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EdVassie edited this page Sep 19, 2018 · 50 revisions

SQL FineBuild Wiki

SQL FineBuild provides 1-click install and best-practice configuration on Windows of SQL Server 2017 down to SQL Server 2005.

This Wiki provides the documentation for SQL FineBuild is divided into the following sections:

Visitor Count

Most documentation for SQL FineBuild is still on the Wayback Machine copy of the legacy SQL FineBuild CodePlex site, but it will be migrated to here as time allows. The Wayback Machine documentation is not available in Europe due to GDPR concerns.

Please be patient while the GitHub Wiki is uploaded. There are 285 pages to review and upload plus about 50 new pages to write before the GitHub Wiki is complete.

SQL FineBuild Overview

Item Comment
Introduction
FineBuild Introduction Introduction to what SQL FineBuild is about
FineBuild Design Criteria Principals that guided the SQL FineBuild design
FineBuild Standard Builds The four Standard Builds available in SQL FineBuild
License and Acknowledgements Details of SQL FineBuild Licensing and general acknowledgements
FineBuild Reviews Links to what some people have said about SQL FineBuild
FineBuild Change History Summary of changes to SQL FineBuild Releases
Advanced Features
FineBuild Special Builds The advanced Special Builds available in SQL FineBuild
SQL Media Folder Names The best names for SQL FineBuild Media folders
Upgrade SQL Server Version Upgrade to a new version of SQL Server
Apply SQL Server SP or CU Apply SP or CU after SQL Server has been installed
SQL Server Cluster Install Install SQL Server as a Cluster
Large Scale Deployment Using SQL FineBuild Deploying SQL Server across your organisation
Non-English Versions Of SQL Server Installing non-English versions of SQL Server
Security Compliance Compliance to common security standards
FineBuild Components Inventory List of all the SQL FineBuild components
FineBuild Parameter Inventory List of all the SQL FineBuild Parameters
FineBuild Troubleshooting How to resolve problems with SQL FineBuild
Best Practice Advice
Best Practice Guidelines Guidelines for what forms Best Practice
SQL Server Administration Best Practice for administering SQL Server
SQL Server Proxy Accounts Management of Proxy Accounts for xp_cmdshell and SQL Agent
DBA Password Store A secure place to store passwords used by DBAs
SQL Server Memory Management Management of memory used by SQL Server components
Group Policy Management Management of Group Policy Objects
SQL Server Certificates Configure security Certificates for SQL Server

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Install Preparation

The following items prepare the server for a SQL FineBuild installation. All installation activity must be performed while logged on using an account that is a member of the local Administrators group on the server on which SQL Server is being installed.

When installing on Windows 2008 or above, SQL FineBuild must be run using the Administrator context (i.e. Use Run as Administrator or turn User Access Control off).

Item Comment
SQL Media Preparation Preparing the SQL install media for SQL FineBuild
FineBuild Initialisation Initialisation of SQL FineBuild
Server Preparation
Setup Server Name Server name set to upper case if in mixed case
Windows Preparation
Setup Service Timeout Service startup timeout adjusted if server is slow
Setup SSRS Service Timeout Adjust service timeout for SSRS
Setup Power Configuration Power Configuration adjusted to Maximum
Setup No Defrag Setup No Drive Defragmentation
Setup Windows Audit Setup Windows Audit Options
Network Preparation
Setup Firewall Port Exceptions Set Firewall Exceptions for SQL Server components
Setup Network Adaptors Rename Network Adaptors to match Cluster Network names
Setup Network Bindings Set correct Network Bindings for Cluster install
Setup Network Parameters Setup Network Adaptor TCP Parameters
Setup No TCP NetBIOS Disable NetBIOS over TCP
Setup No TCP Offload Disable TCP Offload
Setup TLS 1.2 Enable TLS 1.2
Setup No SSL v3 Disable Secure Sockets Layer v3
Account Preparation
Setup Group Membership Set membership of Windows Groups
Setup Group Rights Set Windows Rights and Privileges for Groups
Setup User Rights Set Windows Rights and Privileges for Users
Setup SPNs Setup Service Principal Names (SPNs) for Kerberos authentication
Setup No Windows Global Access Disable Windows Global Access to Server
Drive Preparation
Setup Drive Labels Drive Labels set for all drives used by SQL FineBuild
Setup Drive Shares Network shares created for all drives used by SQL FineBuild
Setup No Drive Indexing Disable Contents Indexing for all drives used by SQL FineBuild
Folder Preparation
Setup SQL Folder Structure Create folders needed for SQL Server installation
Setup System Temp Folder Change location of System \Temp folder
Setup All Users Temp Folder Change location of all user \Temp folders
Setup Folder Permissions Set permissions for DBA and SQL service accounts

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SQL Install

The SQL Server install process is split internally into 3 sections. All tasks in this process are performed by the FineBuild2InstallSQL script.

