Snippet Name: Check_SQL_Browser_Status

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Created Date: 2025-06-16 13:12:38
Last Modified Date: 2025-05-31 10:32:17

Dependencies:

DBA Notes:

Sample Output:

Title: Check SQL Browser Status
Author: user
via TSQL, can i query if the SQL Server Browser Service is running or not?

Author: ChatGPT
In **T-SQL alone**, you **cannot directly query the status of the SQL Server Browser service** because that information is external to the SQL Server database engine. The SQL Server Browser is a Windows service, and T-SQL does not have built-in capabilities to query the state of OS-level services.

However, if **xp_cmdshell** is enabled (which allows SQL Server to execute shell commands), you **can query the status indirectly** using PowerShell or `sc query` via T-SQL:

### ???? Option 1: Use `sc query` with `xp_cmdshell`
```sql
EXEC xp_cmdshell 'sc query "SQLBrowser"';
```

Look in the result for:
- `STATE              : 4  RUNNING` ??? Browser is running
- `STATE              : 1  STOPPED` ??? Browser is not running

### ???? Option 2: Use PowerShell from T-SQL
```sql
EXEC xp_cmdshell 'powershell -command "Get-Service -Name SQLBrowser | Select-Object Status"';
```

This will return:
```
Status
------
Running
```

or

```
Status
------
Stopped
```

---

### ???? Security Notes
- `xp_cmdshell` is **disabled by default**. To enable:
```sql
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
RECONFIGURE;
EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell', 1;
RECONFIGURE;
```
- Only enable `xp_cmdshell` if you're aware of the **security implications** and have locked down access appropriately.

---

If you're managing this from an **external script or monitoring solution**, it's safer and more standard to check with PowerShell or WMI directly, outside SQL Server.

Would you like a version of this that parses the output into a result set?

Author: user
can you wrap that witht he enable of the sys configuration and then turn it off again

Author: ChatGPT
Absolutely ??? here???s a full script that:

1. Enables `xp_cmdshell` (if not already enabled),
2. Queries the SQL Server Browser service status,
3. Captures and parses the result,
4. Disables `xp_cmdshell` again if it was previously disabled.

### ??? Fully self-contained T-SQL script
```sql
-- Store the original config state
DECLARE @xp_cmdshell_was_enabled BIT;

-- Check current xp_cmdshell status
SELECT @xp_cmdshell_was_enabled = CAST(value_in_use AS BIT)
FROM sys.configurations
WHERE name = 'xp_cmdshell';

-- Enable advanced options (required for enabling xp_cmdshell)
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
RECONFIGURE;

-- Enable xp_cmdshell if not already enabled
IF @xp_cmdshell_was_enabled = 0
BEGIN
    EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell', 1;
    RECONFIGURE;
END

-- Query SQLBrowser service status
CREATE TABLE #ServiceStatus (OutputLine NVARCHAR(4000));

INSERT INTO #ServiceStatus
EXEC xp_cmdshell 'sc query "SQLBrowser"';

-- Parse service status
SELECT 
    CASE 
        WHEN OutputLine LIKE '%STATE%4  RUNNING%' THEN 'Running'
        WHEN OutputLine LIKE '%STATE%1  STOPPED%' THEN 'Stopped'
        ELSE 'Unknown'
    END AS BrowserServiceStatus
FROM #ServiceStatus
WHERE OutputLine LIKE '%STATE%';

DROP TABLE #ServiceStatus;

-- Re-disable xp_cmdshell if it was originally disabled
IF @xp_cmdshell_was_enabled = 0
BEGIN
    EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell', 0;
    RECONFIGURE;
END

-- Optionally clean up advanced options visibility (optional)
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 0;
RECONFIGURE;
```

---

### ??????? Notes:
- This approach **restores your server???s original xp_cmdshell state**.
- You can adapt this to run for other services by replacing `"SQLBrowser"` in the `sc query` line.

Let me know if you???d prefer the PowerShell-based version as well or want this in a stored procedure format.