Application as Service Overview

Application as Service is an advanced system utility which lets you run any application as Windows service, as well as create and manage system services locally or on any remote computer, benefiting from all of the advantages native Windows services provide.

You can create a service in seconds without modifying any of your existing applications and keep it running without the need of an end-user session.

Application as Service ensures that your application launched as service will:

  • run locally or on the remote PC over the network or Internet;
  • run at a certain time or on a certain date (backup utility, scheduler, etc.);
  • automatically restart on power failures or application crashes (client-server utilities, databases, etc.);
  • run in the predefined order (follow the service it depends on);
  • start prior to user logon (e.g. surveillance utilities);
  • be executed with the specified user rights and priority.

Unlike standard services which per se are non-interactive and run in the background, programs started by Application as Service can respond to user-generated events (mouse clicks/keyboard button pressing, etc).

Application as Service offers additional options such as advanced recovery (restart the service your application is started by; restart computer; launch additional applications), sophisticated dependencies mechanism, possibility to grant your application certain rights/priority and to bind to specific processors, “consistent-application-crash” protection, forced application exit, graceful console and Windows applications exit, on-the-fly startup customization and lots more.

Application as Service is naturally a command-line driven application. The graphical user interface it provides is a front-end to console application which simplifies the whole process of installing and launching your application as service.

However, if you find it more useful and convenient for your tasks to use command line, Application as Service will help you generate command line options to automate the process in future.

Additionally, our application allows you to install and start services using XML configuration file which guarantees easy integration of Application as Service features into your own application (OEM License only).

Main Features:

  • Run any application (32/64-bit and console ones) as Windows service
  • Easily connect to the remote PC over the network or Internet and manage all remote services like your own. Application as Service is not required on the remote PC.
  • Run application before users logon into their accounts
  • Start the service after the network is fully initialized
  • Run your application interactively or silently
  • Choose user session (including RDP session) in which the service should be started – for Windows XP, 2000, Vista, 7 and Server 2008
  • Schedule your service to run at the exact time and periodically on the definite day of the week/month/year
  • Minimize downtime by auto-restarting application once it is crashed
  • Advanced service dependencies mechanism allows running applications in certain order
  • Define Load Order Group which your application belongs to
  • Restrict/grant your application with execution rights by specifying user account name under which it is run. Now for interactive services as well.
  • On-the-fly service startup type customization
  • Gracefully close console and Windows applications
  • Close various popup windows that your application might display
  • Specify the process priority for your application (Real time/High/Above normal/Normal/Below normal/Low)
  • Define CPU binding for multi-processor PCs
  • Conveniently supply additional options and system environment variables for console and Windows applications
  • Run additional programs prior to the service startup, program start, stop or just after the service shutdown
  • Redirect STDIN, STDOUT and STDERROR streams to or from the file for console application
  • Take all benefits of multi-processor, multi-thread and 64-bit platforms
  • Works under Virtual Machines (VMWare, etc.)
  • Use XML configuration file to install the service
  • View info on device drivers in Services list

Application as Service is compatible with:

  • Windows 2000
  • Windows XP
  • Windows Server 2003
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows Server 2008
  • Windows 7
  • All 64-bit platforms

Trial Version limitations:
Eltima Software offers free Trial version of Application as Service for evaluation purposes. During 14-day Trial period you can test all the features of Application as Service. If the product suits your needs, you can acquire a license according to your needs. Visit /products/application-as-service/ to download free Trial version of the program, read about types of licenses available and place the order.