SQL vs MSDE

[admin_2]

I have heard that if you get a license with 16 or less ports that it will not load on SQL2000 only on MSDE. Is that a true fact?<br><br>

[kechambe]

SQL and MSDE are installed manually by the installer. The installation does not install one or the other. You need to install the correct version so that you are compliant with Microsoft licensing.

Keith

Keith Chambers
Unity Technical Lead
Unified Voice Team, San Jose
Cisco Systems

[dom]

But the manual clearly states that TAC won't support you if you are running SQL on anything less than 32 ports. Is this still correct? I would much rather be running SQL 2000 than MSDE.

[#4]

I have no idea why TAC wouldn't support you on SQL2000 if you have purchased your own license for it and have installed all the necessary SPs and hot fixes (the install wont go through without them anyway). The Unity servers come prelicensed with the appropriate SQL build based on your port size but if you want to pony up the extra $$$ on your own to get the full SQL2000 I don't see why that would be a problem.

There's no functional reason why lower ported systems wont run just fine with the full SQL2000 loaded. In fact for failover systems with lower ports you have to use SQL2000 regardless since replication is required and this isn't supported by MSDE.


Jeff Lindborg
Unity Technical Lead/Answer Monkey
Cisco Systems
lindborg@cisco.com
http://www.AnswerMonkey.net (new page for Unity support tools and scripts)

[kechambe]

Jeff, I remember the performance team was saying something about MSDE being less taxing on a system than SQL. I have no idea why this would be since MSDE and SQL are from the same code branch. You might want to check with Mike Mass and see if he actually found a difference or if I am remembering incorrectly…

Keith

Keith Chambers
Unity Technical Lead
Unified Voice Team, San Jose
Cisco Systems

[#6]

I have the appropriate licensing for SQL2000. Will Unity 3.1.3 bawk when I only bought an 8 port license for Unity and install it on SQL2000 not MSDE.

[#7]

nope... this will work fine if you provide your own licensed copy of SQL 2000 (I use the full version for most of my test boxes which are all 4 ports). It's not a Unity code-enforced thing, it's a licensing issue. If you provide your own, that's fine.


Jeff Lindborg
Unity Technical Lead/Answer Monkey
Cisco Systems
lindborg@cisco.com
http://www.AnswerMonkey.net (new page for Unity support tools and scripts)

[#8]

You should be OK, there are situations where it would be appropriate to use SQL2000 in place of MSDE. The main difference is in how MS licenses the database engine, Unity pretty much communicates with MSDE and SQL2000 in the same fashion.

Scott Morgan
Cisco Systems TAC