How to grant users rights to manage services in Windows Server 2003

Method 1: Use Group Policy

You can use Group Policy to change permissions on system services. For additional information about how to do this, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

324802 HOW TO: Configure Group Policies to Set Security for System Services in Windows Server 2003

Method 2: Use Security Templates

To use security templates to change permissions on system services, create a security template. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type mmc in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. On the File menu, click Add/Remove Snap-in.
3. Click Add, click Security Configuration and Analysis, click Add, click Close, and then click OK.
4. In the console tree, right-click Security Configuration and Analysis, and then click Open Database.
5. Specify a name and location for the database, and then click Open.
6. In the Import Template dialog box that appears, click the security template that you want to import, and then click Open.
7. In the console tree, right-click Security Configuration and Analysis, and then click Analyze Computer Now.
8. In the Perform Analysis dialog box that appears, accept the default path for the log file that is displayed in the Error log file path box or specify the location that you want, and then click OK.
9. After the analysis is complete, configure the service permissions as follows:
   1. In the console tree, click System Services.
   2. In the right pane, double-click the service whose permissions you want to change.
   3. Click to select the Define this policy in the database check box, and then click Edit Security.
   4. To configure permissions for a new user or group, click Add. In the Select Users, Computers, or Groups dialog box, type the name of the user or group that you want to set permissions for, and then click OK.
   5. In the Permissions for User or Group list, configure the permissions that you want for the user or group. Note that when you add a new user or group, the Allow check box next to the Start, stop and pause permission is selected by default. This setting permits the user or group to start, stop, and pause the service.
   6. Click OK two times.
10. To apply the new security settings to the local computer, right-click Security Configuration and Analysis, and then click Configure Computer Now.