Silent install of SQL Server 2008
September 23, 2008Are you having trouble installing SQL Server 2008 from the command prompt? I tried installing SQL Server Express 2008 by looking at the reference on MSDN. The trouble was it kept failing time and again and the screen disappeared faster than you can see what the error message was. Fortunately, the installer creates a Summary.txt file in the folder C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log. Opening the file will tell you exactly what the error message is.
But sometimes even this isn’t enough. In my case, I was quickly able to find that I needed PowerShell for installing SQL Server Express with Advanced Services – which was quickly fixed, but it kept failing with this exception -
Exception type: Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.NoopWorkflowException Message: No features were installed during the setup execution.The requested features may already be installed. Please review the summary.txt log for further details.
Our friend Google wasn’t of much help, so I decided to do a non-command line install to see if it was installing in the machine. It turns out, once you manually set all the configuration information, the installer creates a file called ConfigurationFile.ini and puts those settings there. This shows up in the Ready to Install step -
The installer then uses this file to do the actual install. Now, if you open the configuration file, you will find that these are the same settings you can set from the Command line. It looks something like this -
;SQLSERVER2008 Configuration File [SQLSERVER2008] ; Specify the Instance ID for the SQL Server features ... INSTANCEID="SQLExpress" ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, ... ACTION="Install" ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade ... FEATURES=SQLENGINE,RS ... ...
You can then add all the name value pairs together to get the right command line arguments. Like so –
SQLEXPRADV_x64_ENU.exe /QUIET /INSTANCEID="SQLExpress" /ACTION="Install" /FEATURES=SQLENGINE,RS ...
There you have it – the right command line parameters to install SQL Server 2008 Express with Advanced Services silently from the command prompt. You can choose to remove some of the parameters that have default values or just leave them as they are – it doesn’t really matter.
I have tried what have you told here.Like i took the configuration file from my manual installation. But could you give me command to install. I tried by the command “C:\SQLEXPR.EXE /qb /settings c:\SQL2005.ini” Dint work gave some setting syntax error. Could you give me a solution for this. I am attaching my summary File.
Overall summary:
Final result: Failed: see details below
Exit code (Decimal): -2068578301
Exit facility code: 1204
Exit error code: 3
Exit message: The setting ‘SETTINGS’ specified is not recognized.
Start time: 2009-01-15 16:14:12
End time: 2009-01-15 16:14:31
Requested action: LandingPage
Machine Properties:
Machine name: mymachine
Machine processor count: 2
OS version: Windows XP
OS service pack: Service Pack 2
OS region: United States
OS language: English (United States)
OS architecture: x86
Process architecture: 32 Bit
OS clustered: No
Package properties:
Description: SQL Server Database Services 2008
SQLProductFamilyCode: {628F8F38-600E-493D-9946-F4178F20A8A9}
ProductName: SQL2008
Type: RTM
Version: 10
SPLevel: 0
Installation edition: Invalid
User Input Settings:
ACTION: LandingPage
CONFIGURATIONFILE:
HELP: False
INDICATEPROGRESS: False
MEDIASOURCE:
QUIET: False
QUIETSIMPLE: False
X86: False
Configuration file: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\100\Setup Bootstrap\Log\20090115_161355\ConfigurationFile.ini
Detailed results:
Rules with failures:
Global rules:
There are no scenario-specific rules.
Rules report file: The rule result report file is not available.
Exception summary:
The following is an exception stack listing the exceptions in outermost to innermost order
Inner exceptions are being indented
Exception type: Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.InputSettingValidationException
Message:
The setting ‘SETTINGS’ specified is not recognized.
Data:
DisableWatson = true
Stack:
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.InputSettingService.SaveParsedArgumentsIntoInputSettingStore(InputSettingSource source, Dictionary`2 parsedArguments, Boolean chainerSetting, Boolean ignoreSettingsForNotAllowedScnearios)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.InputSettingService.ProcessCommandLineArguments(String[] commandLineArguments, Boolean chainerSetting)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Configuration.BootstrapExtension.ProcessChainerCommandLineArgumentsAction.ExecuteAction(String actionId)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Chainer.Infrastructure.Action.Execute(String actionId, TextWriter errorStream)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.ActionInvocation.InvokeAction(WorkflowObject metabase, TextWriter statusStream)
at Microsoft.SqlServer.Setup.Chainer.Workflow.PendingActions.InvokeActions(WorkflowObject metaDb, TextWriter loggingStream)
In configuration file, i dont see any password fields, should we give those passwords in Command line and i need the syntax of the command.
For sql server 2008 “settings syntax is not correct”
Use:
C:\SQLEXPR.EXE /ConfigurationFile=C:\ConfigurationFile.ini /Q
Hi,
I tried installing the application “SQL Server 2008 express edition” SIlently…
But the below command didnt work..
Setup.exe \Configurationfile “SEtup.ini” /q
also tried
setup.exe \config “Setup.ini” /q
setup.exe \config “Setup.ini”
But nothing helped…
Please help me regarding the same…
place your sql dvd in your cd-rom
f = your dvd/cd drive
in command promp type
f:\setup.exe /qn /instancename=YOURFAVORITENAME /sapwd=YOURPASSWORD
for more information you can type in command prompt
:
f:\setup.exe /?