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dotnet myservices
group:Passing startup parameters to a .NET service
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How do I pass arguments at the startup of my service derived from
ServiceBase? I have added code in the overidden OnStart(string[] args) function to use the args parameter, but when I try to edit the Startup Parameters in the Control Panel Sercices Applet, the applet won't save the value I provide. I type my parameters in the appropriate text box ("Port=999") and then click OK. When I re-open the properties dialog for that service, the value I typed in is no longer present. The start parameters textbox is empty. I'm pretty sure that if I could get XP to save the value I type in, that I would see it on my overridden OnStart(string[] args) method. Is there somethig else I need to do? Dave
[quoted text, click to view]
Dave Hall wrote: > How do I pass arguments at the startup of my service derived from > ServiceBase? > > I have added code in the overidden OnStart(string[] args) function to use > the args parameter, but when I try to edit the Startup Parameters in the > Control Panel Sercices Applet, the applet won't save the value I provide. I > type my parameters in the appropriate text box ("Port=999") and then click > OK. When I re-open the properties dialog for that service, the value I typed > in is no longer present. The start parameters textbox is empty. I'm pretty > sure that if I could get XP to save the value I type in, that I would see it > on my overridden OnStart(string[] args) method. Is there somethig else I > need to do? > > Dave Dave - ..NET ServiceBase is incomplete. There are other important things you can't do with it as well. But you can call the Win32 API for things such as this. If they would ONLY give us access to the internal handle!!!! But you can still deal with it.
Although the ServiceBase class may be incomplete as you say, I still don't
understand why the control panel applet won't even let me type in any parameters. If I could do that, but still couldn't access the parameters from my code, I could see your point, but this doesn't seem to be a .NET specific issue, but rather a generic OS service issue. Any other insight? Thanks, Dave [quoted text, click to view] "Lee Gillie" <Nospam@me.com> wrote in message news:eSU%23ni5GFHA.2428@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl... > Dave Hall wrote: > > How do I pass arguments at the startup of my service derived from > > ServiceBase? > > > > I have added code in the overidden OnStart(string[] args) function to use > > the args parameter, but when I try to edit the Startup Parameters in the > > Control Panel Sercices Applet, the applet won't save the value I provide. I > > type my parameters in the appropriate text box ("Port=999") and then click > > OK. When I re-open the properties dialog for that service, the value I typed > > in is no longer present. The start parameters textbox is empty. I'm pretty > > sure that if I could get XP to save the value I type in, that I would see it > > on my overridden OnStart(string[] args) method. Is there somethig else I > > need to do? > > > > Dave > > Dave - > > .NET ServiceBase is incomplete. There are other important things you > can't do with it as well. But you can call the Win32 API for things such > as this. If they would ONLY give us access to the internal handle!!!! > But you can still deal with it. > > HTH - Lee
Dave -
Your issue is that the SERVICES applet does not persist the value? Yes that is how it was designed. It has a purpose, but as you see is mostly useless. There is a way to have persisting parameters though. Why not use that feature instead of wishing the non-persisting parameters approach would persist? What I typically do for persisting parameters is to store those values in the registry myself. Often many things, including database connection strings, folders were files are used. Options settings. And so on. I write a control-panel applet, or a program that auto-starts on logon, and sits in the tray. And this provides for control of the service, editing my persisted settings, and often some actual run status information which I obtain through .NET remoting. Start parameters are not provided for in the SCM database, such as the path to exe, service type, service name, and so on. Start parameters are parameters to the START method, or the invocation of the service. It is a transitory value specified at invocation of START. For example, consider that you have a service that is normally stopped, and when started you want it to monitor a folder. You could pass that folder that is to be used for this run of the service. Although, .NET has highly outdated this book, I highly recommend "Professional NT Services" by Kevin Miller, WROX Press to ANYONE writing services (.NET or not!!!). He explains how services should REALLY be designed, and the infrastructure for them. Then once you see what is there, and how .NET took some shortcuts and left a bunch of pieces out, you will see my complaint, that it falls short of the full SCM API interface for services, and leaves some of the more inventive features out of the picture. All of that being said, in a very brief time you COULD provide a START/STOP/MONITOR application that WOULD persist some start up parameters, and pass them, and remember them from run to run, but allow them to be changed. But the typical way to persist configuration is via the registry. I guess it is just a matter if you are pitching overhand or underhand? i.e. using the PERSISTING PARAMETERS approach, or wishing the NON PERSISTING PARAMETERS approach would PERSIST also. HTH - Lee [quoted text, click to view] Dave Hall wrote:
