Windows Administration
SQL 2005: Tracing… Not just for DBAs anymore
There has always been a gray fuzzy line on how much access does a DBA give to a developer working on a production database. Too little access and they developer can’t do their job without involving the DBA and too much access has it’s own set of problems and is just not a good [...]
SQL Security - Running SQL without local user rights
In a previous posting, I mentioned the risks of the “xp_cmdshell” extended stored procedure and how to disable the command. It is a good step towards a more secure SQL installation but more can be done. In that same article, I mention that many SQL installations run the SQL services using the local system [...]
SQL Security - Disable SQL "xp_cmdshell"
Windows server security has been a hot topic for many years now. Password complexity, periodic password changes, restrictive NTFS rights are all great steps toward a secure Windows installation. Unfortunately many system administrators leave a big hole in their SQL sever installations by letting the SQL services run under the local system account. This [...]