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NSSM Integration Guide - Windows Service Solution

NSSM Integration Guide - Windows Service Solution

Created: 2025-11-16
Purpose: Solve Windows Service registration issues for Odoo 18
Status: Ready to implement

Problem Summary

Current Issue:
- ✅ Service registers with sc.exe
- ❌ Service cannot START (fails immediately)
- ❌ Service doesn't support STOP/PAUSE controls
- ❌ Odoo 18 removed --install-service option (was available in Odoo ≤17)

Root Cause:
Odoo's odoo-bin is a Python script, not a Windows Service executable. It doesn't implement Windows Service Control Manager (SCM) API, so Windows can't manage it properly.

Solution: NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager)

What is NSSM?
- Industry-standard tool for running ANY application as a Windows Service
- Wraps console applications (like Python scripts) with proper SCM integration
- Used by thousands of Windows applications
- Open source, actively maintained
- Size: ~350KB (tiny!)

What NSSM Provides:
✅ Proper START/STOP/PAUSE/RESTART controls
✅ Automatic restart on failure
✅ Service dependencies (e.g., wait for PostgreSQL)
✅ Log file rotation
✅ Graceful shutdown handling
✅ Process priority control
✅ GUI configuration editor

Official Site: https://nssm.cc/

Implementation Steps

Step 1: Download NSSM

Option A: Direct Download

# Download NSSM 2.24 (latest stable)
Invoke-WebRequest -Uri "https://nssm.cc/release/nssm-2.24.zip" -OutFile "nssm-2.24.zip"

# Extract
Expand-Archive -Path "nssm-2.24.zip" -DestinationPath "."

# Copy 64-bit version to installer bundle
New-Item -ItemType Directory -Path "D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\bundled\tools" -Force
Copy-Item "nssm-2.24\win64\nssm.exe" "D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\bundled\tools\nssm.exe"

Option B: Manual Download
1. Visit: https://nssm.cc/download
2. Download nssm-2.24.zip
3. Extract win64\nssm.exe
4. Copy to: D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\bundled\tools\nssm.exe

File Size: ~350KB
SHA256: (verify from official site)

Step 2: Update Installer (.iss file)

File: dev_files\odoo_samai_installer.iss

Add NSSM to [Files] section:

Find the section where tools are copied (around line 180-195), add:

; ============================================================================
; Windows Service Manager (NSSM)
; ============================================================================
; NSSM wraps Python/Odoo as proper Windows Service (Odoo 18 removed native service support)
Source: "D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\bundled\tools\nssm.exe"; DestDir: "{app}\tools"; Flags: ignoreversion

Step 3: Update Service Registration Script Reference

File: dev_files\odoo_samai_installer.iss

Find the [Run] section (around line 289), change:

BEFORE:

Filename: "powershell.exe"; \
    Parameters: "-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ""{app}\scripts\register_service.ps1"" -InstallDir ""{app}"""; \
    Description: "Register SAM AI as Windows service (recommended)"; \
    StatusMsg: "Registering SAM AI as Windows service..."; \
    Flags: postinstall skipifsilent waituntilterminated; \
    Check: IsAdminInstallMode

AFTER:

Filename: "powershell.exe"; \
    Parameters: "-ExecutionPolicy Bypass -File ""{app}\scripts\register_service_nssm.ps1"" -InstallDir ""{app}"""; \
    Description: "Register SAM AI as Windows service (recommended)"; \
    StatusMsg: "Registering SAM AI as Windows service..."; \
    Flags: postinstall skipifsilent waituntilterminated; \
    Check: IsAdminInstallMode

Step 4: Copy New Script to Installer Bundle

Copy the new NSSM-based script:

# The script already exists at:
# D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\scripts\register_service_nssm.ps1

# Verify it's included in .iss file [Files] section:
# Add this line if not already present:

Add to .iss [Files] section:

Source: "D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\scripts\register_service_nssm.ps1"; DestDir: "{app}\scripts"; Flags: ignoreversion

Step 5: Update Uninstall Script (Optional Enhancement)

File: scripts\unregister_service.ps1

Add NSSM-aware cleanup:

# At the top of the file, add:
$nssmExe = Join-Path $InstallDir "tools\nssm.exe"

# In the service removal section, change to:
if (Test-Path $nssmExe) {
    # NSSM-installed service
    Write-Log "Removing NSSM service: $serviceName"
    & $nssmExe remove $serviceName confirm 2>&1 | Out-Null
} else {
    # Fallback to sc.exe
    & sc.exe delete $serviceName 2>&1 | Out-Null
}

Testing the Solution

Test 1: Manual Installation (Current System)

Right now, you can test NSSM on your current installation:

# 1. Download NSSM manually and place in:
#    C:\Program Files\SAM AI\tools\nssm.exe

# 2. Run the new script:
cd "C:\Program Files\SAM AI\scripts"
.\register_service_nssm.ps1 -InstallDir "C:\Program Files\SAM AI"

# 3. Verify service:
sc query SAMAI-Odoo
Get-Service SAMAI-Odoo

# 4. Test START:
net start SAMAI-Odoo

# 5. Test STOP:
net stop SAMAI-Odoo

# 6. Test RESTART:
Restart-Service SAMAI-Odoo

Test 2: After Building New Installer

After integrating NSSM into the installer:

