SQl Server

Surface Area Configuration Tool in SQL Server 2008

1
630 days
by in SQl Server

So, you thought that you have by now become comfortable with the Surface Area Configuration Tool in SQL Server 2005 and are ready to do the configuration once you install SQL Server 2008.  Well, the tool does not exist anymore in SQL Server 2008 and has been added to the deprecated feature list. As you will recall, we used to use SAC for doing configuration for services & connections as well as for features.

So, how can you go about making configuration changes via the GUI?  It has been divided up into different tools now:

Instance and Database Engine Features:

This will now be done through SSMS (SQL Server Management Studio).  Right click on the instance and select Facets as shown in the image below:


Once you select it, the next screen that you will get is this one:

And you can pick and choose what you want to confgure.  Surface Area configuration is one of the facets.

Another thing that you would note at the bottom right hand side is “Export Current State as Policy” – using this, one can then use that policy across the group in order to have a consistent environment.

References
Understanding Surface Area Configuration
Systems Engineering and RDBMS

SQL Server 2008 : Enable xp_cmdshell

2
630 days
by in Security, SQl Server

The xp_cmdshell option is a server configuration option that enables system administrators to control whether the xp_cmdshell extended stored procedure can be executed on a system.

-- To allow advanced options to be changed.
EXEC sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1
GO
--To update the currently configured value for advanced options.
RECONFIGURE
GO
-- To enable the feature.
EXEC sp_configure 'xp_cmdshell', 1
GO
-- To update the currently configured value for this feature.
RECONFIGURE
GO

References
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms190693.aspx

SQL Server 2008 : OLE Automation

9
635 days
by in Security, SQl Server

Ole Automation in SQL Server 2008 by default is turned off for security reasons. When OLE Automation Procedures are enabled, a call tosp_OACreate will start the OLE shared execution environment.

Executing the following script will enable Ole Automation

sp_configure 'show advanced options', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO
sp_configure 'Ole Automation Procedures', 1;
GO
RECONFIGURE;
GO

References
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191188.aspx

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