Install SQL Server 2012 on Server Core

Starting with SQL Server 2012, you can install SQL Server on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or Windows Server 2012. This topic provides setup-specific details for installing SQL Server 2012 on Server Core.

The Server Core installation option for the Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows Server 2012 operating system provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles. This helps to reduce maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles. For more information on Server Core as implemented on Windows Server 2008 R2, see Server Core for Windows Server 2008 R2 (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=202439). For more information on Server Core as implemented on Windows Server 2012, see Server Core for Windows Server 2012 (https://msdn.microsoft.com/library/hh846323(VS.85).aspx).

Prerequisites

Supported Features

Use the following table to find which features are supported in SQL Server 2012 on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2012.

[1]For more information about the new Integration Services Server and its features in SQL Server 2012, see Integration Services (SSIS) Server.

[2]Installation of these features on Server Core is not supported. These components can be installed on a different server that is not Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core SP1 or Windows Server 2012 Server Core, and connected to the Database Engine services installed on Server Core.

[3]Microsoft Sync Framework is not included in the SQL Server 2012 installation package. You can download the appropriate version of Sync Framework from this Microsoft Download Center (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=221788) page and install it on a computer that is running Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or Windows Server 2012.

Supported Scenario Matrix

The following table shows the supported scenario matrix for installing SQL Server 2012 on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 and Windows Server 2012.

[1]Installing the 32-bit version of SQL Server 2012 editions is not supported on Server Core.

Upgrading

On Server Core installations, upgrade of an earlier version of SQL Server to SQL Server 2012 is not supported.

Installation

SQL Server 2012 does not support setup by using the installation wizard on the Server Core operating system. When installing on Server Core, SQL Server Setup supports full quiet mode by using the /Q parameter, or Quiet Simple mode by using the /QS parameter. For more information, see Install SQL Server 2012 from the Command Prompt.

Regardless of the installation method, you are required to confirm acceptance of the software license terms as an individual or on behalf of an entity, unless your use of the software is governed by a separate agreement such as a Microsoft volume licensing agreement or a third-party agreement with an ISV or OEM.

The license terms are displayed for review and acceptance in the Setup user interface. Unattended installations (using the /Q or /QS parameters) must include the /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS parameter. You can review the license terms separately at Microsoft Software License Terms.

To install specific features, use the /FEATURES parameter and specify the parent feature or feature values. For more information about feature parameters and their use, see the following sections.

Feature Parameters

See the following examples of the usage of feature parameters:

Installation Options

The Setup supports the following installation options while installing SQL Server 2012 on a Server Core operating system:

1. Installation from Command Line

   To install specific features using the command prompt installation option, use the /FEATURES parameter and specify the parent feature or feature values. The following is an example of using the parameters from the command line:

   Setup.exe /qs /ACTION=Install /FEATURES=SQLEngine,Replication /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /SQLSVCACCOUNT="<DomainName\UserName>" /SQLSVCPASSWORD="<StrongPassword>" /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="<DomainName\UserName>" /AGTSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITY\Network Service" /TCPENABLED=1 /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS
   

2. Installation using Configuration File

   Setup supports the use of the configuration file only through the command prompt. The configuration file is a text file with the basic structure of a parameter (name/value pair) and a descriptive comment. The configuration file specified at the command prompt should have an .INI file name extension. See the following examples of ConfigurationFile.INI:

   Installing Database Engine	The following example shows how to install a new stand-alone instance that includes the SQL Server Database Engine: ; SQL Server 2012 Configuration File [OPTIONS] ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, or UPGRADE. This is a required parameter. ACTION="Install" ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade. The lists of features include SQLEngine, FullText, Replication, AS, IS, and Conn. FEATURES=SQLENGINE ; Specify a default or named instance. MSSQLSERVER is the default instance for non-Express editions and SQLExpress for Express editions. This parameter is required when installing the SQL Server Database Engine, and Analysis Services (AS). INSTANCENAME="MSSQLSERVER" ; Specify the Instance ID for the SQL Server features you have specified. SQL Server directory structure, registry structure, and service names will incorporate the instance ID of the SQL Server instance. INSTANCEID="MSSQLSERVER" ; Account for SQL Server service: Domain\User or system account. SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER" ; Windows account(s) to provision as SQL Server system administrators. SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="<DomainName\UserName>" ; Accept the License agreement to continue with Installation IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms="True"
   Installing connectivity components	The following example shows how to install the connectivity components: ; SQL Server 2012 Configuration File [OPTIONS] ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, or UPGRADE. This is a required parameter. ACTION="Install" ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade. The lists of features include SQLEngine, FullText, Replication, AS, IS, and Conn. FEATURES=Conn ; Specifies acceptance of License Terms IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms="True
   Installing all supported features	The following example shows how to install all supported features of SQL Server 2012 on Server Core: ;SQL Server 2012 Configuration File [OPTIONS] ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, or UPGRADE. This is a required parameter. ACTION="Install" ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade. The lists of features include SQLEngine, FullText, Replication, AS, IS, and Conn. FEATURES=SQLENGINE,FullText,Replication,AS,IS,Conn ; Specify a default or named instance. MSSQLSERVER is the default instance for non-Express editions and SQLExpress for Express editions. This parameter is required when installing the SQL Server Database Engine (SQL), or Analysis Services (AS). INSTANCENAME="MSSQLSERVER" ; Specify the Instance ID for the SQL Server features you have specified. SQL Server directory structure, registry structure, and service names will incorporate the instance ID of the SQL Server instance. INSTANCEID="MSSQLSERVER" ; Account for SQL Server service: Domain\User or system account. SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER" ; Windows account(s) to provision as SQL Server system administrators. SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="<DomainName\UserName>" ; The name of the account that the Analysis Services service runs under. ASSVCACCOUNT= "NT Service\MSSQLServerOLAPService" ; Specifies the list of administrator accounts that need to be provisioned. ASSYSADMINACCOUNTS="<DomainName\UserName>" ; Specifies the server mode of the Analysis Services instance. Valid values are MULTIDIMENSIONAL, POWERPIVOT or TABULAR. ASSERVERMODE is case-sensitive. All values must be expressed in upper case. ASSERVERMODE="MULTIDIMENSIONAL" ; Optional value, which specifies the state of the TCP protocol for the SQL Server service. Supported values are: 0 to disable the TCP protocol, and 1 to enable the TCP protocol. TCPENABLED=1 ;Specifies acceptance of License Terms IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms="True"

