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Preparing the database

LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager requires interaction with a database management system. The database is an integral part of the IT asset and process management infrastructure. It handles all of the information LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager needs to track assets, process workflows, asset dependencies and relationships, data entry forms, end user request forms, reports, and so forth.

A dedicated machine is recommended for the database.

Read this section to learn about:

Database configuration

The default installation installs a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express database on your ALM server (see note below). Before installation, however, you need to create the separate container for the ALM asset data. This default database configuration is adequate for a test lab environment.

In a distributed production network environment, you need to install and configure a supported enterprise-level Microsoft SQL Server database before running the LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager Install program. During the installation procedure, you'll be prompted to provide connection information to this database.

The following databases are supported:

Microsoft SQL Server database configuration guidelines

The database needs the following parameters. These parameters will be configured by default if you use a typical installation for SQL Server database.

SQL server configuration parameters

Microsoft SQL Server performs self-tuning. You shouldn't need to tune any parameters manually.

Database parameters

Use the defaults.

A database container will need to be created for the ALM asset data repository before running the Install procedure.

Other settings

Specify the user "sa" (or another user with an alias into the database) when creating the database. The critical qualification for the user is that they must have full access rights to the database including create, update, delete, drop, etc.

Example: Installing and configuring a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database

This section provides detailed steps for installing and configuring a specific database type and is provided as an example only. Keep in mind that your specific database type, as well as your particular network environment, may necessitate some differences in the exact procedures. As mentioned above, for detailed installation instructions for each supported database type, refer to the LANDesk Support site.

Prerequisite: Installing Microsoft Internet Information Services (IIS)

To install IIS
  1. Log on to the server as a member of the local Administrators group.
  2. Click Start > Control Panel > Add or Remove Programs > Add/Remove Windows Components.
  3. Select the Application Server component, and then click Details.
  4. At the Application Server window, select the following components: Application Server Console, ASP.NET, and Internet Information Services (IIS).
  5. Click OK to install the components.
  6. Click OK to exit.
  7. To verify IIS is installed, right-click My Computer, and then click Manage. Make sure IIS has been added to the list of installed components.

Installing a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database

To install the database
  1. Log on to the Windows 2003 Server as a member of the local Administrators group.
  2. Insert the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 media. At the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 autorun window, click Install. (Or run SETUP.EXE from the root directory of the media.)
  3. At the End User License Agreement page, read and accept the End User License Agreement, and then click Next.
  4. Microsoft SQL verifies its prerequisites and installs them as necessary. Click Install.
  5. When prerequisite installations are completed, click Next.
  6. At the initial installation wizard page, click Next.
  7. When the System Configuration Check verifies all prerequisites are complete, click Next.
  8. At the Registration Information page, click Next.
  9. Some versions might also request you to enter your 25-character product key. Enter your product key, and then click Next.
  10. At the Choosing Microsoft SQL Server Components page, at a minimum select the following components: SQL Server Database Services, Workstation Components, Books Online, and Development Tools. Click Next.

    NOTE: You can also select to use any of the other components at this time. Click Advanced to make other selections such as the location for installing the files.

  11. At the Instance Name page, we recommend that you select Default instance, and then click Next.
  12. At the Service Account Settings page, select the Built-in system account of the local system. However, keep in mind that the objective of this setting is to fulfill the basic requirements of your own organization.
  13. At the SQL Server Agent page, select to Start the SQL Server (because typically you will want your SQL Server and SQL Server Agent running most of the time), and then click Next. (NOTE: The SQL Server Agent allows you to automate backup procedures.)
  14. At the Authentication Mode page, select Mixed Mode, and then click Next. (This allows you to log in using either your Windows credentials or by using an “sa” password which you need to enter here.)
  15. At the Collation page, select the following specific collation: dictionary order, case-insensitive, and the 1252 character set. Click Next.
  16. Select whether you want to send reports to Microsoft, and then click Next.
  17. At the Final Warning page, click Install.
  18. When the installation is complete, click Next.
  19. At the Completion Notification page, click Finish.

Checking for database service packs

At this point you should check the Microsoft Web site to see if there are any service packs that you need to install in order to update your product. Follow the directions provided in order to download and install any updates.

Creating and configuring a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database

To create and configure the database
  1. To add the TCP/IP listener for a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 database, click Start > All Programs > Microsoft SQL Server 2005 > Configuration Tools > SQL Server Configuration Manager.
  2. In Configuration Manager, open the SQL Server Network Configuration object, and select Protocols.
  3. In the right-hand frame, double-click TCP/IP, select the Protocol tab, and then set enable to Yes.
  4. Click the IP Addresses tab, and then enable both IP1 and IP2.
  5. Click OK to save the settings.
  6. Go to the Computer Management utility, and restart the SQL Server service.
  7. Go to the Open SQL Server Management Studio.
  8. Log in using Windows Authentication, or by choosing SQL Server Authentication and supplying your "sa" password.
  9. To create the ALM database container, right-click the database tree, and then click New Database. (When installing the ALM server, you will point to this database container.)
  10. Specify the database name, choose the creation options you want, and specify the path where you want the database MDF and LDF files.
  11. Click OK to exit.

Once you've configured your database, the next step in the installation process is to install the actual LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager components and point to the database.

For complete instructions on running the LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager setup program, see Installing LANDesk Asset Lifecycle Manager components.

Reindexing your database

Performing routine database maintenance such as re-indexing is important for keeping the database running at peak performance. When information is entered or modified in the database tables, indexes can become fragmented.

Index fragmentation can happen when the logical sequence of pages is disrupted or when an index page contains less than its maximum amount of data, creating a gap in the data page or index. As indexes become fragmented, data reads become inefficient when accessing tables, thus slowing database performance.

For more information on reindexing SQL databases, see the document "Reindexing LANDesk Databases" in the LANDesk Technical Community, at: http://community.landesk.com. Look under Systems Management > Inventory > Database.

LANDesk Customer Support and database issues

LANDesk Customer Support is committed to helping you resolve database issues. Some issues may require additional assistance from the database vendor or through an approved third party.

The database support that LANDesk Customer Support won't provide includes, but is not limited to, the following:

If you call LANDesk Customer Support, support personnel will attempt to do the following:

If the DBMS still doesn't work, you may need to either reinstall the DBMS or resolve the issue through other means.

 

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