Microsoft® SQL Server® 2008 Administration with Windows PowerShell™

Chapter 7. Working with Windows Services and Processes

This chapter looks at the cmdlets related to Windows services and processes in detail. It covers the following topics:

• Windows services

• Windows PowerShell and Windows services

• Windows processes

• Windows PowerShell and Windows processes

What Is a Windows Service?

A Windows service is a long-running executable that performs specific functions and is designed not to require user intervention. By definition, it's a program that runs invisibly in the background. These services load and start running whether or not anyone logs into the computer, unlike a program that is launched from the Startup folder under All Programs.

Many of the Windows services start when the Microsoft Windows operating system is booted, and run in the background as long as Windows is running. They are similar in concept to a UNIX daemon. They appear in the Processes list in Windows Task Manager, most often with a username of SYSTEM, LOCAL SERVICE, or NETWORK SERVICE, though not all processes with the SYSTEM username are services.

Once a service is installed, it can be managed by launching Services from the Windows Control Panel

Figure 7-1. Figure 7-1

As shown in Figure 7-1, the Services management console provides a brief description of each service function and displays ...