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Install SQL Pre Install Tasks

The following items are installed because they are pre-requisites for SQL Server

Item Comment
Setup Slipstream Install Media Merge SP and CU into install media for SQL 2008 and SQL 2008 R2
Install Windows 2012 R2 KB2919442 Update 1 Pre-requisite for Windows 2012 R2
Install Windows 2012 R2 KB2919355 Update 1 for Windows 2012 R2
Setup MSDTC CID Create new CID (GUID) for local MDTC
Setup MSDTC Network Access Allows MSDTC to be accessed over the network
Setup MSDTC Cluster Create MSDTC Cluster(s) for SQL cluster installs
Register MSDTC Cluster Register MSDTC Cluster Resource Name within FineBuild
Check MSDTC Cluster Service Check MSDTC Cluster Service is operational
Install Windows 2012 R2 KB3090973 Windows MSDTC fix for Windows 2012 R2
Install JRE Install Java Runtime Engine
Install .Net 2.0 Install .Net 2.0 for SQL Server 2005
Install .Net 3.5 Install .Net 3.5 SP1 for all SQL Server versions
Install IIS Install IIS on Windows 2008 and above if needed by other components
Install Windows Installer 4.5 Install Windows Installer 4.5 for SQL 2008 onwards
Install PowerShell V1 Install PowerShell V1 for SQL Server 2008 and 2008 R2
Install PowerShell V2 Install PowerShell V2 for all SQL Server versions
Install Windows 2003 KB925336 Windows Installer fix for Windows 2003
Install Windows 2003 KB933789 Registry permissions fix for Windows 2003
Install Windows 2003 KB937444 Filestream compatibility fix for Windows 2003
Install Windows 2008 KB956250 Preparation fix for .Net 4 for Windows 2008
Install .Net 4.0 Install .Net 4.0 on Windows 2008 and above
Install Windows 2012 KB4019990 Missing d3dcompiler update for Windows 2008 R2 and Windows 2012
Install .Net 4.x Install .Net 4.x on Windows 2008 and above
Setup Distributed Replay Setup Distributed Replay Utility (DRU)
Setup RSAT Setup Remote Server Administration Tools (RSAT)
Setup PoSh Trusted Host Setup PowerShell Trusted Host to allow PS remote execution

Install SQL Server

SQL FineBuild will run one of the Standard Builds listed below:

Item Comment
FineBuild Main Instance Server Build The normal build for SQL Server database server machines
FineBuild Additional Named Instance Server Build Used if an additional SQL Server Named Instance is required on a database server
FineBuild Workstation Build The normal build for Development Workstations
FineBuild Client Tools Build The normal build for DBA Administration machines

Install SQL Post Install Tasks

The following items are performed after the SQL Server install

Item Comment
Check SQL Edition Data Check data for the SQL Server Edition that has been installed
Install Visual Studio 2005 SP1 Install VS 2005 SP1 if SQL 2005 and BIDS installed
Install Windows 2008 KB932232 VS 2005 SP1 fix for Windows 2008
Install VS 2005 SP1 KB954961 VS 2005 SP1 fix for SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2
Setup Analytics Setup R Services Configuration
Install Visual Studio 2010 SP1 Install VS 2010 SP1 if SQL2012 or SQL2014 is installed
Setup SSMS Setup SQL 2016 SSMS
Install Windows 2012 R2 KB2862966 Cyptography update for Windows 2012 R2
Setup SSIS Cluster Create SSIS cluster
Setup Cluster Bindings Cluster post-install configuration
Post-Install Reboot Reboot if needed after SQL Server and post-requisites installed

SQL Fixes Install

The following items are included in the SQL Fixes install. All tasks in this process are performed by the FineBuild3InstallFixes script.