> Although the ServiceBase class may be incomplete as you say, I still don't > understand why the control panel applet won't even let me type in any > parameters. If I could do that, but still couldn't access the parameters > from my code, I could see your point, but this doesn't seem to be a .NET > specific issue, but rather a generic OS service issue. Any other insight? > > Thanks, > Dave > > "Lee Gillie" <Nospam@me.com> wrote in message > news:eSU%23ni5GFHA.2428@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl... > >>Dave Hall wrote: >> >>>How do I pass arguments at the startup of my service derived from >>>ServiceBase? >>> >>>I have added code in the overidden OnStart(string[] args) function to > > use > >>>the args parameter, but when I try to edit the Startup Parameters in the >>>Control Panel Sercices Applet, the applet won't save the value I > > provide. I > >>>type my parameters in the appropriate text box ("Port=999") and then > > click > >>>OK. When I re-open the properties dialog for that service, the value I > > typed > >>>in is no longer present. The start parameters textbox is empty. I'm > > pretty > >>>sure that if I could get XP to save the value I type in, that I would > > see it > >>>on my overridden OnStart(string[] args) method. Is there somethig else I >>>need to do? >>> >>>Dave >> >>Dave - >> >>.NET ServiceBase is incomplete. There are other important things you >>can't do with it as well. But you can call the Win32 API for things such >>as this. If they would ONLY give us access to the internal handle!!!! >>But you can still deal with it. >> >>HTH - Lee > >
Thanks Lee. You hit the nail on the head. I didn't realize that the startup
parameters in the control panel applet were not intended to be persistent. I somehow assumed they were saved in the SCM database or somewhere in the registry, and then passed to the service whenever it started, even if it was set to start automatically. I don't really have any problem passing the config data to the service through another mechanism such as a registry setting or a config file. It just seemed like the startup args might be easier to use. Now that I understand that they were never intended to be persistent, I'll use one of the other standard methods. After you enlightened me about how it works, I was able to pass parameters into my service through the OnStart event with no trouble. Like most things, it works fine once you know how it's intended to behave. I don't know about the particular book you mentioned, but in general, for years, WROX books have been some of the best I've seen on any given subject. They make up a good part of my library. I'll see if I can track down the particular book you recommended and take a look at it as well. Thanks, Dave [quoted text, click to view] "Lee Gillie" <Lee@nospam.odp.com> wrote in message news:O0d7ITDIFHA.3588@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl... > Dave - > > Your issue is that the SERVICES applet does not persist the value? Yes > that is how it was designed. It has a purpose, but as you see is mostly > useless. There is a way to have persisting parameters though. Why not > use that feature instead of wishing the non-persisting parameters > approach would persist? > > What I typically do for persisting parameters is to store those values > in the registry myself. Often many things, including database connection > strings, folders were files are used. Options settings. And so on. I > write a control-panel applet, or a program that auto-starts on logon, > and sits in the tray. And this provides for control of the service, > editing my persisted settings, and often some actual run status > information which I obtain through .NET remoting. > > Start parameters are not provided for in the SCM database, such as the > path to exe, service type, service name, and so on. Start parameters > are parameters to the START method, or the invocation of the service. It > is a transitory value specified at invocation of START. For example, > consider that you have a service that is normally stopped, and when > started you want it to monitor a folder. You could pass that folder that > is to be used for this run of the service. > > Although, .NET has highly outdated this book, I highly recommend > "Professional NT Services" by Kevin Miller, WROX Press to ANYONE writing > services (.NET or not!!!). He explains how services should REALLY be > designed, and the infrastructure for them. Then once you see what is > there, and how .NET took some shortcuts and left a bunch of pieces out, > you will see my complaint, that it falls short of the full SCM API > interface for services, and leaves some of the more inventive features > out of the picture. > > All of that being said, in a very brief time you COULD provide a > START/STOP/MONITOR application that WOULD persist some start up > parameters, and pass them, and remember them from run to run, but allow > them to be changed. But the typical way to persist configuration is via > the registry. I guess it is just a matter if you are pitching overhand > or underhand? i.e. using the PERSISTING PARAMETERS approach, or wishing > the NON PERSISTING PARAMETERS approach would PERSIST also. > > HTH - Lee > > Dave Hall wrote: > > Although the ServiceBase class may be incomplete as you say, I still don't > > understand why the control panel applet won't even let me type in any > > parameters. If I could do that, but still couldn't access the parameters > > from my code, I could see your point, but this doesn't seem to be a .NET > > specific issue, but rather a generic OS service issue. Any other insight? > > > > Thanks, > > Dave > > > > "Lee Gillie" <Nospam@me.com> wrote in message > > news:eSU%23ni5GFHA.2428@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl... > > > >>Dave Hall wrote: > >> > >>>How do I pass arguments at the startup of my service derived from > >>>ServiceBase? > >>> > >>>I have added code in the overidden OnStart(string[] args) function to > > > > use > > > >>>the args parameter, but when I try to edit the Startup Parameters in the > >>>Control Panel Sercices Applet, the applet won't save the value I > > > > provide. I > > > >>>type my parameters in the appropriate text box ("Port=999") and then > > > > click > > > >>>OK. When I re-open the properties dialog for that service, the value I > > > > typed > > > >>>in is no longer present. The start parameters textbox is empty. I'm > > > > pretty > > > >>>sure that if I could get XP to save the value I type in, that I would > > > > see it > > > >>>on my overridden OnStart(string[] args) method. Is there somethig else I > >>>need to do? > >>> > >>>Dave > >> > >>Dave - > >> > >>.NET ServiceBase is incomplete. There are other important things you > >>can't do with it as well. But you can call the Win32 API for things such > >>as this. If they would ONLY give us access to the internal handle!!!! > >>But you can still deal with it. > >> > >>HTH - Lee > > > > > >
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