Knowledge Base

Preparing SQL Servers for remote installation

Category: How do I?
Date: 13 Jul 2009
Product: SQL Backup
Versions: 5,6

Some surface-area configuration changes need to be applied to the SQL Server in order to perform remote installations of the SQL Backup Server Components from the SQL Backup console.

SQL Backup can be deployed to remote servers over the network without having to log into the SQL Server directly. In order for this to function, however, there are some security changes that need to be made to the SQL Server.

The big three security 'objects' we use are:

xp_cmdshell
OLE Automation Procedures
sp_configure

If xp_cmdshell or OLE Automation Procedures are not enabled, then we use sp_configure to enable them in order that we can use them, though SQL Backup is nice about it and will disable them again immediately if it was SQL Backup that enabled them.

If the account used to connect to the server from the SQL Backup console has sufficient permissions to use the sp_configure stored procedure, then the SQL Server can automatically be configured to allow server component installations. If this is not the case, then the server can be configured manually using SQL Server Enterprise Manager for SQL Server 2000 or using the Surface Area Configuration Wizard for SQL Server 2005.