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Monitor, Start and Stop SQL Server services using xp_servicecontrol

By: Jugal Shah | Read Comments (5) | Print

Jugal has 8+ years of extensive SQL Server experience and has worked on SQL Server 2000, 2005, 2008 and 2008 R2.

Related Tips: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | More

Problem

As you know SQL Server runs using a bunch of different services in order for it to operate. These can be monitored, started and stopped using SQL Server Configuration Manager or Windows Services, but this is not always the most convenient way of checking the services. Is there any way this can be done within SQL Server Management Studio? In this tip we take a look at a undocumented stored procedure that will allow you to do this.

Solution

To check the SQL Server services or any other service status using SSMS you can execute the extended stored procedure xp_servicecontrol. This is un documented extended stored procedure.

Syntax
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'Querystat|Start|Stop’,N'Service Name'

QueryState	Use this command to check the Services status whether service is running or stopped
Start	Use this command to start the service
Stop	use this command to stop the service

Examples

--See below example to check the status of SQL Services
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'MSSQLServer'
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'SQLServerAGENT'
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'msdtc'
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'sqlbrowser'
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'MSSQLServerOLAPService'
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'ReportServer'
--See below example to start/stop service using SSMS
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'stop',N'SQLServerAGENT'
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'start',N'SQLServerAGENT'
--See below example to check non-SQL Service
EXEC xp_servicecontrol querystate, DHCPServer

To run this on multiple servers you can use SQLCMD as shown below or you can use Central Management Servers.

Step 1 Create "MyScript.sql" file using the below T-SQL:

set nocount on
CREATE TABLE #ServicesStatus
( 
myid int identity(1,1),
serverName nvarchar(100) default @@serverName,
serviceName varchar(100),
Status varchar(50),
checkdatetime datetime default (getdate())
)
INSERT #ServicesStatus (Status)
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'QUERYSTATE',N'MSSQLServer'
update #ServicesStatus set serviceName = 'MSSQLServer' where myid = @@identity
INSERT #ServicesStatus (Status)
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'QUERYSTATE',N'SQLServerAGENT'
update #ServicesStatus set serviceName = 'SQLServerAGENT' where myid = @@identity
INSERT #ServicesStatus (Status)
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'QUERYSTATE',N'msdtc';
update #ServicesStatus set serviceName = 'msdtc' where myid = @@identity;
INSERT #ServicesStatus (Status)
EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'QUERYSTATE',N'sqlbrowser'
update #ServicesStatus set serviceName = 'sqlbrowser' where myid = @@identity
select * from #ServicesStatus 
select char(13)
select char(13)
drop table #ServicesStatus

Step 2 Create a Windows batch file and save it with .bat extension. Add the list of server names you want to check as shown below

sqlcmd -SServerName1 -E -dtempdb -iMyScript.sql -W >>sqlServicesStatus.txt
sqlcmd -SServerName2 -E -dtempdb -iMyScript.sql -W >>sqlServicesStatus.txt
sqlcmd -SServerName3 -E -dtempdb -iMyScript.sql -W >>sqlServicesStatus.txt
sqlcmd -SServerName4 -E -dtempdb -iMyScript.sql -W >>sqlServicesStatus.txt
sqlcmd -SServerName5 -E -dtempdb -iMyScript.sql -W >>sqlServicesStatus.txt

Step 3 Execute the batch file and then open "sqlServicesStatus.txt" to see the status for all services that were checked.

Notes

If the service that you are checking does not exist you will get an error message like the following:

Msg 22003, Level 16, State 1, Line 0
OpenSOpenService() returned error 1060, 'The specified service does not 
exist as an installed service.'

Also, xp_servicecontrol is an undocument system stored procedure, so you will not get a support for it and moreover there is a chance of code changes or parameter changes, so be aware of this if you decide to use this.

Next Steps

Use the above or different commands with xp_servicecontrol extended stored procedure
Create a batch file by adding a number of servers and servicess with xp_servicecontrol to list out service status
Using this you can extend this to setup a monitoring process to check whether services are running as needed

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Last Update: 6/11/2010

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Comments and Feedback:

Friday, June 11, 2010 - 9:23:45 AM - tskelley

Read The Tip

Thanks for the tip. I have been looking into some type of health monitoring capability for our application that includes a mix of database and windows services. As the author mentioned, this is an undocumented and therefore not supported by Microsoft. See link below:

Usage of xp_servicecontrol is unsupported

Now for my question. How would I select the results from this procedure into a variable, so I could report back to the user that the process failed? Something like (but does not work):

DECLARE @result nvarchar(255)

EXEC @result = xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'sqlbrowser'

IF CHARINDEX('Running', @result) > 0

PRINT 'Success'

ELSE

PRINT 'Failure'

Friday, June 11, 2010 - 10:05:28 AM - admin

Read The Tip

You could try something like this:

DECLARE @result nvarchar(255)
DECLARE @status table (result nvarchar(255))
INSERT @status EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'querystate',N'MSSQLServer'
SELECT @result = result FROM @status
IF @result = 'Running.'
PRINT 'Success'
ELSE
PRINT 'Failure'

Thursday, August 12, 2010 - 3:23:17 PM - Dr DBA

Read The Tip

Love this tip! I would like to know how to check the Analysis and FulltextSearch service, any idea?

Thanks

Wednesday, August 18, 2010 - 9:58:44 AM - Dr DBA

Read The Tip

Here are some more info for analysis and full text search

EXEC master.dbo.xp_servicecontrol N'QUERYSTATE',N'MSSQLServerOLAPService' - Analysis Service

EXEC xp_servicecontrol N'QUERYSTATE',N'MSFTESQL ' -- Full Text Search Service

Does anyone now how to check to see if these, or others, services are not present? If a service say Reporting Services is not installed you get an error. I would be good to first check to see if the service is there then check its status

Thursday, April 05, 2012 - 2:15:35 AM - sagar

Read The Tip

Thanks for the tip, is there any option inerting all records in table....

Many thanks in advance

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