Fixing the SharePoint Timer Service with PowerShell

My colleague Søren Nielsen wrote this blog post, click here, regarding fixing the Timer Service when everything breaks down.
I will not go through those bullet points, this blog post are only giving you a PowerShell script there can fix the problem automatically.

The PowerShell script:

# clear the SharePoint Timer Cache # # # # 2009 Mickey Kamp Parbst Jervin (mickeyjervin.wordpress.com) #write program information Write-Host -foregroundcolor White "" Write-Host -foregroundcolor White "Clear SharePoint Timer Cache" #************************************************************************************** # references #************************************************************************************** [void][reflection.assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SharePoint") [void][reflection.assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration") [void][reflection.assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System") [void][reflection.assembly]::LoadWithPartialName("System.Collections") #************************************************************************************** #************************************************************************************** # In this section are all the functions declared #************************************************************************************** #<summary> # Stop Windows Services in a SharePoint Farm. Stop service on each "Front End" server in the farm. #</summary> #<param name="$winservice">An array with the Windows Services there should be restarted</param> #<param name="$m_farm">The SharePoint farm object.</param> function DoStopSharePointServicesInFarm { Param ( [Object] $winservice, [Object] $m_farm ) if (-not ($m_farm -is 'Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm')) { throw '$m_farm: variable needs a farm' } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" foreach($server in $m_farm.Servers) { foreach($instance in $server.ServiceInstances) { #if the server is a "frontend" server if($instance.TypeName.Contains("Windows SharePoint Services Web Application")) { Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "Stop services on server: " Write-Host -foregroundcolor Gray $server.name foreach($winser in $winservice) { Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray " -" $winser Get-WmiObject -ComputerName $server.name Win32_Service -Filter "DisplayName='$winser'" | Stop-Service } } } } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" } #<summary> # Start Windows Services in a SharePoint Farm. Start service on each "Front End" server in the farm. #</summary> #<param name="$winservice">An array with the Windows Services there should be restarted</param> #<param name="$m_farm">The SharePoint farm object.</param> function DoStartSharePointServicesInFarm { Param ( [Object] $winservice, [Object] $m_farm ) if (-not ($m_farm -is 'Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm')) { throw '$m_farm: variable needs a farm' } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" foreach($server in $m_farm.Servers)</span { foreach($instance in $server.ServiceInstances) { #if the server is a "frontend" server if($instance.TypeName.Contains("Windows SharePoint Services Web Application")) { Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "Start services on server: " Write-Host -foregroundcolor Gray $server.name foreach($winser in $winservice) { Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray " -" $winser Get-WmiObject -ComputerName $server.name Win32_Service -Filter "DisplayName='$winser'" | Start-Service } } } } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" } #<summary> # A list of SharePoint related services to stop #</summary> #<return></return> function ListOfStopSharePointServices { $winServices = @() $winServices += "Office SharePoint Server Search" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Timer" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Administration" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Search" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Tracing" $winServices += "World Wide Web Publishing Service" return $winServices } #<summary> # remove all xml files recursive on an UNC path #</summary> #<param name="$m_farm">The SharePoint farm object.</param> function DeleteXmlFilesFromConfigCache { param ( [Object] $m_farm ) if (-not ($m_farm -is 'Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm')) { throw '$m_farm: variable needs a farm' } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "Deleting xml files" [string] $path = "" foreach($server in $m_farm.Servers){ foreach($instance in $server.ServiceInstances){ #if the server is a "frontend" server if($instance.TypeName.Contains("Windows SharePoint Services Web Application")) { #remove all xml files recursive on an UNC path $path = "\\" + $server.name + "\c$\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\*-*\*.xml" Remove-Item -path $path -Force } } } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "...done" Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" } #<summary> # clear the SharePoint cache on an UNC path #</summary> #<param name="$m_farm">The SharePoint farm object.</param> function ClearTimerCache { param ( [Object] $m_farm ) if (-not ($m_farm -is 'Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm')) { throw '$m_farm: variable needs a farm' } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "Clear the cahce" [string] $path = "" foreach($server in $m_farm.Servers){ foreach($instance in $server.ServiceInstances){ #if the server is a "frontend" server if($instance.TypeName.Contains("Windows SharePoint Services Web Application")) { #clear the cache on an UNC path #1 = refresh all cache settings $path = "\\" + $server.name + "\c$\Documents and Settings\All Users\Application Data\Microsoft\SharePoint\Config\*-*\cache.ini" Set-Content -path $path -Value "1" } } } Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "...done" Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" } #<summary> # A wait function there is writing a dot for each waiting second #</summary> #<param name="$seconds">Seconds to wait</param> function WaitForTimerToFillCache { Param ( [int] $seconds ) #waiting a number of seconds for timer service to fill cache $i = $seconds Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray ("Waiting " + ($i/60) + " minutes for timer service to fill cache") #write status (the first dot on "the progress bar" Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "." while ($i -ne 1) { #write status (new dot for every second on "the progress bar" Start-Sleep 1 Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "." $i-- } #write status Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray -NoNewline "...done!" Write-Host -foregroundcolor DarkGray "" } #************************************************************************************** #init the SPFarm $farm = [Microsoft.SharePoint.Administration.SPFarm]::get_Local() #init an array to the SharePoint Services $winServices = @() $winServices = ListOfStopSharePointServices #Call the Methods for restarting the SharePoint Services DoStopSharePointServicesInFarm $winServices $farm #Delete all xml files from cache config folder DeleteXmlFilesFromConfigCache $farm #Clear the timer cache ClearTimerCache $farm #1st: #Start the SharePoint Timer $winServices = @() $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Timer" DoStartSharePointServicesInFarm $winServices $farm #2nd: #Wait for on the timer service to fill the cache WaitForTimerToFillCache 120 #3rd: #start the rest of the SharePoint Services $winServices = @() $winServices += "Office SharePoint Server Search" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Administration" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Search" $winServices += "Windows SharePoint Services Tracing" $winServices += "World Wide Web Publishing Service" DoStartSharePointServicesInFarm $winServices $farm

How to start the PowerShell script

Like always I have a bat file there are executing the PowerShell script.

Copy the PowerShell code into a file called “ClearTimerCache.ps1″.
Place the ps1 file in a folder called “Code”

In the “root” folder create a bat file and copy following script into this.

The bat file:

%~d0 cd "%~dp0" cd Code Powershell.exe .\ClearTimerCache.ps1 Pause