updates on when running as a service (on Windows)

[drashna 47]

It would be really nice if we could automatically update MBS without having to jump through ten hoops just to do so each time. 

 

A main reason to run it as a service is so we don't have to log in to manage it.

 

Adding a "helper" service that could stop, update and restart the service would be a quick, and simple way to do this.

[Luke 39998]

yes, it's a good idea, but given the low number of users running as a service, this will probably have to wait until a community member comes forward to help on it. we've had a couple volunteer to do this, but they just haven't seen it through to completion.

[Cerothen 95]

yes, it's a good idea, but given the low number of users running as a service, this will probably have to wait until a community member comes forward to help on it. we've had a couple volunteer to do this, but they just haven't seen it through to completion.

 

It shouldn't really be that hard. Luke, is there a command switch that can be employed on the installer/updater that will cause Emby to start the service rather than as a process or could a command line switch be added?

[Logos302 86]

even easier I think would be a companion service that does the updating at a scheduled time.  But luke has too much other things I think to do this.  If I knew just a little bit more about programming I would attempt it but I don't  .  

[Luke 39998]

It shouldn't really be that hard. Luke, is there a command switch that can be employed on the installer/updater that will cause Emby to start the service rather than as a process or could a command line switch be added?

 

We do have that switch but we tried that and it often didn't work because the user account the service was running under didn't have permission to start and stop services.

[drashna 47]

I know it would require a huge overhaul, most likely....

 

But why not run the program out of the program files directory, store all the settings in the ProgramData directory, and act/behave like a "normal" windows app (as Microsoft intended). This would allow you to run the program in the SYSTEM account as a service and bypass the whole "permissions" issue you're running into here?

 

And yes, for network shares that would potentially cause issues. However, you can manually authenticate as a different account while running as a service under the system account.

[ebr 15649]

Because that creates a ton of other permissions issues that would be even more of a problem.