# Monitoring Windows Services

Certain applications in Windows machine run in the background as services. OpManager discovers and monitors the status of such services using [WMI monitoring](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/wmi-monitoring.html). OpManager generates alarms whenever they fail.

[![Windows services monitoring in OpManager: Summary page](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/images/adding-windows-service-monitors.jpg)](https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/vhn9zp_87jU)

- [Pre-requisites for WMI monitoring in OpManager](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/monitor-wmi-service.html#pre-req)
- [Adding windows service monitors to an individual device](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/monitor-wmi-service.html#snap)
- [Adding windows service monitors to multiple devices](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/monitor-wmi-service.html#set)
- [Configuring alerts](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/monitor-wmi-service.html#con-alerts)

## Pre-requisites for WMI monitoring in OpManager

To monitor Windows services, OpManager should be installed in a Windows machine. OpManager uses WMI to monitor the Windows services and hence you need to provide the log on details of a user with administrative privilege to connect to the device. So, make sure you configure a WMI credential so that you can apply this to the windows devices.

## Adding windows service monitors to an individual device

To monitor a Windows service with OpManager's [Windows service monitoring](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/windows-service-monitoring.html) feature, follow the steps given below:

1. Go to the **Inventory** and click on the device to which you want to add a Windows Service monitor.
2. Confirm if the correct [WMI credential](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/add-credentials.html) is associated to the device. Else, configure the credential details in the device.
3. Click **Monitors → Windows Service Monitors**. This option will be available only for devices being monitored using WMI.
4. Click **Actions** on the top-right corner and then click **'Add Monitor'**.
5. Select the necessary Windows services and click on 'Add' to add those monitors to the device.

![Windows services monitoring in OpManager: Associating windows services monitors from device snapshot page in OpManager - Windows service monitors list](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/images/win-service-snapshot.png)

**Note:** The polling interval cannot be set at single monitor level. This value is same as the polling interval of the device.

## Adding windows service monitors to multiple devices

- Go to **Settings → Monitoring → Windows Services**.
- Click Associate next to the monitor you wish to associate to your devices.
- In the following window, select all the devices you want to add the monitor to, move them to the 'Selected Devices' column on the right and click 'Save'.

![Windows services monitoring in OpManager: Associating windows services monitors from monitor settings page in OpManager - Add windows service monitor](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/images/win-service-settings.png)

- You can also do the same action from **Settings → Configuration → Quick Configuration Wizard → Service Monitors** and selecting the 'Associate a Windows Service' icon.

## Configuring Alerts

By default OpManager raises an alarm if a Windows service is down. If required you can configure OpManager to raise an alarm if the service unavailable for a N number of times consecutively.

1. Go to the device snapshot page.
2. **Monitors → Windows Service Monitors**, click on the Edit icon corresponding to the Windows service for which you want to configure the alert.
3. Modify the count entered for '**Generate alarm if unavailable for _ consecutive times**'. For example if you enter the value as 2, OpManager will raise alarm only if the service is unavailable for 2 consecutive polls.
4. You also have to option to either **restart the service** (automatically restart a service when the service is down) or **restart the server** (automatically restart the server when a service is down). Select the check box and the appropriate radio button.
5. Click **Save**.

Apart from this, you can [configure notification profiles](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/configuring-notifications.html) to send out alerts to the concerned person at the earliest. You can also [configure workflow actions](https://www.manageengine.com/network-monitoring/help/add-workflow.html) such as pausing, starting, restarting, stopping, testing and resuming windows services. This helps you automate basic troubleshooting and fault remediation activities.