The installation of SQL Server is relatively simple and similar to the installation of other Microsoft products. In this chapter, you learn about the different steps and considerations to keep in mind as you set up your server system and the clients that will access it.
The computer system for your SQL Server installation should be on the list of supported Windows NT systems. If your system is an Intel x86-based processor, it should be 33 MHz or faster, according to Microsoft documentation. In practice, it's not recommended that you implement SQL Server in a production environment on anything less than a Pentium 75 MHz with 32M of RAM. Of course the faster the processor speed and more memory you have, the better the performance will be.
Also, according to the documentation, you must have a minimum of 16M of RAM for x86-based systems, although additional memory is recommended. A minimum of 16M is suggested for a Windows NT Server system, but 32M is more appropriate. Most RISC-based systems are usually configured with a minimum of 64M and often are configured with 128M of memory.
NOTE: These stated minimums are just that: minimums. As you bring up systems, there are a number of factors that will impact these numbers. Be sure to pay special attention to any replication tasks you may want to run and to the number of client systems that you'll be allowing to access the server during peak periods.One of the biggest performance boosts you can offer in the SQL Server world is the addition of memory. This simple enhancement can improve performance by twofold or more in many cases.
These recommendations aren't unreasonable for a server system. Memory has become very inexpensive in recent years. In 1977, a quarter of a megabyte of memory for at least one manufacturer's system was priced at $17,000. In recent times, you can buy 1M of memory for less than $50.
Although you might be using an Intel x86-based processor in your server system, its processing power and speed far exceeds the large minicomputer systems of ten to 15 years ago. Physically, your server might be only as large as a client system, but don't be deceived by that.
You need to have at least 70M of disk space to complete the installation, and if you install the book's online feature of SQL Server, you'll need to add 15M to this requirement. If you have only 70M, however, you don't have any space to create additional logical devices on which to create your databases. You should count on a minimal SQL Server installation requiring approximately 150M to start.
Note that although you can create your database tables and other objects within the master database, you shouldn't. Try to keep your core objects, those installed when you first bring up SQL Server, on a common logical device. As you'll see in Chapter 5, "Creating Devices, Databases, and Transaction Logs," when you create additional devices, databases and tables, you can designate different storage devices for those if your primary location does not have the disk space available.
You also need a floppy-disk drive for 3 1/2-inch, high-density disks or a CD-ROM drive to read the installation media.
See Chapter 5, "Creating Devices, Databases, and Transaction Logs," for more information on creating new devices.
Load the SQL Server software from your installation media onto a Microsoft Windows NT workstation or Windows NT Server system. You don't need any additional network software because the Windows NT system contains built-in network software. You need a network interface card (NIC) that's supported by Windows NT. If you access SQL Server directly only from the server system, without using a network for access, you don't need an NIC.
You can install SQL Server on a partition that uses either the FAT or NTFS file systems. You'll probably want to take advantage of the recovery and security features of a NTFS disk partition rather than the older and simpler FAT disk system, although your installation might have other considerations for other installed software that dictate this installation parameter.
See Que's Special Edition Using Microsoft Windows NT Server by Roger Jennings, for more information on the installation of NT Server.
Installing SQL Server for Windows NT is simple. The installation is similar to the installation of nearly all Microsoft Windows products, and it'll appear familiar to you if you've installed a Windows application. You must run the setup program using an NT account that has Administrative privileges, such as the NT Administrator account.
To perform the installation, follow these steps:
FIG. 3.1
You can change a characteristic such as the security mode only by running SQL Setup.
FIG. 3.2
Client licensing permits you to buy the exact number of client connections that you
need.
8. The MASTER Device Creation dialog box that appears allows you to confirm
or change the entries for the MASTER device drive, directory, and the size of the
MASTER device.
The default size of 25M for the MASTER Device Size may be inadequate. If you
anticipate creating many devices, databases, or other objects, you can initially
allocate a master device of perhaps 40M to 60M.
The master device contains the master database and transaction log, which holds several
system tables. You should avoid creating any objects in the master database, unless
you want the objects to be available throughout the server system to all databases.
SQL Server adds Rows to the system tables to reference objects that you create. Click
Continue.
9. The SQL Server Books Online dialog box appears, enabling you to define
whether you want to install the online documentation to run from the hard disk or
the CD (see Figure 3.3). You should install the documentation on a hard drive of
the server, unless you're short on disk space.
FIG. 3.3
You can share the online documentation from the server, saving disk space on the
client systems. You can also install copies on client systems.
FIG. 3.4
Select Auto Start SQL Server at Boot Time to automatically start
SQL Server when the system is restarted. You should also select Auto Start SQL Executive
at Boot Time to start the Executive processes when the server is booted.
CAUTION: If you must change your character set or sort order later, you'll have to rebuild the master database, so be sure you select carefully. Unless you have a compelling reason to do otherwise, you'll typically select the Case-Insensitive option.
NOTE: If you have the desktop version of Microsoft SQL Server, you can't select alternate Net-Libraries. Only Named Pipes may be installed.
FIG. 3.5
You should enter a password for the SQL Executive Service account that contains at
least eight characters.
TIP: It's a good idea to use a separate NT account for this service rather than share the NT Administrator account. If you later change the NT Administrator account, or change the password associated with the account without realizing it's being used by SQL Executive Service, the Executive Service will be unable to start.
