When running Nginx as a Windows Service on Windows Server 2008 R2 using Windows Service Wrapper, you might encounter permission issues during service management operations. The error typically manifests when trying to stop the service or reload configurations:

nginx: [error] OpenEvent("Global\\ngx_reload_4268") failed (5: Access is denied)

The root cause lies in Windows security isolation between sessions. When running Nginx as a service under NETWORK SERVICE account, it creates named objects in a different security context than administrator console commands.

Key technical details:

• Service runs in session 0 isolation
• Administrator commands execute in an interactive session
• Windows restricts cross-session access to synchronization objects

Here's the definitive fix that works with Windows Server 2008 R2:

# Step 1: Modify the service to run as Local System
sc config "YourNginxService" obj= "LocalSystem" password= ""

# Step 2: Grant necessary privileges
icacls "E:\\apath\\nginx\\" /grant "NT AUTHORITY\\SYSTEM":(OI)(CI)F

# Step 3: Create a batch file for reload operations
@echo off
set NGINX_PATH=E:\apath\nginx
psexec -s %NGINX_PATH%\nginx.exe -p %NGINX_PATH% -c %NGINX_PATH%\nginx.conf -s reload

For environments where LocalSystem isn't acceptable, use explicit permissions:

# Create a dedicated service account
net user nginxsvc YourPassword123 /add

# Grant the account permissions
icacls "E:\\apath\\nginx\\" /grant "nginxsvc":(OI)(CI)F
icacls "E:\\apath\\nginx\\conf\\" /grant "nginxsvc":(OI)(CI)F

# Configure the service
sc config "YourNginxService" obj= ".\nginxsvc" password= "YourPassword123"

After implementing the solution:

# Check service account
sc qc "YourNginxService"

# Test reload functionality
psexec -s E:\apath\nginx\nginx.exe -p E:\apath\nginx -s reload

# Verify process ownership
tasklist /FI "IMAGENAME eq nginx.exe" /V

• Always use absolute paths in configuration files
• Check Event Viewer for System logs under Windows Logs
• Consider using Process Monitor to trace permission issues
• For production systems, implement proper service hardening

When running Nginx as a Windows service under NETWORK SERVICE account while executing commands as Administrator, we encounter permission conflicts. The service creates named objects (like Global\ngx_reload_PID) with restricted access rights.

Here's what typically happens when you attempt a reload:

E:\nginx\nginx.exe -p E:\nginx -c E:\nginx\conf\nginx.conf -s reload
nginx: [error] OpenEvent("Global\ngx_reload_4268") failed (5: Access is denied)

Method 1: Consistent User Context

Run both the service and command prompt under the same account:

sc config nginx obj= ".\Administrator" password= "yourpassword"

Method 2: Permission Granting

Use PowerShell to modify ACLs for the Nginx process:

$process = Get-Process -Name nginx
$process.Handle | ForEach-Object {
    $acl = Get-Acl -Path "\\.\$_"
    $rule = New-Object System.Security.AccessControl.EventWaitHandleAccessRule(
        "Administrator",
        "FullControl",
        "Allow"
    )
    $acl.AddAccessRule($rule)
    Set-Acl -Path "\\.\$_" -AclObject $acl
}

Method 3: Alternative Service Wrapper

Consider using NSSM (Non-Sucking Service Manager) which handles this better:

nssm install nginx "E:\nginx\nginx.exe" "-p E:\nginx"
nssm set nginx AppDirectory "E:\nginx"
nssm set nginx AppStdout "E:\nginx\logs\service.log"
nssm set nginx AppStderr "E:\nginx\logs\error.log"

• Check process ownership with tasklist /svc /FI "IMAGENAME eq nginx.exe"
• Verify named objects with Sysinternals WinObj tool
• Test with Process Monitor to track access violations

Ensure your nginx.conf contains proper Windows paths:

worker_processes  auto;
error_log  logs/error.log;
pid        logs/nginx.pid;

events {
    worker_connections  1024;
    use                 iocp;
}

http {
    include       mime.types;
    default_type  application/octet-stream;
    sendfile      on;
    keepalive_timeout  65;
    
    server {
        listen       80;
        server_name  localhost;
        
        location / {
            root   html;
            index  index.html index.htm;
        }
    }
}