The Windows SBS 2011 Premium Add-on includes SQL Server 2008 R2 for
Small Business, a database management application that enables you to
run a variety of LOB applications on your secondary server. The Windows
SBS 2011 package includes SQL Server on a separate disk, which you must
install manually. SQL Server is not a self-contained application;
instead, it is an environment that enables applications to store
information in and retrieve information from SQL databases. How you
install and configure SQL Server on your secondary server depends
completely on the applications you plan to run.
There are two basic ways to obtain an application that uses SQL
Server databases: You can purchase a product that already exists, or you
can work with a developer to create a custom application for your
business. SQL-based applications are available for many vertical
markets, including packages designed to manage professional offices,
such as medical practices and legal firms, as well as utilities that can
be valuable to any business, such as time-clock and payroll software.
Purchasing an application of this type is not the same as going to
the computer store and selecting a commercial software product off the
shelf. In most cases, you are dealing with a vendor that has designed
and developed applications for specific markets or that is prepared to
custom-design an application to your needs. In either situation, your
relationship with the vendor is probably more personal, and you should
plan to pay more for that privilege. Retail software prices are based on
the product’s attraction to a large market. A large company that
creates a word processor program that appeals to millions of users can
afford to sell it for far less than a company that creates a
semicustomized application for a niche market with only hundreds or
thousands of potential customers.
Selecting a SQL application for your business, or having one
developed, is a major part of your network planning process. The
requirements of the application dictate what hardware you need in your
secondary server and how you install SQL Server 2008 R2 on the computer.
The application selection process should include the following
elements:
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Meetings with your staff, including department managers or
supervisors, as well as key employees that actually will be using the
product. Use these meetings to compile a list of features that your
application must have and a wish list of features you would like to
have.
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Discussions with multiple vendors of software solutions appropriate
for your organization. In addition to gathering product collateral and
other information about the software, try to ascertain what kind of
support the vendor supplies and how they respond to requests for new
features and custom software modifications.
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Detailed system requirements for the software products you are
considering. Determine whether you can run each product on your version
of SQL Server 2008 R2 and whether your budget can support the purchase of the required hardware.
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Live demonstrations of the applications, if possible, attended by the managers and users with whom you developed your list of requirements.
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Communications with other users of each software package you are
considering to determine whether they are satisfied with the product and
with the vendor’s service.
Determining SQL Server Requirements
Hardware requirements for SQL-based applications often go far beyond
just a specific processor and a certain amount of memory. Many
applications base their hardware requirements on the number of users
that access the application or on the size of the database. For example,
as you add more users, you might need a faster processor, additional
memory, and more disk space.
Some applications also have specific requirements for the computer’s
storage subsystem. For example, an application might require a certain
RAID configuration or specify that you place the database files on
drives that are separate from the database log files and the system
files.
Finally, applications might also call for the installation of certain
SQL Server features and specify configuration settings for certain
parameters. Obviously, requirements like these can affect not only your
server hardware purchasing decisions but also the process of installing
and configuring SQL Server 2008 R2.
Installing SQL Server 2008 R2
Although the requirements of your selected applications might require
special handling, a typical example of a basic SQL Server 2008 R2
installation proceeds as follows:
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Log on to your secondary server using a domain account with network Administrator privileges.
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Insert your SQL
Server 2008 R2 for Small Business disk into the DVD-ROM drive and run
the Setup.exe file on the disk when the system prompts you to do so.
When the User Account Control dialog box appears, click Continue. The SQL Server Installation Center window appears.
Note
If your server does not have the latest versions of Microsoft .NET Framework and Windows
Installer installed, the setup program offers to install them for you.
This process takes several minutes and requires you to restart the
computer. After the computer restarts, run the Setup.exe program on the SQL Server 2008 R2 disk again.
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Click System configuration checker. The program checks 14 elements to determine whether your server is ready to install SQL Server and then displays a Setup Support Rules dialog box containing the results.
If your system fails to pass any of the tests, correct the problem and rerun the System configuration checker.
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Once the system has passed all the tests, click OK to return to the SQL Server Installation Center window.
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In the left column, click Installation. The Installation page of the SQL Server Installation Center appears.
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Click New installation or add features to an existing installation. The SQL Server 2008 Setup Wizard appears and displays the Setup Support Rules dialog box again, this time checking seven elements that are required before the installation can proceed.
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If your system passes all seven tests, click OK. If not, correct the problems indicated and click Re-Run until the system passes all seven tests. Then click OK. The Product Key page appears.
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Click the Enter the product key option and type the SQL Server 2008 product key supplied with your Windows SBS 2011 package.
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Click Next. The License Terms page appears.
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Select the I accept the license terms check box and click Next. The Setup Support Files page appears.
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Click Install to continue. The wizard installs the setup support files and displays the Setup Support Rules page, which contains the results of the installation.
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Click Next. The Setup Role page appears.
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Click Next to accept the default setting. The Feature Selection page appears.
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Select the check boxes for the following components:
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Database engine services
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Analysis services
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Reporting services
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Management tools—Basic
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Click Next. The Installation Rules page appears.
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If your installation passes all the required rules, click Next to proceed. The Instance Configuration page appears.
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Click Next to accept the default settings. The Disk Space Requirements page appears.
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Click Next. The Server Configuration page appears.
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Specify an account name and password for each of the SQL Server services and click Next. The Database Engine Configuration page appears.
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Click Add current user and then click Next to accept the default Windows authentication mode option. The Analysis Services Configuration page appears.
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Click Add current user and then click Next. The Reporting Services Configuration page appears.
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Click Next to accept the default Install the native mode default configuration option. The Error Reporting page appears.
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Click Next to accept the default settings. The Installation
Configuration Rules page appears and checks to see whether an
installation can proceed based on the settings you supplied.
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Click Show details to display the test results.
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Click Next. The Ready To Install page appears.
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Click Install. The wizard installs SQL Server 2008 R2 and displays the Complete page, showing the overall results of the installation.
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Click Close. The wizard closes.
