You can group SharePoint 2010 services using the SharePoint 2010 object model and a high level point of view.
The following services can be grouped into Windows Services:
- Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Administration
- Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Sandboxed Code Service
- Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Database
- SharePoint Foundation (Help) Search
- Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Timer
Windows Services are services that can be found using Start –> Administrative Tools –> Services. They use the SharePoint object model and can be started using the SharePoint user interface.
Relevant posts
Resources
What is it?
Quotes taken from Background: Service Entities in Microsoft SharePoint Foundation.
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Administration
“In a farm deployment, this special service is used by SharePoint Foundation to perform privileged operations on behalf of the administrator on all front-end Web servers and application servers in the farm.”
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Sandboxed Code Service
“This service enables administrators to set jobs to run at specified times.
It runs on all front-end Web servers and application servers.”
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Database
“This is really a kind of wrapper around the already installed SQL Server Windows service. It enables the SharePoint Foundation objects to access to the content and configuration databases. In a multiserver SharePoint Foundation deployment, the server that is hosting a database is usually the only one that is running this service.”
Note: I don’t understand the last sentence… usually no SharePoint server hosts a database in a multi tier environment if you have a dedicated database server.
SharePoint Foundation (Help) Search
“This service provides central settings for the management of the user code infrastructure in SharePoint Foundation. It runs on all front-end Web servers.”
Microsoft SharePoint Foundation Timer
“This service enables administrators to set jobs to run at specified times. It runs on all front-end Web servers and application servers.”
Availability
The mentioned configuration services are included in all of the SharePoint 2010 products.
Summary
That’s it with services and service applications offered by a standard SharePoint 2010 installation.
What do you think? Does this kind of posts has some benefit for you and what do you miss?