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New Post: Install Directory

edvassie — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 10:37:15 GMT

Hi,

You can use the /Drvprog keyword to put the binaries on one disk, and use the /drvdata keyword to put the user databases on to another disk.

FineBuild always puts the system databases on the same disk as the binaries. If this causes you a problem please let me know why, and I will look at fixing it in the next release.

New Post: Install Directory

wazall — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 15:43:46 GMT

Hi Ed

I am using version 2.1.0 and am trying to install a standalone instance before moving onto a cluster. For a Clustered Instance the SQL Server binaries need to installed on a non-Clustered disk, which is why I am trying to install the SQL Server Service on another disk to where the data files are to be stored

thanks again

New Post: Install Directory

wazall — Mon, 17 Aug 2009 14:59:10 GMT

Hi Ed

I dont think my original post explained what I am trying to achieve. I was trying to find out whether is it possible to install the SQL Server Services and SQL Data Files on different drives. I am trying to ensure that the Database Services and SQL Server Database Data Files are on seperate disks. For Example:

SQL Server DataFiles placed on E:\MSSQL.1

Database Service placed in D:\Program Files\

I have tried updating the SQL .....\FineBuild\SQL2005Config.xml file but both the Data Files and Database Services keep defaulting to the same drive.

Thanks

New Post: Install Directory

edvassie — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 09:01:10 GMT

Hi,

SQL Server will always be installed in the ?:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\ folder.

The Microsoft SQL Server install will always put some components into that folder structure on the system drive, nobody can change that. The Microsoft install will also put a shedload of stuff into the GAC, which is always on the system drive.

The folders that contain the programs for each instance can be put on any drive. FineBuild uses the /DrvProg: parameter to control which drive is used, but I have not included anything to allow this folder name to be changed. I'll add this to the list of things for a future release.

FineBuild does allow you to specify the high level folder where the database files will be put. The default is SQLFiles, but you can update the DirSQL value in the Configuration file (or supply a /DirSQL: parameter at run time) to change this.

New Post: Install Directory

wazall — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 20:47:01 GMT

I am really impressed with Finebuild and instuctions. However I have been unable to work out how to change the install directory to that it does not default to "Program Files". Can you tell me whether this is possible

Thanks for the Great Tool !!

New Post: cluster

EdVassie — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 09:26:54 GMT

FineBuild 2.0 and above should support a cluster install for defalt and named instances, but this area of FineBuild has not had much testing. If you have problems let me know so I can fix them.

If you have not used FineBuild before I recommend you start with a Workstation install to get familiar with the FineBuild process, befoer doing a cluster install.

The old version V1.1.0 of FineBuild for SQL 2005 does not support cluster installs, but the V2 versions for SQL 2005 and SQL 2008 do.

New Post: cluster

vdaeleb01 — Tue, 07 Jul 2009 08:43:38 GMT

Hallo,

is this tool also clusteraware?

does it also allow to install named instances on cluster?

Regards,

Bruno

New Post: Is this tool even necessary?

fmorriso — Mon, 15 Dec 2008 07:09:57 GMT

Don't rush to support SQL Express on my account.

If you reread my posts, you'll see that I never install SQL Express. Instead, I install a named instance of SQL Enterprise or SQL Developer called SQLEXPRESS, which is sufficient to run most demo programs downloaded from the web. The only tweaks I find I need to perform on downloaded demo code is to take out User Instance=True from any connection strings since the way I install a named instance called SQLEXPRESS is not considered a user instance.

New Post: Is this tool even necessary?

EdVassie — Fri, 12 Dec 2008 20:29:51 GMT

FineBuild does not yet support SQL Server Express Edition. It may work for SQL Server Express, but I have never tried it. My current priority is to suport SQL Server 2008 and cluster installs (a beta covering this is now available). Then I want to upgrade FineBuild for SQL 2005 to include the features added to FineBuild for SQL 2008. After that, support for SQL Server Express is top of the list.

FineBuild should do the install of your default instance, and maybe by the middle of next year also do the Express instance.

New Post: Is this tool even necessary?

fmorriso — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 20:21:22 GMT

Excellent points. I'll give it a try and see if it helps speed up the process of setting up what I consider my "standard configuration" for a developer and also for setting up my "standard configuration" for SQL Server for a demonstration virtual machine, including ones that run SharePoint (MOSS 2007).

I will see if your tool can do things like:

install the default instance that runs "all services under the same account", an account I usually set up ahead of time named sqlsvc.
repeat step 1 except this time, create a named instance called SQLEXPRESS. This handles all those "I downloaded a piece of sample code from the Internet and it uses connection strings with .\sqlexpress" in them and I don't want to have to find all ".\sqlexpress" and change them to just ".". It also saves me the trouble of having to install SQL Server 2008 Express edition since most of the sample programs could care less, just so long as they can connect to a named instance called SQLEXPRESS. The only issue I ever run into is the occasional piece of sample code with a connection string that includes User Intance=True, which has to be removed to get the example to work properly under Enterprise or Developer edition.
Assuming I have copies of the appropriate MDF and LDF files, attach certain "standard" (to me at least) databases like Northwind, AdventureWorks, AdventureWorksLT and (god help me) pubs to both instances.

Who knows, even this old dog can (and perhaps should) learn some new tricks. :-)

New Post: Is this tool even necessary?

EdVassie — Thu, 11 Dec 2008 19:42:57 GMT

Hi,

I agree it is easy enough to run the GUI install. But if you want to get to the latest maintenance level you then also need to run the GUI installs for SP2, CUlatest and the BOL update. After you have done that, an experienced DBA will want to set some server configuration values, maybe move tempdb to its own drives, maybe lock down security, etc. All of this can be done manually, and many experienced DBAs have scripts that do each of these processes. For inexperienced DBA, doing all of this can be beyond their skills.

FineBuild provides a single script that does the lot. It can also install some useful community and PSS tools, all in the same process. This can save a lot of time over running multiple scripts. FineBuild can also be run from tools such as Altiris, so you can fully automate the SQL Server install process without a DBA needing to be present.

The objective of FineBuild is to provide a best-practice install and configuration of SQL Server. It does not claim to be the best possible build - there is no absolute concensus of what is 'best practice' - but it does claim to raise the standard that anybody can achieve.

Finally, even if you do not use the FineBuild scripts to install SQL Server, you can raid the Reference manual for step-by-step documentation of installing SQL Server you can copy into your site documents, and there are a number of useful stored procedures that script most SQL Server objects.

New Post: Is this tool even necessary?

fmorriso — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 04:39:48 GMT

I've set up numerous SQL Server 2008 Enterprise and Developer Edition installs, mostly in VM's, and have zero difficulty using the GUI installer that ships with SQL Server 2008.

Normally, I install the default instance and then go back and install a named instance called SQLEXPRESS, the later being useful for running sample applications that assume the database is sitting in a named instance called SQLEXPRESS.

Help me understand why I would want to use your tool when the vendor's tool seems easy enough to use on its own?