Item Comment
Install SQL Service Pack Install requested Service Pack if not already included in Slipstream processing
Install SQL Cumulative Update Install requested Cumulative Update if not already included in Slipstream processing
Install SNAC Update Install SQL Server Native Client (SNAC) update
Install SQL Books Online Update Install latest SQL Server Books Online (BOL) update
Post-Fix Tasks Tasks required after fixes have been installed

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Extra Components Install

The following Community and Microsoft components can be optionally be installed by SQL FineBuild. If you do not want to install a given product, then do not download it. The extra components are all installed by the FineBuild4InstallExtras script.

Authors of some of the Community components have donation links. If you use a component then please pay what it is worth to you.

Item Comment
Pre-Requisite Components
Install Baseline Configuration Analyzer Data collection framework for Best Practice Analyzers
Install Report Viewer Enables viewing of Reports in .Net applications
Install SQL 2005 Backward Compatibility Allows legacy DMO applications to run and is a pre-requisite for DTS Designer support
Install SQL Compact Edition (SQLCE) Install SQLCE Embedded Database 4.0
Business Intelligence Components
Install SSDT-BI Install SQL Server Data Tools for BI
Install MDX Studio Significant extra functionality for developers of MDX queries
Install BIDS Helper Adds extensive functionality to developers of SSIS packages using the Business Intelligence Development Studio
SSIS and DTS Components
Install DTS Designer Provides the ability to create and edit DTS packages in SQL Server 2005, SQL Server 2008 and SQL Server 2008 R2
Install DTS Backup 2000 The most effective way of exporting, importing and backing up DTS packages
Install SSIS Dimension Merge SCD A major building block within SSIS for implementing the Kimball methodology
Install SSIS Raw File Reader Examine the contents of SSIS Raw Files
Report Services Components
Install Taskpad View Report A report similar to the Taskpad View in SQL Server 2000
Install Reporting Services Scripter Enables scripting of all Microsoft SQL Server Reporting Services catalogue items
Install Linked Report Generator Enables automatic generation of linked reports to any number of Reporting Services folders based on a single base report
SQL Database Components
Install SQL Best Practice Analyzer Allows various aspects of the SQL Server configuration and database configuration to be checked against Microsoft best practice
Install Java DBC Driver Allows Java applications to access SQL Server
Install OLE Provider for DB2 Allows SQL Server to access DB2 databases
Install SQL Cache Manager Allows the DBA to view and manage the SQL Server Plan Cache
Install SQL Internals Viewer Monitoring tool that looks into the SQL Server storage engine and database internals to see how data is physically allocated, organised and stored
Install Master Data Services Provides a framework and repository for managing the key reference data of an organisation
Install SQL Performance Dashboard Provides a number of Custom Reports that assist the management of SQL Server
Install System Views Map Provides a visual summary of the key system views included in SQL Server and the relationships between them
Install Notification Services Allows real-time analysis of streams of data. SQLNS is now obsolete and is replaced by StreamInsight
Install StreamInsight Allows real-time analysis of high-volume streams of data
Install Semantic Search Discover statistically relevant insight through prominent words and similar content in documents stored in Full-Text indexes
Install Data Quality Services Provides a knowledge-driven data cleansing solution
Install Replication Distributor Configures the Distribution databases needed when using SQL Server Replication
SQL Tools Components
Install Access Based Enumeration (ABE) Prevents users who do not have access to the server from discovering information about shares and other details for the server
Install Extended Events Manager Simplifies creating and viewing metadata for Extended Events Sessions
Install PDF Reader Lightweight and stable PDF Reader
Install Process Explorer Helps troubleshoot failures in SQL Server components, SSIS packages, etc.
Install Process Monitor An advanced tool that shows real-time file system, registry and thread activity, often vital in troubleshooting problems within executable code
Install RML Utilities Provides analysis of SQL Server dump information
Install SQL Nexus Helps identify the root cause of SQL Server performance issues
Install Troubleshooting Guide Provides Microsoft best practice information on troubleshooting problems with SQL Server
Install XML Notepad Easy way to edit XML files
Install Plan Explorer Simplifies the process of understanding SQL Execution Plans
Install Plan Explorer SSMS Addin Adds Plan Explorer functionality into SSMS
Install ZoomIt Zoom into a portion of your Windows display

