MSDE apparently not working

[bslorence]

I am trying to install ADNM and have not had any luck so far. I'm installing the package that includes the MSDE, and accepting all default options during install. When the installation is nearly complete, the little "SQL Server service manager" appears in my task bar, but without a green "running" arrow. When I open it up there are no services in it.

When I start the ADNM Console, the "Detect Servers" button does not detect anything, and no server shows up in the "Server" drop-down. If I type in "[computer]\avast" just as it appeared in the ADNM installation wizard, and try to log in as Administrator/admin or sa/admin, I get an "unable to login as [user] or connection error" message from ADNM. I have also tried "localhost\avast" in the server field.

In my Windows Services console, I see that "MSSQL$AVAST", "SQLAgent$AVAST", and "avast! Management Server" are all started. Only "MSSQLServerADHelper" is not started -- does this have anything to do with avast?

I have tried this logged in as a local administrator, and also as a domain user with administrative privileges on both the domain and the local machine. I've tried it on two different XP SP2 machines and on a Windows 2000 SP4 machine -- always with the same results. I've read the administrator's guide and can't find any clues in there.

Is there something very basic that I'm failing to do?

[Vlk]

Let's see if there's really a problem.

When the installation is nearly complete, the little "SQL Server service manager" appears in my task bar, but without a green "running" arrow. When I open it up there are no services in it.

This is normal. ADNM installs MSDE in a special "crippled" mode so that it disables its network listener (to prevent problems like the notorious SQLSlammer worm). That is, the MSDE is installed in "local mode only" - with the network listener disabled.

When I start the ADNM Console, the "Detect Servers" button does not detect anything, and no server shows up in the "Server" drop-down.

This can happen when broadcasts are not functional on the network. Shouldn't be a problem per se.

If I type in "[computer]\avast" just as it appeared in the ADNM installation wizard, and try to log in as Administrator/admin or sa/admin, I get an "unable to login as [user] or connection error" message from ADNM. I have also tried "localhost\avast" in the server field.

You should use the DNS name or IP address of the server. Forget the "\avast" thing. So, for local server, you can even use localhost (or 127.0.0.1) or something like myserver or myserver.mydomain.com (whatever works).

Username/password is Administrator/admin

Please note that you're not logging in to the SQL Server but rather to the Avast Management Server (different server details and credentials).


Thanks
Vlk

[bslorence]

Thanks for the quick reply -- I'm now able to log in just fine. I looked back at the administrator's guide and noticed that if I had read it a touch more carefully, I wouldn't have needed to post in the first place.

That said, it would be nice if the detail about MSDE running in local-only mode were in a more prominent place than page 68 of the guide, in a section entitled "the multi-AMS model". I just installed the Sophos control console a few days ago (I'm evaluating avast! and Sophos in parallel), and it uses MSDE as well, but not in local-only mode, so I was expecting to see something similar with avast. Basically I just wanted a little green light to start flashing in the bottom right of my screen, and I was very worried when it didn't appear. 

Any way to suggest a revision to avast's technical-pubs person or persons?

[Vlk]

You're probably right...

I have noticed that the problem is even documented in MS Knowledge Base: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;814132


I'm wondering that maybe we should be removing the SQL Server Manager application from the Startup group - as it's not working anyway and is only disturbing users like you.