  1. Build new samai_installer.exe
  2. Install on test machine
  3. During installation, check "Register SAM AI as Windows service"
  4. After installation:
    ```powershell
    # Service should be running
    Get-Service SAMAI-Odoo

# Should show: Status: Running, StartType: Automatic

# Test controls
net stop SAMAI-Odoo # Should work
net start SAMAI-Odoo # Should work
```

Benefits of NSSM Solution

Compared to Current sc.exe Method:

Feature Current (sc.exe) With NSSM
Service registers ✅ Yes ✅ Yes
Service starts ❌ No (fails) ✅ Yes
START command works ❌ No ✅ Yes
STOP command works ❌ No ✅ Yes
PAUSE/RESTART works ❌ No ✅ Yes
Auto-restart on crash ❌ No ✅ Yes
Log file rotation ❌ No ✅ Yes
Service dependencies ⚠️ Ignored ✅ Works
Graceful shutdown ❌ No ✅ Yes
GUI configuration ❌ No ✅ Yes

NSSM Configuration (What the Script Does)

The register_service_nssm.ps1 script configures:

Basic Setup:
- Service Name: SAMAI-Odoo
- Display Name: SAM AI - Odoo 18
- Startup Type: Automatic
- Executable: {app}\python\python.exe
- Arguments: {app}\server\odoo-bin -c {app}\server\odoo.conf

Logging:
- stdout → C:\Program Files\SAM AI\logs\odoo_stdout.log
- stderr → C:\Program Files\SAM AI\logs\odoo_stderr.log
- Automatic rotation at 10MB
- Keeps old logs

Recovery:
- On crash: Restart after 5 seconds
- On any exit: Restart
- Graceful shutdown: 30 second timeout
- Process priority: Normal

Dependencies:
- Waits for PostgreSQL service (if found)
- Can start independently if PostgreSQL not registered

Manual NSSM Commands (Advanced Users)

View all service configuration:

nssm dump SAMAI-Odoo

Edit service with GUI:

nssm edit SAMAI-Odoo
# Opens a GUI window with all settings

View specific setting:

nssm get SAMAI-Odoo AppDirectory
nssm get SAMAI-Odoo DisplayName
nssm get SAMAI-Odoo AppStdout

Change setting:

nssm set SAMAI-Odoo AppStopMethodConsole 60000  # 60 sec shutdown timeout
nssm set SAMAI-Odoo Description "My custom description"

Remove service:

nssm remove SAMAI-Odoo confirm

File Locations After Integration

Installer Source:
D:\SAMAI-18-SaaS\github-repos\100-samai-desktop-installer\
├── bundled\
│   └── tools\
│       └── nssm.exe                    ← Add this (350KB)
└── scripts\
    ├── register_service.ps1            ← OLD (keep for reference)
    └── register_service_nssm.ps1       ← NEW (use this)

Live Installation:
C:\Program Files\SAM AI\
├── tools\
│   └── nssm.exe                        ← Installed here
├── scripts\
│   ├── register_service.ps1            ← OLD
│   └── register_service_nssm.ps1       ← NEW
└── logs\
    ├── odoo.log                        ← Odoo's own log
    ├── odoo_stdout.log                 ← NSSM stdout capture
    ├── odoo_stderr.log                 ← NSSM stderr capture
    └── service_registration.log        ← Registration script log

Troubleshooting

Service won't start

Check logs:

# Registration log
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\SAM AI\logs\service_registration.log" -Tail 50

# Service stderr (error output)
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\SAM AI\logs\odoo_stderr.log" -Tail 50

# Service stdout
Get-Content "C:\Program Files\SAM AI\logs\odoo_stdout.log" -Tail 50

Common causes:
1. PostgreSQL not running (check dependency)
2. Port 8069 already in use
3. Database doesn't exist
4. Python path incorrect

NSSM GUI not opening

# Check if NSSM exists
Test-Path "C:\Program Files\SAM AI\tools\nssm.exe"

# Run with full path
& "C:\Program Files\SAM AI\tools\nssm.exe" edit SAMAI-Odoo

Antivirus blocking NSSM

Some antivirus software flags NSSM as suspicious (false positive).

Solution:
1. Add C:\Program Files\SAM AI\tools\nssm.exe to AV exclusions
2. Or download NSSM from official site (verified hash)

Summary - Implementation Checklist

For AI Agent building next installer:

  • [ ] Download NSSM 2.24 from https://nssm.cc/download
  • [ ] Extract win64\nssm.exe
  • [ ] Copy to: bundled\tools\nssm.exe
  • [ ] Update .iss file: Add NSSM to [Files] section
  • [ ] Update .iss file: Change [Run] section to use register_service_nssm.ps1
  • [ ] Verify scripts\register_service_nssm.ps1 exists (already created)
  • [ ] Build new installer
  • [ ] Test on clean Windows VM

Result: Windows Service will work perfectly with full START/STOP/RESTART support!

NSSM solves all your Windows Service issues. It's the industry-standard solution used by thousands of applications!

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