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WatchDog - Tool to monitor file changes

lakshmikanth

• 2 min read

WatchDog is simple windows service application to monitor file changes and send email alerts in local server. Main purpose of the application is to alert Consultants & IT administrators about accidental changes in configuration files.

Installation

Pre-reqs:

  •   .NET Framework 4.5.2
  •   User with Administrator priviliges

Installation Procedure

  • Create folder “Watchdog” in your local drive ex: C:\WatchDog
  • Download and copy the following files under “Watchdog”
    • WatchDog.exe
    • WatchDog.exe.config
    • FilesToWatch.cfg
    • readme.txt
  • Open command prompt with Administrator priviliges and navigate to “WatchDog” folder
  • Type and run command WatchDog.exe install
  • On successful execution, windows service “WatchDog” installed in your computer

Download Link : https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kzbg2tbpe4oe2gh/AAAjJxwwsadxpGCe2PMpYPZaa?dl=0

To uninstall

  • Open command prompt with Administrator priviliges and navigate to “WatchDog” folder
  • Type and run command WatchDog.exe uninstall
  • On successful execution, windows service “WatchDog” is uninstalled in your computer
  • Delete “WatchDog” folder from your computer

Configuration details

File : WatchDog.exe.config

  • Service -> FlexiContact.serviceName : Windows service name. This should be unique value in the local server. Default value: FxWatchDog
  • Service -> FlexiContact.serviceDisplayName: Windows service display name. Default value: WatchDog
  • Service -> FlexiContact.serviceDescription:  Windows service description. Default value: Windows Service to monitor file changes
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_host: SMTP Server IP address or host name
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_port: SMTP Server port number
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_userName: user name for SMTP authentication. Must be configured if “smtp_useSMTPAuthentication” set to ‘True’
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_userPassword: user password for SMTP authentication. Must be configured if “smtp_useSMTPAuthentication” set to ‘True’
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_fromAddress: From Address
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_toAddress: To Address. Use pipe delimiter to send email to multiple address. Ex: john@doe.com|findme@johndoe.com
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_enableSSL: Set to ‘True’ if SMTP Server requires SSL. Valid values: TRUE, FALSE
  • WatchDog.Properties.Settings -> smtp_useSMTPAuthentication: Set to ‘True’ if SMTP Server requires authentication. Valid values: TRUE, FALSE

For changes to take effect, you need to restart application/service

File : FilesToWatch.cfg

Configure the folder and files to monitor for configuration changes. You need to configure each file in seperate row.

For example,

"C:\Temp\","*.log"
  • “C:\Temp”    => Folder
  • “*.log”        => File Pattern.

In this case, email alerts will be generated for any file with *.log extension in ‘C:\Temp’ folder.

log4net.config

WatchDog application Apache log4net library for logging. Please refer to https://logging.apache.org/log4net/release/manual/configuration.html

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