| title | Manage the Database Engine Services | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| description | Get acquainted with services that are available in SQL Server. See how to start SQL Server Configuration Manager, which you can use to manage various services. | |||||||||||||
| author | rwestMSFT | |||||||||||||
| ms.author | randolphwest | |||||||||||||
| ms.date | 03/16/2026 | |||||||||||||
| ms.service | sql | |||||||||||||
| ms.subservice | configuration | |||||||||||||
| ms.topic | concept-article | |||||||||||||
| helpviewer_keywords |
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[!INCLUDE SQL Server]
[!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] runs on the operating systems as a service. A service is a type of application that runs in the system background. Services usually provides core operating system features, such as Web serving, event logging, or file serving. Services can run without showing a user interface on the computer desktop. The [!INCLUDE ssDEnoversion], [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] Agent, and several other [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] components run as services. These services typically are started when the operating system starts. This depends on what is specified during setup; some services aren't started by default. This section describes the management of the various [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] services. Before you log in to an instance of [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion], you need to know how to start, stop, pause, resume, and restart an instance of [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion]. After you're logged in, you can perform tasks such as administering the server or querying a database.
When you start an instance of [!INCLUDE ssDEnoversion], you're starting the [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] service. After you start the [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] service, users can establish new connections to the server. The [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] service can be started and stopped as a service, either locally or remotely. The [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] service is referred to as [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] (MSSQLSERVER) if it's the default instance, or MSSQL$<instancename> if it's a named instance.
[!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] Configuration Manager allows you to stop, start, or pause various [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] services.
Note
[!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] Configuration Manager can't manage [!INCLUDE ssVersion2000] services.
You can also use [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] Configuration Manager to view the properties of the selected service. [!INCLUDE ssNoVersion] Configuration Manager is a [!INCLUDE msCoName] Management Console (MMC) snap-in. For more information about MMC and how a snap-in works, see Windows Help.
[!INCLUDE open-sql-server-configuration-manager]
- Broadcast a shutdown message from the command prompt
- Change server authentication mode
- Configure file system permissions for Database Engine access
- Configure Windows service accounts and permissions
- Database Engine Service startup options
- Sign in to an instance of SQL Server (Command Prompt)
- Run SQL Server with or without a network
- Security requirements for managing services
- Single-user mode for SQL Server
- SQL Server Browser service (Database Engine and SSAS)
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Change the password of the accounts used
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Change the service startup account
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Configure server startup options
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Configure SQL Server error logs
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Connect to another computer
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Prevent automatic startup of an instance
- SQL Server Configuration Manager: Set an instance to start automatically
- SQL Writer service
- Start SQL Server with minimal configuration
- Start, stop, pause, resume, and restart SQL Server services