SQL Server Agent has stopped working

  • I have been utilizing SQL Server Agent for the past 7 months to control all my backups, tuning, etc.

    The other day for no reason I can find to stopped.  I can not turn it back on and I am getting an error that the login has failed.  I have made suer that the user login is a sysdba and I have made sure that the correct username and password are being utilized inside of the SQL Server Agent service within control panel.

    I really need to get this running again.  Does anyone know how/why this happened and how to fix it.

    Thanks in advance for your assistance.

     

    Scott

  • Could the account have expired? Can you log on to the server with the account in question?

     

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • Be sure you check disabled account, computer restrictions, hours etc. in the account properties.

  • Could it be that someone change the password for that domain account which your sql server agent used to log in and start service.

     

    mom

  • Expiry or disablement of the SQL Server agent account is the most common cause of this problem.  Other potential causes are:

    a) SQL Server Agent account deleted as a SQL Server login.  Agent must be able to connect to SQL Server in order to start.

    b) If SQL Server Agent uses a mail profile, then problems with this can cause Agent to hang on startup.  If the last line of the Agent log is 'Atempting to start mail...' with no following 'Mail session started...' then you have a mail problem.  Log on to the box using the agent account, start Outlook and confirm all is OK, then Agent should start.  If Agent still hangs then a reboot normally clears the problem. 

    c) If Agent is set to start automatically at boot time, there can be timing problems whereby Agent starts before MSSQLServer is ready for it.  This occurs most frequently if Agent uses a mail profile.  Sometimes it works OK, sometimes it hangs.  If this happens to you, set Agent to manual start, then create a sp that runs on MSSQL startup to start Agent.  Starting Agent with a sp has always avoided a hang at our site

    d) Your 'friendly' NT admin person may have altered the rights needed by the SQL Agent account.  Check all the rights on the box with a problem against a working box.

    Original author: https://github.com/SQL-FineBuild/Common/wiki/ 1-click install and best practice configuration of SQL Server 2019, 2017 2016, 2014, 2012, 2008 R2, 2008 and 2005.

    When I give food to the poor they call me a saint. When I ask why they are poor they call me a communist - Archbishop Hélder Câmara

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