   The following table shows how you can launch the Setup using a configuration file.

   Installation option	Examples
   Configuration file	Following are some examples of how to use the configuration file: To specify the configuration file at the command prompt: Setup.exe /QS /ConfigurationFile=MyConfigurationFile.INI To specify passwords at the command prompt instead of in the configuration file: Setup.exe /QS /SQLSVCPASSWORD="************" /ASSVCPASSWORD="************" /ConfigurationFile=MyConfigurationFile.INI
   DefaultSetup.ini	If you have the DefaultSetup.ini file in the \x86 and \x64 folders at the root level of the SQL Server source media, open the DefaultSetup.ini file, and then add the Features parameter to the file. If the DefaultSetup.ini file does not exist, you can create it and copy it to the \x86 and \x64 folders at the root level of the SQL Server source media.

Configuring Remote Access of SQL Server Running on Server Core

Perform the actions described below to configure remote access of a SQL Server 2012 instance that is running on a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 or Windows Server 2012.

Enable remote connections on the instance of SQL Server

To enable remote connections, use SQLCMD.exe locally and execute the following statements against the Server Core instance:

• EXEC sys.sp_configure N'remote access', N'1'

  GO

• RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE

  GO

Enable and start the SQL Server Browser service

By default, the Browser service is disabled. If it is disabled on an instance of SQL Server running on Server Core, run the following command from the command prompt to enable it:

sc config SQLBROWSER start= auto

After it is enabled, run the following command from the command prompt to start the service:

net start SQLBROWSER

Create exceptions in Windows Firewall

To create exceptions for SQL Server access in Windows Firewall, follow the steps specified in Configure the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access.

Enable TCP/IP on the instance of SQL Server

The TCP/IP protocol can be enabled through Windows PowerShell for an instance of SQL Server on Server Core. Follow these steps:

1. On the computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core SP1 or Windows Server 2012 Server Core, launch Task Manager.

2. On the Applications tab, click New Task.

3. In the Create New Task dialog box, type sqlps.exe in the Open field and then click OK. This opens the Microsoft SQL Server Powershell window.

4. In the Microsoft SQL Server Powershell window, run the following script to enable the TCP/IP protocol:

$smo = 'Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.'
$wmi = new-object ($smo + 'Wmi.ManagedComputer')
# Enable the TCP protocol on the default instance.  If the instance is named, replace MSSQLSERVER with the instance name in the following line.
$uri = "ManagedComputer[@Name='" + (get-item env:\computername).Value + "']/ServerInstance[@Name='MSSQLSERVER']/ServerProtocol[@Name='Tcp']"
$Tcp = $wmi.GetSmoObject($uri)
$Tcp.IsEnabled = $true
$Tcp.Alter()
$Tcp

Uninstallation

After you log on to a computer that is running Windows Server 2008 R2 Server Core SP1 or Windows Server 2012 Server Core, you have a limited desktop environment with an Administrator command prompt. You can use this command prompt to initiate uninstallation of an instance of SQL Server 2012. To uninstall an instance of SQL Server 2012, launch the uninstallation from the command prompt in full quiet mode by using the /Q parameter, or quiet simple mode by using the /QS parameter. The /QS parameter shows progress through the UI, but does not accept any input. /Q runs in a quiet mode without any user interface.

Setup.exe /Q /Action=Uninstall /FEATURES=SQLEngine,AS,IS /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER

See Also

Concepts

Install SQL Server 2012 Using a Configuration File

Install SQL Server 2012 from the Command Prompt

Other Resources

Features Supported by the Editions of SQL Server 2012

Server Core Installation Option Getting Started Guide

Configuring a Server Core installation: Overview

Failover Cluster Cmdlets in Windows PowerShell Listed by Task Focus

Mapping Cluster.exe Commands to Windows PowerShell Cmdlets for Failover Clusters