Troubleshooting Server Services

A service is an application that runs on a computer providing an operating system feature, such as event logging or error reporting.

Diagnose and Resolve Issues Related to Service Dependency

Service dependencies can be very complex. Some services have no dependencies, meaning that you can start and stop them without worrying whether it will affect other services. However, many services have dependencies, so starting them depends on whether other specific services are first running, and stopping them might cause other services to fail. For example, consider the IPSec service shown in Figure 6.13. The Clipbook service does not have any other services that depend upon it. However, several services must be running before it can be started.

Figure 6.13. Dependencies of the IPSec service.

Service Dependency

Services that run on a computer might depend on other services. In other words, one service might not be capable of starting unless another service is running. Windows Server 2003 provides administrators with a quick way of determining those services upon which another is dependent, or vice versa. In other words, you can view services that the service depends on and services that depend on it to start. You can verify a service's dependencies using the Services console using the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and click Services. This opens the Services console (see Figure 6.14).

   Figure 6.14. The Services console.

   

2. Right-click the appropriate service and click Properties.

3. From the service's properties window click the Dependencies tab (see Figure 6.15). The Dependencies tab lists those services upon which the service depends and the services that depend upon it.

   Figure 6.15. Using a service's Dependencies tab.

   

Before you attempt to stop a service, it is a good idea to verify which services depend upon it, to determine whether any other services will be affected.

Use Service Recovery Options to Diagnose and Resolve Service-Related Issues

Windows 2000 introduced service recovery options. They enable you to specify what actions should be taken when a service fails. For example, if a service fails upon restart or while the server is running, you can attempt to have the service automatically restarted.

Four different recovery options are available. The default is not to take action when a service fails to start. You can also choose from one of the following three recovery actions. Now if a service fails, action can be taken to restart the service without direct administrative intervention.

• Restart the service.

• Run a program.

• Restart the computer.

You can also specify when you want these actions to occur. A recovery action can be performed when the service initially fails, when it fails for a second time, and for any subsequent failures.

Service recovery options are available only on computers running Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.

Configuring Service Recovery Options

To configure recovery options, perform the following steps:

1. Click Start, point to Administrative Tools, and click Services.

2. Right-click the service for which you want to configure recovery options and click Properties.

3. From the properties window, click the Recovery tab (see Figure 6.16).

   Figure 6.16. Configuring service recovery options.

   

4. To configure a recovery action, click the arrow beside First Failure. Select one of the available options. If you select to run a program, specify the program to run, as well as any command-line parameters.

5. Repeat step 4 to configure recovery actions for second and subsequent failures.

6. Click OK.

Other Troubleshooting Tools

Windows Server 2003 includes a number of other tools that can be used to diagnose and troubleshoot problems as they arise. Some of these tools include

• Task Manager

• System Information

• Event Viewer

• Shutdown Event Tracker

Task Manager

Task Manager can be used to view a variety of information about the local computer. You can launch the tool by right-clicking the task bar and selecting the Task Manager option (see Figure 6.17). Using Task Manager, you can view the following information:

• Programs currently running

• Processes currently running

• Dynamic performance of the local computer

• Network status

• Users currently connected to the computer

Figure 6.17. Using Task Manager.

Table 6.3 summarizes the available tabs.

Table 6.3. Tabs Available Through Windows Task Manager

Tab	Description
Applications	Lists all the applications currently running on the computer
Processes	Lists all the processes currently running on the computer
Performance	Displays real-time performance information
Networking	Displays real-time performance information for the local area connection
Users	Lists the users currently connected to the local computer

System Information

The System Information tool provides configuration information about the local computer or a remote computer. You can use the tool to quickly locate configuration information for a computer. You can open the System Information tool by selecting Start, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, System Information. The tool provides the following information:

• System Summary Displays general information about the computer

• Hardware Resources Provides information about resource usage

• Components Provides information about the components installed on the computer

• Software Environment Provides system configuration information

• Internet Settings Provides information about the Internet settings configured on the computer

Event Viewer

You can use Event Viewer to view the contents of the Windows Server 2003 event log files. Every computer running Windows Server 2003 has three log files: Application, Security, and System. Additional log files might be present depending on the configuration of the computer. For example, a computer running DNS will have a DNS server log. The contents of the log files can be used to track events and troubleshoot problems as they arise.

Shutdown Event Tracker

The Shutdown Event Tracker option enables an administrator to monitor why users shut down or restart their computers. This feature is enabled by default on all computers running Windows Server 2003 and is disabled on Windows XP Professional workstations. When Shutdown Event Tracker is enabled, users are prompted to provide a reason as to why they are shutting down or restarting a computer. The information is then recorded in the system log.