a few questions about MSDE and Mssql

[webnx]

Please go easy on me, I am a bit of a MSSQL noob. I have a few sites that need it, and recently installed the MSDE free package on one of my windows servers. besides this one not having all the tools, whats different than the full blown sql? is its limited to one database / user? or is it fully usable on many sites like mysql?
I have it installed, but cannot connect to it. does anyone have any good places to start for info? like all the command line install switches.

Thanks for your help and time!

Dan

[Guimauve]

I've been using MSDE for a while now instead of the full blown
version of SQL server and it has proven to be a very nice little setup.
I've also deployed a few smaller web applications that required a real
multi-user database (ahem, not access) with MSDE with excellent results.

If you aren't familiar with MSDE it is a redistributable version of SQL
Server 2000 which your Visual Studio license allows you to deploy for free
to any customer or desktop. There are some limitations which make it
suitable only for smaller applications but in most cases for developer
machines these limitations are not a problem.

Limitations:
o No client tools (Enterprise Manager, Query Analyzer)
o Maximum use of 2GB RAM
o 2GB database size limit
o Only 2 CPUs
o 25 concurrent connections for websites
o No Failover Support
o No Full-text search
o No SQL Books Online
o No Full or Bulk-Logged recovery model support

Now, to make MSDE REALLY usable, or at least closer than what you are used
to with a full fledged SQL Server database you should do the following:

1. Get the latest MSDE installation package, which includes
SQL Server 2000 SP3a.
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/msde/do...s/download.asp

2. You don't have enterprise manager included, so hopefully
you have a license of the client tools. If not there are
a lot of alternatives to Query Analyzer available for
little to no money out there.
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/msde/partners/default.asp

3. By default the installation of MSDE will not listen to
requests from other computers on the network. Use
svrnetcn to enable this.
http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;827204

4. By default you can only access the database with NT security
and not with the sa user. Change this by changing one registry
entry:
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;en-us;Q319930

Charles

[danfran]

Check this out.. for $20 bucks, this company made a no-nonsense version of Enterprise Manager (QA, too) for MSDE, almost to a 'T'...

I bought it and it works very, very well!!!!!!!

http://www.msde.biz/msdeadmin/msdeadmin.htm

dan