Uptimed

I recently had the chance to try out Uptimed, an uptime daemon designed to log your best uptimes. The original developer, Robert John Kaper, has passed the torch to a new maintainer due to being overwhelmed by other work. However, the software remains a dependable choice for those looking to monitor their system's uptime.

One of the standout features of Uptimed is its use of the system boot time to keep sessions apart from each other. This is a refreshing alternative to the more traditional approach of using a PID file. The end result provides a more reliable system for those who are frequently switching runlevels or running multiple instances of the daemon.

Another nice touch is the ability to receive notifications of records and milestones through syslog and e-mail. Uptimed also comes with a console front end that makes it easy to parse through records, making it an excellent tool for tracking your system's uptime. It is also possible to use this front end to display your records on your own website.

Interestingly, Uptimed's inspiration comes from a different but similar utility called 'ud'. However, Uptimed stands out by using a completely different design approach.

Installing Uptimed is a fairly straightforward process, requiring just a simple './configure && make' command. Do keep in mind that BSD systems may require GNU make, installed as 'gmake'. If you encounter any issues during installation, reach out to [email protected] or consider contributing your own patches.

Overall, Uptimed proves to be a reliable uptime monitoring tool with a unique approach to keeping sessions apart from one another. Its console front end and notification features make it straightforward to use and customize for your system.