I have a strange one for you. I'm maintaining several databases prior to a migration. One of them is a 2008R2 instance. This instance has multiple errors in the logs (the infrastructure has been poorly maintained), so I set up a bunch of alerts (16-25) and tried using Database Mail to send them. But the mail registry settings keep resetting and preventing it from working. I can't tell if someone is maliciously going in behind me and reverting the settings in the registry (this is possible in the poisonous environment I'm working in) or whether it's some kind of obscure problem.
Just to confirm... I've created the same alerts with the same mail settings on the 2017 instances that I'm also monitoring with no problem. Equally, on the 2008R2 instance, I can successfully set the Database Mail parameters, send myself a test email AND execute a job, sending a 'completed' email using the same Database Mail profile and user via an Operator.
Setting the parameters using xp_instance_regwrite or sp_set_sqlagent_properties didn't work either, although I realised early on that the parameters weren't sticking because of a lack of admin rights on the server, so I got the infrastructure guys to give me access. I then:
- logged in to the server
- shut down the Agent (it isn't doing anything at all)
- configured the registry settings (
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.<instance>\SQLServerAgent\UseDatabaseMail = 1,HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL10_50.<instance>\SQLServerAgent\DatabaseMailProfile = <my-mail-profile>) - restarted the Agent.
I then confirmed from SSMS that the 'Mail session' parameters (Enable mail profile, Mail system and Mail profile) were correctly set. A day later, the log is full of errors, I have no emails and all of the Agent properties are empty and greyed out!
Anyone seen this before?