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

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