Microsoft recently released the latest version of its SQL Server platform: SQL Server 2008. Like its predecessors, the new release is a bundle of components that work together to deliver a seamless and integrated BI platform.

The 2008 version includes numerous performance enhancements that will enable the new version to address even larger data volumes at higher performance levels than before. In addition to performance enhancements come new functionality and ease-of-use enhancements that will appeal to new and existing SQL users.

For new deployments, SQL 2008’s new features and higher performance levels probably means there’s no reason to deploy older versions. For existing SQL 2000 and SQL 2005 customers, migration effort will depend on the specifics of each deployment, but the overall improvements will likely prove to make the migration worthwhile.

Windows 2008 shipped recently, and I've been updating my field kit with all of the various installation media and supplemental programs needed for client site deployments.

One issue I ran into is when installing the Books Online standalone package on my Vista x64 laptop:

"This installation package cannot be installed by the Windows Installer service.  You must install a Windows service pack that contains a newer version of the Windows Installer service."

The message is pretty self-explanatory, but it was strange that at this time Windows Update indicates my computer is all up-to-date. 

To resolve this issue I needed to manually download the update to Windows Installer 4.5, apply it, and reboot. Then installing the updated install package proceeded normally.

Recently I've been working on deployments of Windows Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008.  I thought I'd start to post some of the nuances of these new product editions. 

One of the first things to encounter is, not surprisingly, security.  Security is always loads of fun for deployments (ha ha), but actually I kind of enjoy the challenge of working within the confines of good security practices.

Windows Server 2008 is based on the Vista core, and inherits a lot from it.  One of these is the Windows Firewall.  I think this is a really good thing...having that extra layer of security is definitely wise, and is a nice blanket I actually miss from my Sun/Linux days--so I'm actually glad to have it there.  But, it also means you have to configure security for just about every new application, port, etc.

For SQL Server, this really isn't too difficult.  However since I do so many deployments, I'm always interested in a shortcut...and I like to document changes, get them approved by client syadmin, then apply them by script whenever possible. 

So, below is a sample script I put together for applying firewall changes needed by SQL Server 2008 when running on Windows 2008. This is a work in progress but so far so good. Note that this script opens just about every port SQL Server might use, so make sure to use only those lines that apply to any given server (e.g. don't open HTTP/80 if you're not running anything reporting services, etc.).

Of course, if you're using named instances for SQL Services, those instances by default will have dynamic (i.e. random) ports.  Dynamic ports don't work that well with a server firewall (and neither do they work well for Kerberos delegation configurations--but that's another topic).  So, a best practice is probably to set static ports for each instance and manage them that way.

One thing to make sure to do if using command lines like this is to specify rule names on the command line, then those names show up in the GUI-based firewall control panel (firewall.cpl)--see the screen grab down below. If you don't--then each rule will simply be named "unspecified"...not a nice thing to leave for the sysadmin to figure out later!

@rem firewallconfig.cmd by Rob Kerr 

@echo =========  SQL Server Ports  ===================
@echo Enabling SQLServer default instance port 1433
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 1433 "SQLServer"

@echo Enabling Dedicated Admin Connection port 1434
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 1434 "SQL Admin Connection"

@echo Enabling conventional SQL Server Service Broker port 4022 
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 4022 "SQL Service Broker"

@echo Enabling Transact-SQL Debugger/RPC port 135
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 135 "SQL Debugger/RPC"

@echo =========  Analysis Services Ports  ==============
@echo Enabling SSAS Default Instance port 2383
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 2383 "Analysis Services"

@echo Enabling SQL Server Browser Service port 2382
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 2382 "SQL Browser"

@echo =========  Misc Applications  ==============
@echo Enabling HTTP port 80
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 80 "HTTP"

@echo Enabling SSL port 443
netsh firewall set portopening TCP 443 "SSL"

@echo Enabling port for SQL Server Browser Service's 'Browse' Button
netsh firewall set portopening UDP 1434 "SQL Browser"

@echo Allowing multicast broadcast response on UDP (Browser Service Enumerations OK)
netsh firewall set multicastbroadcastresponse ENABLE

Francois Ajenstat wrote in a recent blog posting that Microsoft will release a SP3 for SQL Server 2005.  There has been a groundswell of support in the user community for this, and it's a relief to know it's on the way.

This is especially great news for those of us deploying and supporting PerformancePoint on the SQL 2005 platform.  Currently, the system requirements for PerformancePoint planning server require build 3186 of SQL Server 2005, which is a "hot-fixed" version of SQL Server 2005.  It has seemed a bit strange that the production version of PerformancePoint Planning server requires a hot-fix version that's only available through special request to Product Support Services.  It's nice to see that will change soon.

While on the subject of build version numbers, keeping all the build numbers straight can be a real challenge sometimes.  One handy SQL statement to pickup the service pack level if you don't recall version numbers well:

SELECT 'SQL Server ' 
+ CAST(SERVERPROPERTY('productversion') AS VARCHAR) + ' - ' 
+ CAST(SERVERPROPERTY('productlevel') AS VARCHAR) + ' (' 
+ CAST(SERVERPROPERTY('edition') AS VARCHAR) + ')'

Also, aspfaq.com hosts the following pages that have complete references on build numbers:

SQL Server 2005 build number matrix

SQL Server 2000 build number matrix