I'm working on an automation process in C# that is going to remotely reboot a Windows (2008/2012/2016) server and I need to wait until that server is back online before proceeding.
I know 'back online' can be ambiguous, so for my requirements, I need the server to be back at the Ctrl-Alt-Del screen. The reason for this is to have the server in a consistent state before proceeding. In my experience, there are several factors that could prevent the server from reaching this screen, such as installing windows updates that gets stuck in a reboot cycle or getting stuck at 'Waiting for Local Session Manager' etc.
I've spent a few days looking in to this to no avail:
- The server obviously starts responding to ping requests before it is available
- System Boot Time occurs before the Server reaches the desired state
- Any events indicating the system has booted are logged before the desired state
- I can't simply poll for an essential service - when Windows is applying computer updates prior to logon these services can be already started. Additionally, sometimes a server will reboot itself whilst installing updates at this stage which could result in false positives.
- Polling CPU activity could also produce false positives or introduce delays
Is there anyway to detect a Windows server has finished booting and is available for an interactive logon?