How to Write Windows Service and Control It By Application

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Introduction

This article presents the guide to write a Windows service program and control it from another program.

Background

Many projects which I was part of needed the program running as a Windows service. It can auto startup when Windows Restarts and access Domain resource when it runs under special user. But sometimes, Windows service program is not easy to control and config, for example: I need the Windows service running once a day, but maybe I change my idea, need it to run every three hours, so how I config it or make the Windows service more flexible is a puzzle.

Solution

1. Make Windows service run as it is, making some small modifications to other programs can control it.
2. Write a small application to control the Windows service.
3. Use a Windows Scheduler to run the application, config run time as you wish.

Steps

1. Write a Windows service program (Here, we start to program step by step):

   • Step 1. File -> Project -> Windows C# -> Windows -> Console Application
   • Step 2. Add References to this project:
     • System.Configuration.Install
     • System.ServiceProcess
   • Step 3. Add a new class: SimpleServiceMain.cs (you can rename Program.cs to it, or delete Program.cs, then add a new one).
     
     
     C#

     public class SimpleServiceMain : ServiceBase
     {
         ....
         protected override void OnCustomCommand(int command)
         {
             // You can add the process which controlled by external program
             OutputDebugString("[SimpleService]" + 
                 "SimpleService OnCustomerCommand
                 (" + command.ToString() + ")");
             base.OnCustomCommand(command);
         } 
         ....
     }  

   • Step 4. Add a new class: SimpleServiceInstall.cs:
     
     
     C#

     [RunInstaller(true)]
     public class SimpleServiceInstall : Installer
     {
         public SimpleServiceInstall()
         {
             ServiceProcessInstaller serviceProcessInstaller = 
                 new ServiceProcessInstaller();
             ServiceInstaller serviceInstaller = new ServiceInstaller();
         
             //# Service Account Information
             serviceProcessInstaller.Account = ServiceAccount.LocalSystem;
             serviceProcessInstaller.Username = null;
             serviceProcessInstaller.Password = null;
     
             //# Service Information
             serviceInstaller.DisplayName = "SimpleService";
             serviceInstaller.Description = "SimpleService";
             serviceInstaller.StartType = ServiceStartMode.Automatic;
             // This must be identical to the 
             // WindowsService.ServiceBase name
             // set in the constructor of WindowsService.cs
             serviceInstaller.ServiceName = "SimpleService";
             this.Installers.Add(serviceProcessInstaller);
             this.Installers.Add(serviceInstaller);
         }
     }

   • Step 5. Install the Windows service. Here is a batch script to install/uninstall the service:
     
     

     Install.bat
     ==============================================================
     ECHO OFF
     REM The following directory is for .NET 2.0
     set DOTNETFX2=%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
     set PATH=%PATH%;%DOTNETFX2%
     echo Installing WindowsService...
     echo ---------------------------------------------------
     InstallUtil /i SimpleService.exe
     sc start SimpleService
     echo ---------------------------------------------------
     echo Done
     pause
     ==============================================================
              
     Unstall.bat
     ==============================================================
     @ECHO OFF
     REM The following directory is for .NET 2.0
     set DOTNETFX2=%SystemRoot%\Microsoft.NET\Framework\v2.0.50727
     set PATH=%PATH%;%DOTNETFX2%
     sc stop SimpleService
     echo Installing WindowsService...
     echo ---------------------------------------------------
     InstallUtil /u SimpleService.exe
     echo ---------------------------------------------------
     echo Done
     pause
     ==============================================================

2. Write a Windows application to control a Windows service.

   Please make sure that when the application runs, the service has been installed to the system.

   • Step 1. File -> Project -> Windows C# -> Console Application
   • Step 2. Add Reference to this project.
     • System.Configuration.Install
     • System.ServiceProcess
   • Step 3. Add these codes in Program.cs:
   C#

            ...  
   static void Main(string[] args)
   {
       string aMachine = "." ;
       string aServiceName = "";
       if( args.Length == 1 ){
           aServiceName = args[0];
       }
       else if (args.Length >= 2)
       {
           aMachine = args[0];
           aServiceName = args[1];
       }
       else
       {
           Console.WriteLine("Error Parameters, 
               the command line should be: ");
           Console.WriteLine("SimpleServiceController ServiceName or");
           Console.WriteLine
               ("SimpleServiceController Machine Name ServiceName");
       }
       System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController sc = 
       new System.ServiceProcess.ServiceController();
       sc.MachineName = aMachine;
       sc.ServiceName = aServiceName;
       sc.ExecuteCommand(130);
   }    
   ...   

3. How to use Windows Scheduler to control how your program runs. Please read Windows help for more information.

4. You can use Windows Batch (*.bat) to control multi services by SimpleServiceController.

5. About OutputDebugString, you can get the tools to view the information: See DebugView for Windows.

History

• 17^th March, 2008: Initial post