SQL

Stop by the Microsoft "Ask the Experts" area and ask me some technical questions about Windows Server 2008. I don't know if I will have anything to give out for prizes, except for nuggets of information.

Just keep in mind, I'm not a sales guy. I'm more well versed in telling you about configuration scenarios for Hyper-V than what the licensing cost would be. I can also tell you the technical reasons for upgrading to Server 2008 and not standard marketing phrases of "Easier to manage" or "Reduced TCO". Those are all valid reasons but I'd rather tell you about the technical aspects, like SMB 2.0 and Read-only Domain Controllers.

I'll also be at the CDW/Berbee booth from time to time too, since we are one of the partners at the event.

More information on the event is here.

I'll also be at the Grand Rapids event a few months from now.

Microsoft SQL Server 2008, the next release of Microsoft SQL Server, provides a comprehensive data platform that is more secure, reliable, manageable and scalable for your mission critical applications, while enabling developers to create new applications that can store and consume any type of data on any device, and enabling all your users to make informed decisions with relevant insights.

Download it here.

If you go to the Server 2008, SQL 2008, and Visual Studio 2008 launch event in your area, it looks like you will be getting some Not-For-Resale goodies.

1. Windows Server 2008 Enterprise RTM (64 and 32 bit) with a product key
2. Visual Studio 2008 Standard RTM
3. SQL Server 2008 CTP 5.0 with a voucher for a RTM copy when available

If you happen to go to the Grand Rapids, Michigan or Detroit, Michigan event, I should be in the "Ask the Experts" section with Microsoft, if everything goes as planned.

I have heard rumors of discounted TechNet Plus subscriptions too, so those are always nice too!

Details originally spotted here.

Read about it here and request it from PSS if you need the hotfixes that have been released since SP2.

It also looks like they are following the Vista update trend:
SQL Server 2005 hotfixes are now multilanguage. There is only one cumulative update package for all languages.

Unless you are experiencing a specific issue listed inside the KB, I'd stick with the released SP2 build for now.

Grab the hotfix here.

Today must be release day. I wonder if Windows 2003 SP2 will come out today too.
Download SQL 2005 SP2 here.

If you want to run SQL under Vista or Longhorn, get SP2.

There are a lot of changes since SP1, so it is worth reading the release notes to make sure there haven't been any incompatible changes made and, of course, it is not recommended to use CTPs in a production environment but if past SQL CTPs have been very stable.

You can grab the new binaries here.

The changelog for SQL 2005 SP2, so far, is here.

.NET 3.0 RTM'd too today - it is the week of releases at Microsoft it seems.

If you are seeing any of these issues, you might want to consider installing this post-SP1 "rollup" for SQL 2005. It looks like mostly memory leak and deadlock fixes.

More info here:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/918222

Looks like the one of the new features mentioned in the SP1 release notes is located here:

"A registry switch has been added that you can use to control encryption between a master server and a target server (MSX-TSX)."

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\Client\SNI9.0\GeneralFlags\Flag1

It looks like it is a DWORD toggle of 0 or 1 with the setting of 'Value' determining whether or not to use encryption between the SQL server agent and SQL server.

It looks like not a lot has changed since the March CTP of SP1. A big noteworthy detail is that Vista and Longhorn are officially supported now.

New additions:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/916940

Fixes:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=913090

Download link:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=cb6c71ea-d649-47ff-9176-e7cac58fd4bc&displaylang=en

Tiny URL version of the download link:
http://tinyurl.com/efgun

I'm sure there are a lot more out there but these seem to be the most common you might see in the wild, and this is what I've gathered from various sources around the Internet.

All start with 9.00.xxx and the number we care about is at the xxx. Typically SQL will spam the event log with the build number on startup but I don't think that is always the best way to determine the build number. When all else fails, you can always execute SELECT @@version from the Query editor.

Beta 1: 608
Beta 2: 852
12/04 CTP: 981
04/05 CTP: 1116
06/05 CTP: 1187
09/05 CTP: 1314
RTM: 1399.06
SP1 03/06 CTP: 2040

Any production server should most likely be running 1399.06 and any test box might be running one of the CTPs or Betas, but those should be retired ASAP.

I have been running the SP1 CTP without any issues so far, but my laptop isn't exactly a SQL transaction powerhouse.

This build replaces build 2162, and has a few 64-bit specific fixes in it. If you are running SQL 2000, probably a good idea to stick this on your server.

KB 894905

You'll know that you are running the most up to date version of SQL 2000.

If you've been getting a lot of "Unable to read local eventlog (reason: 87)" entries in your event log with SQL 2005 RTM from the Alert Engine of SQL, you'll be happy to know this has been fixed in the new build.

Some installs never have it show up, others have it fill up the event logs. Strange little bug but I'm glad it is gone.

You can download it from here:
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=39ebef74-1c29-49fe-8221-c94f2b52f6c6&DisplayLang=en

A great example of how not every tool fits every scenario. It gives a lot of insight into the 'why' and 'why nots' of various technologies.

http://blogs.technet.com/mscom/archive/2006/02/13/419406.aspx

Their blog is usually a good read anyway. If I didn't like my house, land, and job in Michigan right now, I'd probably want to be working in that department. It is the type of stuff I love to do. Only thing that might eclipse that is the stuff that goes on in the EEC.

Why? You only need licenses per physical CPU. That is a big cost saving.

More info here: http://www.microsoft.com/sql/howtobuy/multicore.mspx

Specifically:

Microsoft has been driving thought leadership in this area by charging the same amount per processor, regardless of how many cores are in the processor. Microsoft was the first database vendor to make this announcement, in October of 2004, and continues to be the only vendor to date that has taken this position. This strategy is based on the belief that multicore processors are a natural extension of Moore's Law (that the number of transistors on a chip doubles about every one to two years), and that the benefits should be passed on directly to customers.