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SQL Server Configuration

The following items perform the best-practice configuration of SQL Server. The SQL Configuration items are performed by the FineBuild5ConfigureSQL script

Item Comment
Configure SQL Server Services
Configure COM Security Configure COM security for SSIS
Configure SQL Network Protocols Configure custom ports for SQL Server
Configure Service Account Names Apply Service Accounts not allowed by SQL Server install
Configure SQL Startup Parameters Add best-practice Flags to SQL Server startup parameters
Configure SQL Service Recovery Set actions to take if a SQL Service fails
Configure SQL Server Instances
Configure SQL Server Surface Area Set SQL Server surface area using SP_Configure
Configure Errorlog Retention Increase number of Errorlog files retained
Backup Service Master Key Save a copy of the Service Master Key
Configure Database Mail Configure Database Mail profile
Configure SQL Mail Configure legacy SQL Mail profile
Configure SQL Instance Properties Configure SQL Server Instance Properties
Configure SQL Agent Properties Configure SQL Agent Properties
Configure Analysis Services Instance Configure Analysis Services Instance
Configure Integration Services Instance Configure Integration Services Instance
Configure Notification Services Instance Configure Notification Services Instance
Configure Reporting Services Instance Configure Reporting Services Instance
Configure Accounts
Configure Standard Accounts Setup accounts needed within SQL Server
Configure Sysadmin Accounts Setup authorities for sysadmin accounts
Configure DBA Non-Sysadmin Group Setup authorities for DBA non-Sysadmin Group
Configure SA Account Disable and optionally rename the sa Account
Configure xp_cmdshell Proxy Account Setup the xp_cmdshell Proxy Account
Configure Database Owner Account Setup low-privilege account to own user databases
Configure User Accounts Add end-user accounts to SQL Server
Configure Reporting Service Administration Accounts Configure Administration Accounts for Reporting Services
Configure Reporting Service Unattended Execution Account Setup account for SSRS Unattended report execution
Backup Reporting Service Encryption Keys Backup encryption keys used by Reporting Services
Configure Reporting Service IIS Alias Configure IIS Alias for Reporting Services
Configure Database Options
Configure msdb database Move msdb files to standard locations
Configure tempdb database Move tempdb files to standard locations and set number of files
Configure System Index Enhancements Additional indexes for System Tables to improve performance
Configure Full-Text options Set optimum Full-Text Search options
Configure SQL Server Management
Configure System DB Management Configure routines to help manage SQL Server
Configure DBA Database Configure database for DBA routines
Configure Management Data Warehouse Collect performance-related data about SQL Server
Configure Policy Based Management Manage SQL Server according to declared Policies
Configure Generic Maintenance Processes Configure backup and other maintenance for all databases
Configure Reporting Service Keep Alive Keep RS alive for immediate use
Configure Database Properties Set standard properties for all databases
Configure SQL Agent Job Corrections Fix SQL Agent jobs set up by Microsoft to cope with a Cluster Install
Configure SQL Server Menu Items Set up Menu items for SQL Server components
Configure Old Accounts Remove Redundant SQL Server Accounts

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User Profile Configuration

Item Comment
Configure Books Online Options Configure BOL Preferences
Configure Command Window Options Configure Windows CMD Preferences
Configure SSMS Options Configure SSMS Preferences
Configure Visual Studio Options Configure Visual Studio Preferences
Configure Internet Options See Reference Manual
Configure Windows Options Configure Windows Preferences
Configure 'My Documents' Configure 'My Documents' location
Disable Install Login See Reference Manual

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Copyright FineBuild Team © 2011 - 2018. License and Acknowledgements

Key SQL FineBuild Links:

SQL FineBuild supports:

  • All SQL Server versions from SQL 2019 through to SQL 2005
  • Clustered, Non-Clustered and Core implementations of server operating systems
  • Availability and Distributed Availability Groups
  • 64-bit and (where relevant) 32-bit versions of Windows

The following Windows versions are supported:

  • Windows 2022
  • Windows 11
  • Windows 2019
  • Windows 2016
  • Windows 10
  • Windows 2012 R2
  • Windows 8.1
  • Windows 2012
  • Windows 8
  • Windows 2008 R2
  • Windows 7
  • Windows 2008
  • Windows Vista
  • Windows 2003
  • Windows XP
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