Fort SQL
Information about SQL Server security.
SQL Server Transparent Database Encryption (TDE)
Overview of TDE with some details on major administrative issues. Many people who've played around...
Author: Quantum John Date: 10/01/2013
SQL Server 2012 Virtual Labs
Want to try SQL Server 2012 without even installing it? Easy... use SQL Server 2012 Virtual Labs at...
Author: Quantum John Date: 10/23/2012
Managed Service Accounts
Doh! Never mind the post below. If I had read more thoroughly (or if I had tested using MSAs with...
Author: Quantum John Date: 09/04/2012
Alert On Low Disk Space, Including Mount Points
A common task for many database administrators (DBAs) is to set up alert emails to notify themselves...
Author: Quantum John Date: 08/01/2012
Enabling SSL on SQL Server Connections on Failover Clusters
With high-security SQL Server configurations we usually want to encyrpt the data-in-transit between...
Author: Quantum John Date: 07/05/2012
SQL Server Ports
Quick cheat sheet for port numbers used by SQL Server services or services that SQL Server may...
Author: Quantum John Date: 07/03/2012
Capture Custom Events in Profiler for Troubleshooting
User configurable events have been available in SQL Server since at least version 2000, but aren't...
Author: Quantum John Date: 06/21/2012
Note to self on AlwaysOn...
I came up with the idea that perhaps we could let clients connect to a database in an AlwaysOn...
Author: Quantum John Date: 05/09/2012
Installing SQL Server in a High-Security Domain, Part II
In this article, I pointed out some of the most common permissions failures when installing SQL...
Author: Quantum John Date: 04/04/2012
SQL Server Installation Center 2012
As a reminder for myself when I can't fire up the Installation Center, here are the screen shots. To...
Author: Quantum John Date: 03/07/2012
Does the DoD STIG require Transparent Database Encryption (TDE)?
Does the DoD STIG require Transparent Database Encryption (TDE)? The short answer is: It depends on...
Author: Quantum John Date: 02/23/2012
SQL Server 2012 release date: March 7, 2012
It's official, SQL Server 2012 goes on the market on Wednesday, March 7th, 2012! Update on Feb 27,...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/24/2012
SQL Server Accounts
Sometimes I run into established DBA's who have a little confusion regarding the different types of...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/09/2012
Get Rid of Deadlocks
Locks are used by relational database management systems to increase user concurrency (more users)...
Author: Quantum John Date: 12/12/2011
The Database STIG's System Security Plan
The Database STIG requires a written System Security Plan, and it's the responsibility of the...
Author: Quantum John Date: 11/10/2011
Securing SQL Server Integration Services (SSIS)
I was recently asked about securing SQL Server Integration Services, and I knew next to nothing...
Author: Quantum John Date: 11/08/2011
SQL Server and PowerShell Security
Sometime back, I heard that Microsoft was going to start using PowerShell scripts to monitor and...
Author: Quantum John Date: 10/04/2011
Separation of Duties for DBA's
Someone recently asked me about the principle of separation of duties (aka segregation of duties) as...
Author: Quantum John Date: 09/12/2011
SQL Server, the DoD, and Common Criteria
Common Criteria is an international standard for a set of security characteristics, and the U.S....
Author: Quantum John Date: 08/12/2011
Free SQL Ranger Training
When I first heard about "SQL Rangers" I wasn't sure what it was, but I definitely wanted to be one....
Author: Quantum John Date: 07/20/2011
Conditionally Updating Statistics
SQL Server's query optimization engine uses statistics on indexes to determine the most efficient...
Author: Quantum John Date: 07/19/2011
PFE vs. Consultant
Well, it's almost the end of June and none of my draft posts are close enough to finishing to meet...
Author: Quantum John Date: 06/28/2011
Test SharePoint Mirror Without Down-Time
Here's a ??SQL Server PFE war-story to give one example of one of the kind of work we might do. Most...
Author: Quantum John Date: 05/19/2011
Changing Domains on a SQL Server
Someone recently asked me what issues might arise when changing a server's domain and the server is...
