To organize the operation of any centralized system, you need a server that can handle requests from client software. Messengers, social networks, accounting and financial systems - all this has a common data processing scheme. For storage and retrieval of information, certain types of servers are used - SQL. They are based on the language of structured queries. It provides fast and reliable access to stored data, as well as their processing on the fly.
Microsoft SQL Server: Short Description
This product is a free solution that allows you to quickly deploy a reliable storage for saving and processing large amounts of information. The server can be used to create web portals, applications and other types of specialized software. Actually, any website on the Web in one or another reincarnation uses a SQL server.
You can download the latest current version of the product from the official Microsoft website.
SQL Server Express System Resource Limitations
A little worth talking about the requirements. To start and ensure smooth operation of SQL Server Express, you need to bring the system configuration to the following form:
- operating systems can be used both 32- and 64-bit from the Windows line;
- processor clock speed must exceed 1.4 GHz;
- RAM - at least 512 MB, preferably 2 GB;
- 2.2 GB free hard disk space.
Installation: subtleties and nuances
Work with the Windows Server 2008 R2 platform will be considered. It is assumed that SQL Server Express 2012 has already been downloaded and is present on the computer. You need to run its installer as administrator. In the window that appears, select "Install a new instance of SQL Server."
Next, the text of the license agreement will be presented, which you need to read and accept. Then, if updates that are relevant at the moment are found, it will be offered to install them as well. This can be done later, in an already installed server.
The next step will be the selection of components. You can leave everything as the installer suggested. Here you must specify the path to place the files.
Next, the installer will check whether the system is ready for installation. And a situation may arise when he discovers that the .NET Framework 3.5 component is missing. This means that you will have to interrupt for a while and reinstall the required software.
Install the .NET Framework on a computer
This component contains a set of libraries and applications for working with network services and services. Without it, the launch of many systems and programs is impossible. Moreover, each individual version may contain its own kit.
In Windows Server 2008, this is done through the Start menu, then Administrative Tools. In the tree structure on the left you need to select Features, and in the main window - Add Features. The system will offer to tick off the components that are available for installation. In this situation, the entire NET Framework package is of interest. In the next step, it is recommended to leave the checkboxes by default. The final step will be a window with a message about the successful installation of the component.
Return to SQL Server Express 2012
Installation paused in the Installation Rules step. It needs to be renewed. The Instance Configuration item appears. Here you can specify a name, and let the remaining parameters remain as they are. Then in “Server Configuration” it is better to leave the default values.
The item “Configuration of the database engine” will offer to establish the authentication method. Better to choose a mixed mode. It is worth noting that this setting cannot be changed in the future.
Next, the installer will prompt you to select the "Installation Only" or "Installation and Configuration" method. The setup steps can also be performed manually, so you should choose the first item.
In the next window, you can simply click “Next”, since a check is set here whether error data will be sent to Microsoft. And finally - a window with a message about a successful installation.
Customization
After the installation is completed, you need to conduct a small initial configuration of SQL Server Express.
First you need to configure access to the server. To do this, go to the "Start" menu, then "All Programs", MS SQL Server Express and Configuration Tools.
A window opens, in the left pane of which there is a tree-like structure of elements. She is interested in the item “Protocols for SQLEXPRESS”. In the right window, nested elements will be displayed. You need to select TCP / IP. Through the context menu, the default value of Disbled is changed to Enabled, that is, it is turned on.
Then you need to select the protocol properties. The second tab of the IP address has an IPAll item. It contains the TCP Port values that need to be replaced with 1433.
Now you need to again refer to the tree of elements. Here you need to select the top - SQL Server Services. You just need to check if the SQL browser server is running. If not, you need to double-click on it and set the Start Mode to “Automatic”. And start the browser server manually by clicking Start in the context menu.
Now it remains to restart the SQL server completely.
Configure Incoming Messages
To do this, install a new server rule in the Windows firewall. You can get into these settings through "Start" - "Administration Tools". As usual, the left panel is the tree of elements, the right panel is the settings. You need to find the Inbound Rules item. And in the window "Actions" - "New Rule". The "Setup Wizard" opens. Here you need to select Port. Next, the protocol is TCP, and the port number is 1433. In the Action step, set Allow the connection. Next, on the Profile item, you need to specify the scope of the rule. You can set all three checkmarks.
And the last step is setting the name. It is better to indicate understandable and accessible.
After the rule is configured and saved, you should make sure that it works and is running.
Client connection
In order to connect to the server through SQL Server Managment Studio, you need to create a rule for the firewall, just as it was shown for SQL Server Express. The only difference is that the protocol will be UDP, and the port is 1434.
If you can’t connect at all, you need to view the Connections properties in SQL Server Managment Studio. Here, the item “Allow remote connection to this server” is of interest. It should have a checkmark turned on. Now everything will work.
Conclusion
The article showed how to install and configure MS SQL Server Express 2012. As you can see, the procedure is not so complicated and any PC user can handle it. Installing the equally popular SQL Server 2008 Express may differ slightly from the version described in the article, but the methodology and algorithm will be the same.
As a result, an affordable and productive data warehouse and its management system will be configured on the server.