SqlAgent Service runs but status is 'red'

  • Hi all,

    I'm running SqlSrv2000(eval) on a NT4,6 system.

    Via the control panel I can see that the service SQKSERVERAGENT is running, via the task manager I can see it's image (sqlagent.exe). But in serviceManager and in EM the Agent status is red. I can't start it up because of error 'An instance of the service is already running'.

    What is going on?

    Any help is appreciated.


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • First try right click and refresh in EM, may be the client not reading right. If still red then stop via services control panel and try to start from EM and see what happens.

    "Don't roll your eyes at me. I will tape them in place." (Teacher on Boston Public)

  • Anatares,

    Refreshing did not help.

    Stopping via Services ctrl panel and then start via EM, didn't work either: I do right click on Sql Server Agent -> start. No messages. In services ctr panel I see that it has started. I refreshed SqlServerAgent: still status is red.


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • Antares,

    After the previous actions I tried to change something in an alert and got error 14258: 'Cannot perform this operation while SQLServerAgent is starting'.


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • Do you have any other servers in this EM you can compare? Also, does Services panel show started or starting? As well, have you tried starting a job to see what happens? And finally have you looked at the SQLAgent or SQLServer logs to see if any information on troubles?

    "Don't roll your eyes at me. I will tape them in place." (Teacher on Boston Public)

  • Antares,

    Problem is solved by shutting down and starting up the machine.

    There are no more servers in this Em to compare.

    Services panel showed started. SqlServerError log contains nothing relevant.

    SqlAgent log contains a line stating: SQLSERVERAGENT starting under Windows NT Service control.

    I was logged on to NT and into EM as the same user under which EM and the Agent run (sql_srv). Maybe that that user starts up these services and that EM also starts the AgentService up. Thereby creating a conflicting situation.

    When I looged off NT and did a restart logging on with different user, it took some time for SqlServer to restart and start up Agent.

    After that I did another restart of the machine and logged on with sql_srv and now all works fine again.

    I'll try to repeat the 'error' 'cause solving a problem by rebooting is not an option when this would have been prod.

    Thanks for your time!

    Kind Regards,

    Schil


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • Well, I duplicate dthe error:

    via service manager I stopped the agent.

    Checked ctrl panel: service does not run

    Checked task manager: sqlagent.exe no longer exists.

    So it is truely stopped.

    Then via servic emanager: start Agent.

    Status remains red but in ctrl panel service is started and sqlagent.exe is running.

    Also in EM status is RED.

    Cannot start it up: already other instance of this service running.

    Looks like the problem is is the communication between windows service control and SqlServer.

    Any suggestions how I can circumvent this, is this fixed in a SP?

    Thanks in advance,

    Schil

    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet

    Schil

    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • Could not find anything on this in the SPs but there are sometimes unlisted fixes in the SPs. If you have no issues that would prevent consider revising to the latetest Service Pack and see if still occurrs. If does then you need to set up a test server and see if you can duplicate outside the environment where you are currently having trobules to confirm if a bug. I have not been able to duplicate on my server, it takes a moment but it refreshes to current state.

    "Don't roll your eyes at me. I will tape them in place." (Teacher on Boston Public)

  • We see this occassionally when we've had to stop and restart SQL Server Agent for SQL Server 7.0. Generally, we found it hangs less if stopped and restarted from the Services Control Panel applet rather than from EM or the Service Manager.

    K. Brian Kelley

    bkelley@sqlservercentral.com

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/bkelley/

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • A few weeks back, we had the same issue. There is Microsoft article in this regard. Unfortunatelly I do have the reference at this time. Essentially it says, that This could cause by a coupl of things.

    1. The agent did not recognized the user id and password, so it says you have to make sure the agent has admin rights to the server were you have SQL Server. Reset the agent usewrid and password if it does (both, at Windows and SQL Server.)

    2. Apply SP2, it will reset all the registry keys.

    3. (I do not recommend this one, unless you are very familiar with this task) Find the HKey_Local_Machine in the registry and make sure the agent has the proper key.

    Even though we know were and how to make registry changes, we left this one as a last resort. We rest the agent userid and password and re-apply sp2 and that did the trick. Since then, we haven't have any problems with the agent. Good luck!

    Microsoft says it is a bug and they should be launching a new service pack soon (when? who knows)

  • I forgot, I will look for the article link and posted as soon as possible, Thanks

  • Hi all,

    Thanks for all your replies.

    Alas I use eval software so installing/de-installing Sp's will not work.

    But I noticied something elese. I use Notes for emailing alerts to my email account. Sometimes SqlQgent fails to start up properly or rather in ctr. panel it says started, but windows displays a warning that the service is hanging during startup. If I then try to stop and start SqlAgent I

    certainly

    ran into problems (described above). When I remove the MAPI_profile in the alert properties. the problem persists, but if I then restart SqlServer everything is ok.

    When no message from windows is displayed then I

    might

    run into problems.

    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet

    Schil

    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • Do you have SQLMail or SQLAgentMail talking to your Lotus Notes Server using SMTP? Microsoft has indicated that they only suggest using Lotus Notes as an SMTP server. I wonder if maybe it is because of issues similar to what you are seeing.

    K. Brian Kelley

    bkelley@sqlservercentral.com

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/bkelley/

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

  • Nope I'm not using SMTP. And for SqlAgentMail all works fine. But for SqlMail I'm having troubles with specifying the correct mail mapi. If I do a test I receive an error: MAPI does not exist (while for SqlAgent mail it does exist...).

    Hence I reckon my problems have their cause there, but still it seems to me that the communication between wondows service control and SqlServer2000 has some glitches (in this SP0 setup).

    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet

    Schil

    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999


    With Kind Regards/Met vriendelijke groet
    Schil
    'It's never ending and never surrendering' Unida 1999

  • SQL Server and SQL Server agent are running under the same account?

    K. Brian Kelley

    bkelley@sqlservercentral.com

    http://www.sqlservercentral.com/columnists/bkelley/

    K. Brian Kelley
    @kbriankelley

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