Author: Quantum John Date: 04/02/2011
Do You Need MSDTC?
STIG requirement DG0016 specifies that you should not install any service you do not need, and if...
Author: Quantum John Date: 03/09/2011
The Easiest Way To Rebuild The master Database
If your SQL Server master database becomes corrupt, such as from its disks losing power while SQL...
Author: Quantum John Date: 02/01/2011
How To STIG a Database System
This post is to provide a little enlightenment to folks who have never STIG'd a database system...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/18/2011
Summary of Audit-Specific STIG ID's
The DoD Database Security Technical Implementation Guide (STIG) has quite a few requirements in the...
Author: Quantum John Date: 12/04/2010
File-Sizing
One of the primary areas of responsibility for DBA's is maintenance, and one of the primary...
Author: Quantum John Date: 11/06/2010
Failover Cluster Concepts
This post is primarily an online note for myself, which I'll make public in case someone else might...
Author: Quantum John Date: 10/18/2010
Primary DBA Responsibilities
SQL Server is so well-behaved it's often installed by 3rd party applications in an organization or...
Author: Quantum John Date: 10/01/2010
DG0155: Trusted file check
The DoD Database STIG includes DG0155 (CAT II): The DBA will ensure all applicable DBMS settings are...
Author: Quantum John Date: 09/16/2010
SharePoint/SQL Server Hierarchy
Where do SQL Server databases fit into the SharePoint architecture? Here's my non-expert...
Author: Quantum John Date: 09/14/2010
Defragmenting Indexes
Last update to script 1Nov2011. Maintaining indexes is a primary duty of Database Administrators,...
Author: Quantum John Date: 08/31/2010
Agent Schedules
The SQL Server Management Studio has a "Job Activity Monitor" which provides a lot of useful...
Author: Quantum John Date: 06/28/2010
List of SQL Server Service Names
In the tables below, services that can have multiple instances on the same server have the default...
Author: Quantum John Date: 05/31/2010
SQL Server Runaway Transaction Logs
When SQL Server is used without a qualified DBA, runaway transaction logs are by far the most common...
Author: Quantum John Date: 05/29/2010
Enabling Transparent Data Encryption (TDE)
Transparent Data Encryption (TDE) is a feature added in SQL Server 2008 which allows you to encrypt...
Author: Quantum John Date: 05/10/2010
The Myth of Unstructured Data
There's no such thing as "unstructured data." Yes, you hear that term all the time in the database...
Author: Quantum John Date: 03/26/2010
Public Not Granted Server Permissions
The pre-defined policies that come with SQL Server 2008 include one called "Public Not Granted...
Author: Quantum John Date: 03/19/2010
Import the Default PBM Policies
There are 50 Microsoft-defined policies and 71 conditions for Policy Based Management (PBM) that get...
Author: Quantum John Date: 03/19/2010
DG0116 and DG0121: DBA Privileges Via Roles
The generic DoD database STIG requirement DG0116 states that the Information Assurance Officer (IAO)...
Author: Quantum John Date: 02/16/2010
Remove Public and Guest Permissions
You can't get rid of the "public" role and by default in SQL Server 2005 and 2008 many objects have...
Author: Quantum John Date: 02/04/2010
Permissions for SQL Server Agent Proxy for SSIS Maintenance Plans
The DM6140 requirement in the SRR Checklist SQL Server v8R1 for the Database STIG can be a little...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/27/2010
SharePoint User Connections
A long time ago I learned a SQL Server performance guideline: User Connections should be well under...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/21/2010
Hyper-Cluster
Last year about this time I set up a completely virtualized cluster (only one physical computer)...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/19/2010
SQL Server Index Key Performance Indicators
It's common for PFE's to get involved with performance tuning issues, and for SQL Server, indexes...
Author: Quantum John Date: 01/14/2010
Installing SQL Server 2008 Services in a High-Security Domain
If you need to install the SQL Server 2008 Database Engine (SS08) or the SQL Server Reporting...
Author: Quantum John Date: 12/17/2009