How to install SQL Configuration Manager

When moving Sharepoint Foundation 2010 databases, the official advice is to set up a SQL Alias so that the Web Application Servers point at the new SQL server while using the old SQL Server name.

In order to do this, you need to have installed SQL Server Configuration Manager on the Web and Application Servers.

It's very easy to install SQL Server Configuration Manager without installing all the rest of SQL Server: just install the 'Client Connectivity Tools'. Ensure you install the version of the tools which matches the version of SQL Server installed on your database server.

• Choose Install -> New installation or add features to an existing installation.
• Choose all defaults until you get to the Feature Selection tab
• Select Shared Features -> Client Tools Connectivity
• Choose all remaining defaults and confirm installation

And that's it. No restart required. I did find that CPU on the server shot up to 100% for much of the install in our QA environment, so I don't recommend doing this in anger during office hours. Leave it to out of hours if you can.

SQL 2008 Setup SP1

If one gets the error message "The current SKU is invalid" while trying to add in another node to a SQL 2008 Cluster (and, perhaps significantly), one on which the other node(s) are running SP1, it is possible to get round this without slipstreaming.

Check, in Control Panel Add/Remove Programs, that the SQL 2008 Server Setup application is installed. If it is, back out of the node install, and run SQL 2008 SP1. It seems counter-intuitive, since SQL 2008 has not yet been installed. It does however work. I didn't stop the installer when I ran SP1, so I had to restart the node: I suspect that had I stopped the installer, I would not have needed to restart the node.

Once you've got the installation to work, you'll still need to service pack SQL Server itself, however, since you're on the passive node, it's pretty simple. And, since the installation is fresh, you won't need to restart again.

Microsoft error link.

Microsoft fix link.

Anything, but anything, to avoid slipstreaming the install.