SQL Server Agent - Agent XPs Disabled: ASP Alliance

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SQL Server Agent - Agent XPs Disabled

Published: 21 Sep 2009

Unedited - Community Contributed

Abstract
Agent XPs option is used to enable the SQL Server Agent extended stored procedures on the server. When this option is disabled, the SQL Server Agent node is not available in SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer.

by Aamod Thakur
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Article Contents:

Introduction
What is Agent XPs option?
Conclusion

Introduction

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Today, Disk space on one of my company's server was Full. As a Massive database was growing more massively, we were moving some databases to another drive. At one point the SQL Server got stuck.After rebooting the server, noticed that SQL Server Agent was disabled. Message shown in the Object Explorer was SQL Server Agent (Agent XPs disabled). Well, I had seen this message a few times on other Servers before this but had ignored it as there werent any important Maintainence Plans or Jobs Scheduled. But this time that Server was loaded with important Jobs and Maintainence plans hence had to find out a Solution this time .

What is Agent XPs option?

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Agent XPs option is used to enable the SQL Server Agent extended stored procedures on the server. When this option is not enabled, the SQL Server Agent node is not available in SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer.

Note: SQL Server Management Studio Object Explorer does not display the SQL Server Agent node unless these extended stored procedures are enabled regardless of the SQL Server Agent service state. i.e Even if the SQL Server Agent Service is Started or Stopped ,you will still see the SQL Server Agent (Agent XPs disabled) in object explorer.

How do we get out of this SQL Server Agent (Agent XPs disabled) problem?

Just run the below code.

sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
 GO
 RECONFIGURE;
 GO
 sp_configure 'Agent XPs', 1;
 GO
 RECONFIGURE
 GO

Once this is done, Refresh your Object Explorer or SQL Server Agent node and its all done.

SQL Server Agent node is enabled for you.

Conclusion

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For more details you can refer to the MSDN Article: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms178127(SQL.90).aspx

Hope This Helps. Please do reply if this post works for you so that others can make use of the same.

User Comments

Title: Mr.
Name: Aamod
Date: 2010-04-27 1:58:49 PM
Comment:
Thanks Schmid, Good to know that it helped someone. N thanks for sharing the other way of solving this issue in SQL Server 2008.

Aamod Thakur
MCITP-DBA

Title: Mr.
Name: Schmid
Date: 2010-04-27 11:57:58 AM
Comment:
Hi Aamod.

This solution worked without any problems or errors. This morning I was checking the SQL Server 2008 instances on our server in preparation for migrating some Access database to SQL 2008, when I noticed the 'Agent XP's disabled' message next to SQL Server Agent for one of those instances. That's odd, I thought. The other instance showed an icon with a red circle with an x, and I could expand the node. I checked SQL Server Configuration Manager, and the settings were the same. I then found your article, ran the script, and I solved my problem.

After doing some more research, I learned that the former SQL Server surface configuration options in SQL 2005 got moved to a new View Facets window in SQL 2008. If one right-clicks on a server in Object Explorer, and then click on Facets, you are able to access all the surface configuration options, and then some! Under the Facet drop down list in the View Facets window, select Server Configuration. Under Facet Properties you will see the option 'AgentXPsEnabled'. If it is set to False, then the SQL Server Agent node is not available. Change it to True, and the node becomes available.

Of course, the code you gave makes the job quick and simple without having to go through Facets.

Cheers, Dirk