Moving Windows app to a LAN

  • Thread starter Thread starter Woody Splawn
  • Start date Start date
W

Woody Splawn

I have been using SQL Server 2000 on my stand-alone machine as a back-end to
a VS.net application. It is time to switch environments and take the
application to the customer. I need to install SQL Server 2000 on the
server of the client's local area network, which is a Windows 2000 machine.
I am
concerned about doing this right. On my own machine I did the install
incorrectly at first and had to re-install. I had a very hard time getting
things reset and back to normal. I would like to not make the same kind of
mistakes
here.

It is not clear to me just where to tell SQL Server to install when
installing on the Server. I suppose, though I am not sure, and this is why
I'm asking, I should do the following:

Let SQL Server install the program files to it's default location on the
server of C:\Program Files\ Microsoft SQL Server, and install the system
databases etc., to a public directory. The C drive of the server is not
seen by the client machines on the network. However, I have a a public
drive letter on the server called F which is seen by the clients. This is
really C:\Data. My intent is to tell SQL Server to install the database
system files to a sub directory under F called SQL. I will also place my
custom database there.

Question:

Is this all I need to do in order for my Visual Studio .net application to
be able to acces my custom database? If the above is correct, it is not
clear to me where I go from here. I suppose, in Visual Studio, I can click
on Server Explorer, select Add Connection, and in the connection dialog I
will somehow be able to see or navigate to the server name on the LAN
Server. Is this right?

Any other thoughts or suggestions are appreciated.
 
You can install the SQL server anywhere you want on you're customers machine
provided that you apply some common sense to the location. IE ensure that
the A.) The disk has enough space to put your program and datafiles now and
in the future. B.) The users cannot get access to it ( It should not really
be used as a file server and an SQL server anyway. C.) Keep things tidy and
allow it to suggest the correct directory.

OHM
 
Hi Woody,

Your assumptions are by and large correct, but I would suggest installing
directly into c:\data. Also, you will have to get the name of the data
source (machine name) of the server to connect to it properly in your
connection strings - eg,
Dim oconn As New SqlConnection("data source=d5z0071;database=imc;integrated
security=sspi;")

supposes that the machine name is d5z0071, but it will change now that sql
server is on a different machine.

I have installed a couple of enterprise apps written in .net, but none have
yet used sql server. I have been working on a major job for the last 15
months or so, ready to deploy in about 1.5 months, so I face some of these
questions myself. I tell you this because I strongly recommend you post
your question to the microsoft sqlserver.server ng - they're more
knowledgeable there than I am about this and I'm sure they can recommend the
best approach.

HTH,

Bernie
 
Thank you for responding.
I strongly recommend you post
your question to the microsoft sqlserver.server ng - they're more
knowledgeable there than I am about this and I'm sure they can recommend the
best approach.
Click to expand...

Actually I did this and got "some" good advice. The problem, however, is
one that I run into frequently. SQL Server people know their area but not
VS and vica versa. After asking my install questions there I realized it
was not likely that any of them would know about how VS handles
SQLConnections on it's side. So, I posted here.

Things I thought they wouldn't know about are like this (quoted in my first
message).
Your assumptions are by and large correct, but I would suggest installing
directly into c:\data
Click to expand...

Well, lets see, if I do that then I will need to make the data directory
public, correct? Not a problem, I just need to know what to do. I suppose
I could make a Z drive = C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Data.
Are there other directories of the server installation of SQL server that
need to be public as well? Will I be able to access my custom database if
these directories are not public?
 
Thank you for your help.
You can install the SQL server anywhere you want on you're customers machine
provided that you apply some common sense to the location
Click to expand...

When you say "you're customers machine" you do mean the server right? What
about access rights that the client machines will need? How do I address
that? I thought perhaps you might say something about whether the install
directory should be public or not.
You can install the SQL server anywhere you want... provided that ...
The users cannot get access to it. It should not really
be used as a file server and an SQL server anyway.
Click to expand...

I do not understand what you're saying here. Did you mean provided that the
users *Can* get access to it? This is a small 10 user local area network
with a server that has plenty of horse power. This is a VS Windows
application, not an Internet application. Guess I don't understand why you
say, "It should not really be used as a file server and an SQL server
anyway".
 
Hi Woody,

What is the kind of your custom database.

If it is a sql database, you may try to move database by following the link
below. And if you are to use SQL server, you can connect to it (wherever
the SQL server is, and you do not need to share the Data directly) by using
the connect string as what you said in your post.
224071 INF: Moving SQL Server Databases to a New Location with Detach/Attach
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=224071
314546 HOW TO: Move Databases Between Computers That Are Running SQL Server
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=314546

If it is an Access, you may connect to it by using VS.NET directly or you
can Convert the Aceess Database to the SQL servce database.
285829 How to Use Data Transformation Services (DTS) to Export Data from a
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=285829
237980 HOW TO: Convert an Access Database to SQL Server
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=237980

If you have any concern on this issue,please post here.

Regards,
Peter Huang
Microsoft Online Partner Support
Get Secure! www.microsoft.com/security
This posting is provided "as is" with no warranties and confers no rights.
--------------------
 
Hi Woody,
Well, lets see, if I do that then I will need to make the data directory
public, correct? Not a problem, I just need to know what to do. I suppose
I could make a Z drive = C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Data.
Are there other directories of the server installation of SQL server that
need to be public as well? Will I be able to access my custom database if
these directories are not public?
Click to expand...

As to my first post, what kind of database are you using?
Is it an Access Database(MDB) or a SQL Database?

If it is an Access Database, and you want to access it using the JET
provider, then you need to share the mdb file.

If it is a SQL database, you do not need to share the directory where you
install the SQL database. You may need to start the SQL server service and
connect to the SQL server from the database client(i.e. you r VS.NET).

Also, if you want to move the database from one server to another, you may
refer to my another post. You can import an access database(mdb) into the
SQL server or move an SQL server database from one server to another. If
you just want to move a MDB file from one machine to another, and access it
by using the JET provider, you may need to share the file.

If you have any concern on this question, please feel free to post here.

Regards,
Peter Huang
Microsoft Online Partner Support
Get Secure! www.microsoft.com/security
This posting is provided "as is" with no warranties and confers no rights.
 
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