Watcher Manager (System Monitoring & Recovery)
Overview
Watcher Manager controls how ITVDesk monitors itself and how it reacts to unexpected shutdowns, crashes, or user actions.
This mechanism is designed to ensure continuous RTSP / ONVIF streaming, especially in unattended or production environments.
Watcher Modes
ITVDesk provides three different watcher modes, depending on how strictly the application should be supervised.
Enable Watcher (Normal)
Recommended for most installations.
This mode continuously monitors the ITVDesk application and automatically restarts it if a failure is detected.
What it does:
- Monitors application health and runtime state
- Detects crashes or unexpected exits
- Automatically restarts ITVDesk if it stops
- Ensures continuous RTSP / ONVIF availability
Typical use cases:
- 24/7 recording systems
- ONVIF / RTSP camera replacement
- Servers and workstations running unattended
- Standard surveillance setups
Best balance between stability and user control.
Enable Watcher (Kiosk Mode)
Advanced protection mode for locked-down environments
Kiosk Mode enforces strict runtime control and prevents users from stopping ITVDesk, even intentionally.
What it does:
- Automatically restarts ITVDesk even if manually closed
- Prevents accidental or intentional shutdown
- Ensures the application is always running
- Provides maximum uptime and recovery
Typical use cases:
- Public displays
- Kiosk systems
- Retail monitoring stations
- Industrial or lab environments
- Systems without local user supervision
In this mode, ITVDesk will restart itself automatically after closure.
Disable Watcher
No automatic monitoring or recovery
This mode completely disables all watcher functionality.
What it does:
- No crash detection
- No automatic restart
- Application stops fully when closed or crashed
Typical use cases:
- Development
- Testing
- Temporary sessions
- Debugging scenarios
⚠️ Not recommended for unattended or production systems.
Auto Maintenance
Enable Auto Maintenance
Allows ITVDesk to perform scheduled maintenance tasks automatically.
Supported operations may include:
- Scheduled restart
- Resource cleanup
- Internal state reset
- Long-running stability improvements
Auto Maintenance is especially useful for long-running systems to prevent resource leaks or performance degradation over time.
Schedule maintenance during low-usage periods.
Best Practice Summary
| Scenario | Recommended Mode |
|---|---|
| 24/7 surveillance | Enable Watcher (Normal) |
| Public / kiosk display | Enable Watcher (Kiosk Mode) |
| Testing / development | Disable Watcher |
| Long-term unattended use | Watcher + Auto Maintenance |
Notes
- Watcher operates locally on the system
- No network or cloud dependency
- Works independently from ONVIF / RTSP clients
- Designed to maximize service availability