Stop and Start a service via batch or cmd file?

Question

How can I script a bat or cmd to stop and start a service reliably with error checking (or let me know that it wasn't successful for whatever reason)?

Answer 1

Use the SC (service control) command, it gives you a lot more options than just start & stop.

  DESCRIPTION:
          SC is a command line program used for communicating with the
          NT Service Controller and services.
  USAGE:
      sc <server> [command] [service name]  ...

      The option <server> has the form "\\ServerName"
      Further help on commands can be obtained by typing: "sc [command]"
      Commands:
        query-----------Queries the status for a service, or
                        enumerates the status for types of services.
        queryex---------Queries the extended status for a service, or
                        enumerates the status for types of services.
        start-----------Starts a service.
        pause-----------Sends a PAUSE control request to a service.
        interrogate-----Sends an INTERROGATE control request to a service.
        continue--------Sends a CONTINUE control request to a service.
        stop------------Sends a STOP request to a service.
        config----------Changes the configuration of a service (persistant).
        description-----Changes the description of a service.
        failure---------Changes the actions taken by a service upon failure.
        qc--------------Queries the configuration information for a service.
        qdescription----Queries the description for a service.
        qfailure--------Queries the actions taken by a service upon failure.
        delete----------Deletes a service (from the registry).
        create----------Creates a service. (adds it to the registry).
        control---------Sends a control to a service.
        sdshow----------Displays a service's security descriptor.
        sdset-----------Sets a service's security descriptor.
        GetDisplayName--Gets the DisplayName for a service.
        GetKeyName------Gets the ServiceKeyName for a service.
        EnumDepend------Enumerates Service Dependencies.

      The following commands don't require a service name:
      sc <server> <command> <option>
        boot------------(ok | bad) Indicates whether the last boot should
                        be saved as the last-known-good boot configuration
        Lock------------Locks the Service Database
        QueryLock-------Queries the LockStatus for the SCManager Database
  EXAMPLE:
          sc start MyService

Answer 2

You can use the NET START command and then check the ERRORLEVEL environment variable, e.g.

net start [your service]
if %errorlevel% == 2 echo Could not start service.
if %errorlevel% == 0 echo Service started successfully.
echo Errorlevel: %errorlevel%

Disclaimer: I've written this from the top of my head, but I think it'll work.

Answer 3

Instead of checking codes, this works too

net start "Apache tomcat" || goto ExitError

:End  
exit 0  

:ExitError  
echo An error has occurred while starting the tomcat services  
exit 1  

Answer 4

Sometimes you can find the stop does not work..

My SQlServer sometimes does this. Using the following commandline kills it. If you really really need your script to kill stuff that doesn't stop. I would have it do this as a last resort

taskkill /pid [pid number] /f

Answer 5

I am writing a windows service in C#, the stop/uninstall/build/install/start loop got too tiring. Wrote a mini script, called it reploy.bat and dropped in my Visual Studio output directory (one that has the built service executable) to automate the loop.

Just set these 3 vars

servicename : this shows up on the Windows Service control panel (services.msc)

slndir : folder (not the full path) containing your solution (.sln) file

binpath : full path (not the folder path) to the service executable from the build

NOTE: This needs to be run from the Visual Studio Developer Command Line for the msbuild command to work.

SET servicename="My Amazing Service"
SET slndir="C:dir\that\contains\sln\file"
SET binpath="C:path\to\service.exe"
SET currdir=%cd%

call net stop %servicename%
call sc delete %servicename%
cd %slndir%
call msbuild 
cd %bindir%
call sc create %servicename% binpath=%binpath%
call net start %servicename%
cd %currdir%

Maybe this helps someone :)

Answer 6

We'd like to think that "net stop " will stop the service. Sadly, reality isn't that black and white. If the service takes a long time to stop, the command will return before the service has stopped. You won't know, though, unless you check errorlevel.

The solution seems to be to loop round looking for the state of the service until it is stopped, with a pause each time round the loop.

But then again...

I'm seeing the first service take a long time to stop, then the "net stop" for a subsequent service just appears to do nothing. Look at the service in the services manager, and its state is still "Started" - no change to "Stopping". Yet I can stop this second service manually using the SCM, and it stops in 3 or 4 seconds.