After you've indicated the different setup options, if you're installing from CD, the process will complete without further intervention. If you install SQL Server from floppy disks, you'll be prompted to change disks as each is copied to the server. When the installation is completed successfully, click Reboot if you want to begin using SQL Server; otherwise SQL Server will start the next time your NT Server is restarted.
NOTE: Remember to manually start the SQL Server services after you reboot if you haven't defined automatic SQL Server startup; otherwise, the service won't be started and you won't be able to log in to start working with it.
You have several options available for starting SQL Server on the system. You can configure the SQL Server services system to start automatically each time the Windows NT server system is booted. You also can use the SQL Service Manager to start the SQL Server services. Several Windows application tools can optionally start SQL Server when the applications try to connect to the server. Finally, the server can be started by using a command line.
You can enable the automatic startup of SQL Server each time the Windows NT system is started. To start up SQL Server each time the server is booted, select the Auto Start SQL Server at Boot Time check box in the Installation Options dialog box. This is shown in Figure 3.4. You also can define an automatic startup for SQL Server after installation.
If you don't define SQL Server processes to automatically start up, you can later change it to automatic by using the Control Panel's Services option. To do so, follow these steps:
FIG. 3.6
You can change the Windows NT account that a service uses through the Service dialog
box.
CAUTION: It's very important that you consider your future uses for SQL Server as you install it with regard to user identities for the SQL processes.If you're using, or will be using in the future, the e-mail capabilities of SQL Server and the post office resides on a Novell server, you won't be able to access the mail system unless you establish a separate account for SQL Server.
You can use the SQL Service Manager to start MSSQLServer on the Windows NT server system. To start MSSQLServer by using the SQL Service Manager, follow these steps:
If you leave the SQL Server Service Manager minimized, you can easily Stop or Pause SQL Server as needed.
You can optionally start up SQL Server when you connect to the server locally from the server or remotely from a client system. For example, a client-side version of the SQL Service Manager can be invoked from the toolbar of the SQL Enterprise Manager, allowing you to start and stop the server engine.
To start up SQL Server by using a command line, follow these steps:
sqlservr /d drive:\directory\data\master.dat
Use /d to specify the name of the SQL Server master database.
The drive is the drive letter you entered in the Drive text box of the SQL Server Installation Path dialog box. The directory is the directory you entered in the Directory text box of the same dialog box. The default for the directory is SQL and the default for the drive is C.
Master.dat is the name of the data file that's the SQL Server master device. The master database is located on the master device and contains the set of system tables that defines SQL Server. Master.dat is located in the DATA subdirectory of the SQL directory.
NOTE: The sqlservr command line actually starts two system processes, both of which can have multiple threads.
Many of the SQL Server utilities that you use to manage the server, issue queries against it, and develop and debug your applications are available not only as server-based applications, but also as client-side applications. The utilities installed will vary depending on the client environment you are installing into. If you're using a 16-bit client, such as Windows for Work-groups, you'll have fewer options installed than if you're using a 32-bit environment like Windows 95 or Windows NT.
For the 16-bit Windows clients, the following utilities are installed:
For the 32-bit client, the following utilities are installed:
If you're installing the software on a 32-bit client such as Windows 95 or Windows NT, you can take advantage of the added utilities mentioned previously. To start setup, select the processor subdirectory on the CD that corresponds to your system. It's most likely that you'll be installing using the i386 subdirectory. This corresponds to the 32-bit installation of the utilities.
NOTE: To avoid conflicts with system files, you should exit all other software applications prior to running the setup program. If you don't, you might receive an error message as the files are copied to your system. This error message will prevent you from completing the installation successfully. Pay special attention to less-obvious applications such as the Office toolbar or other applications that run in the background. When in doubt, use the Windows task manager to verify the processes that are active on your system.
Here are the steps to installing the software:
TIP: If you're upgrading your client software, it's a good idea to remove prior versions of the utilities before you install the newer 6.5 versions on your system. If you do uninstall your old utilities, you'll need to restart the setup process to continue with the installation of the new utilities.
Once completed, you'll be able to use the client workstation to administer, inquire into, and manage the different aspects of your SQL Server system.
As mentioned previously, the 16-bit client software offers fewer, although just as useful, utilities for your SQL Server installation. When you install the software on your system, you'll be following similar prompts as other Windows installations that you might have completed.
The first step is to open the Clients subdirectory on the CD containing SQL Server. Select your operating system, which should be either DOS or Win16 for the 16-bit Windows client software.
If you're running the Windows setup, select and run the SETUP program. Installation of the DOS client software simply requires copying the files to a directory of your choice.
The Windows setup program will prompt you for the destination of the files and will then ask you to confirm which utilities you want to install.
When you click Install, the utilities will be copied to your system. A program group will be created and you'll be ready to start using the utilities with your system.
SQL Server can be installed in an environment with many different chip sets and variations of the Windows operating system. All of the software needed to install and run the server, as well as to install and configure client machines, comes on the SQL Server CD. The process of installing software on the clients should be planned and consistent on clients running the same version of Windows to make maintenance and troubleshooting easier.
In this chapter you've learned about the different options you have for installing the software on your systems, both from a client and a server point of view. For more information about these and other related topics, please see the following chapters:
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