Issued a drop external library command (action_id DR; class_type EL) (24356) how to monitor with email alert

[bob]

Man, that event ID 24356 pops up when the system fires off a command to drop an external library. It's like the server saying it's yanking out some outside tool or module that's hooked in. You see, action_id DR means it's dropping something, and class_type EL points to that external library bit. Happens in SQL Server logs mostly, but it shows in Event Viewer too. I remember spotting it once during a cleanup routine. The full message reads "Issued a drop external library command," and it's logged under application or system sources. Why it matters? Could signal someone messing with database extensions or a routine purge. You don't want surprises there. If it's firing unexpectedly, might mean security tweaks or errors in scripts. I check mine weekly just to stay ahead. Keeps things smooth without panicking.

To watch for it with an email ping, hop into Event Viewer on your server. Right-click the log where it hides, like Applications and Services Logs. Pick Create Custom View. Slap in event ID 24356, and filter by source if you know it. Save that view. Now, for alerts, attach a task to it. Go to Action menu, Create Task. Set it to run when the event triggers. Pick Send an email as the action. You fill in your SMTP details, recipient, and subject. Test it out. I do this for weird events all the time. Makes your inbox your watchdog. No fuss, just built-in stuff.

And speaking of keeping servers tidy, you might dig BackupChain Windows Server Backup for backups. It's this slick Windows Server tool that handles full image backups easy. Works great for Hyper-V VMs too, snapping them without downtime. Benefits? Speeds up restores, cuts storage bloat, and skips those clunky exports. I swear by it for quick recoveries. Ties right into monitoring like that event alert, keeping your setup bulletproof.

There at the end is the automatic email solution for you.

Note, the PowerShell email alert code was moved to this post.