Initial commit - QBPOS Help

docs/AUTO_START_GUIDE.md

@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+# QBPOS Help Site - Auto-Start & Monitoring Configuration
+
+## ✅ Current Status
+
+Your QBPOS Help site is now configured for automatic startup and monitoring:
+
+### 🔄 Auto-Start on Boot
+
+- **Nginx Service**: Enabled to start automatically on server reboot
+- **SSL Auto-Renewal**: Enabled (certbot.timer checks twice daily)
+- **Health Check**: Enabled to run every 5 minutes
+
+### 🔍 Monitoring & Health Checks
+
+The site is monitored every 5 minutes with automatic recovery:
+
+- Checks if nginx is running (restarts if stopped)
+- Verifies site responds with HTTP 200
+- Automatically reloads nginx if site is down
+- Logs all checks to `/var/log/qbpos-health-check.log`
+
+### 📊 Site Information
+
+- **URL**: <https://quickbookposhelp.access.ly>
+- **No port or path needed** - just the domain!
+- **SSL Certificate**: Let's Encrypt (expires April 9, 2026)
+- **Auto-renewal**: Enabled
+
+---
+
+## 🛠️ Management Commands
+
+### Check Service Status
+
+```bash
+sudo systemctl status nginx
+sudo systemctl status qbpos-health-check.timer
+```
+
+### View Health Check Logs
+
+```bash
+tail -f /var/log/qbpos-health-check.log
+```
+
+### Manual Health Check
+
+```bash
+sudo /home/pts/Documents/QBPOS_Help_Web/health_check.sh
+```
+
+### Restart Services
+
+```bash
+sudo systemctl restart nginx
+sudo systemctl restart qbpos-health-check.timer
+```
+
+### View Next Scheduled Health Check
+
+```bash
+systemctl list-timers | grep qbpos
+```
+
+---
+
+## 🔧 What Happens on Server Reboot
+
+1. **Network comes online**
+2. **Nginx starts automatically** (serves the site)
+3. **2 minutes after boot**: First health check runs
+4. **Every 5 minutes**: Health check verifies site is up
+5. **If site is down**: Automatic recovery attempts
+
+---
+
+## 📝 Configuration Files
+
+- Nginx config: `/etc/nginx/sites-available/qbpos-help`
+- Health check script: `/home/pts/Documents/QBPOS_Help_Web/health_check.sh`
+- Systemd service: `/etc/systemd/system/qbpos-health-check.service`
+- Systemd timer: `/etc/systemd/system/qbpos-health-check.timer`
+- Health log: `/var/log/qbpos-health-check.log`
+
+---
+
+## ✅ Verification Checklist
+
+All services are enabled and running:
+
+- [x] Nginx service enabled
+- [x] Nginx currently running
+- [x] SSL certificate installed
+- [x] SSL auto-renewal enabled
+- [x] Health check timer enabled
+- [x] Site accessible via <https://quickbookposhelp.access.ly>
+
+**Your site is production-ready and will survive server reboots!**