getting feedback from a Windows Service, to display on a SCM program

[JohnP]

Hi all

Does anyone know the best way to get feedback from a Windows Service?
I have written a Windows service which uses a class library (a DLL)
which has a timer which does some operations every <xseconds.
I'd like to be able to somehow get the current 'elapsed' seconds of
the timer, with a view to displaying something on the service control
manager program I have written.
All seems to be OK (service works properly, as does the DLL and the
SCM program) - I just can't seem to find / think of a way to expose
the DLL. All I can get back from the service are the usual
ServiceBase properties.

The DLL is currently a private member of the ServiceBase class - I've
tried adding a public property to expose a property of the DLL, but to
no avail.

Cheers
John

PS - here's the code:

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using System;
using System.Collecti ons.Generic;
using System.Componen tModel;
using System.Data;
using System.Diagnost ics;
using System.ServiceP rocess;
using System.Text;
using MySMSServLib;

namespace MySMSService
{
/// <summary>
/// SMS service.
/// Entries are written to a table. This service communicates
with
/// a SMS gateway provider's Web Service at intervals and sends
the entries as SMS messages.
/// </summary>
public partial class MySMSService : ServiceBase
{
private MySMSServLib.Ax iomSMSServ srvDLL;

public MySMSService()
{
InitializeCompo nent();
if (!
System.Diagnost ics.EventLog.So urceExists("MyS MSSource"))
{
System.Diagnost ics.EventLog.Cr eateEventSource (
"MySMSSourc e", "MySMSLog") ;
}
eventLogSMS.Sou rce = "MySMSSourc e";
eventLogSMS.Log = "MySMSLog";
}

/// <summary>
/// Start the service and write to log.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="args">
/// Array to pass in parameters with. Currently only SMS
connection type.
/// </param>
protected override void OnStart(string[] args)
{
// use singleton pattern rather than usual 'new'
instantiation.. .
srvDLL = AxiomSMSServ.In stance;
string connType = "1"; // test
if ((args != null) && (args.Length 0))
connType = (string)args.Ge tValue(0);
srvDLL.SMSConne ctionType = int.Parse(connT ype);
string sStarted = "(never Started)";
if (srvDLL.setupOK ())
{
srvDLL.doStart( );
sStarted = System.DateTime .Now.ToString() ;
writeLog("START ED My SMS service: " + sStarted + "\r
\n" + "Connection type: " + connType);
}
else
writeLog("Canno t start service - client settings or
last gateway status problem!");
}

/// <summary>
/// Stop the service and write to log.
/// </summary>
protected override void OnStop()
{
writeLog("STOPP ED My SMS service: " +
System.DateTime .Now);
srvDLL.doStop() ;
}

/// <summary>
/// Pause the service and write to log.
/// </summary>
protected override void OnPause()
{
writeLog("PAUSE D My SMS service: " + System.DateTime .Now);
srvDLL.doPause( );
}

/// <summary>
/// Resume the service and write to log.
/// </summary>
protected override void OnContinue()
{
writeLog("CONTI NUED My SMS service: " +
System.DateTime .Now);
srvDLL.doContin ue();
}

/// <summary>
/// Writes service event log entry.
/// </summary>
/// <param name="txt">
/// The text to write to the event log.
/// </param>
private void writeLog(string txt)
{
eventLogSMS.Wri teEntry(txt);
}
}
}
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