Install and prepare SQL Server

Use this information to install and configure SQL Server for use with your HCL WebSphere Portal system.

• Review the database considerations.
• Ensure the database is supported by this version of HCL WebSphere Portal. Refer to the list of supported databases in the HCL WebSphere Portal detailed system requirements.
• Download a JDBC 6.2 compliant driver from Microsoft.

1. Install SQL Server and all required patches.

2. In the SQL Server Setup, choose the following:
   1. In the Setup Role panel, choose SQL Server Feature Installation.
   2. In the Features Selection panel, choose at least Database Engine Services.
   3. In the Database Engine Configuration, select Mixed Mode (SQL Server Authentication and Windows authentication).

   Mixed Mode authentication allows either a Windows user or an SQL Server user to log in to the SQL Server. However, HCL WebSphere Portal requires the user to be an SQL Server user.

3. Complete the installation. Use the SQL Server documentation as a guide.

4. Install the JDBC driver. Use Microsoft SQL Server JDBC drivers and enable XA connections:

   1. Download and install the Microsoft SQL Server JDBC driver; see Microsoft Download Center for information.

   2. Copy the sqljdbc_xa.dll file from the xa subdirectory to the following directory of the SQL Server installation:
      • Microsoft SQL Server 2012: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL11.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn
      • Microsoft SQL Server 2014: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL12.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn
      • Microsoft SQL Server 2016: C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL13.MSSQLSERVER\MSSQL\Binn

   3. Start the database server.

   4. Ensure that the Distributed Transaction Coordinator is started. Verify this status in the list of services in the Computer Management console.

   5. Start the Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio and connect to the local database engine as the system administrator, sa.

   6. Select File > Open > File and select xa_install.sql from the subdirectory of the downloaded and extracted JDBC driver.

   7. Run the script by Select Query > Execute to run the script.

      Note: Ignore any warnings that say that stored procedures cannot be found.

   8. To grant permission to a specific user to participate in distributed transactions with the JDBC driver, add the user to the SqlJDBCXAUser role.

5. Complete the following steps to enable XA Transactions in Windows Component Services:
   1. Choose Component Services of the Administrative Tools.

   2. Expand the tree view to locate the computer where you want to turn on support for XA transactions. For example, My Computer.
   3. Display the menu for the computer name and click Properties.

   4. Click Options and tune the Transaction Timeout. The minimum requirement is 180 seconds.

   5. Click OK to save changes.

   6. Expand Component Services, > Computers, > My Computer, > Distributed Transaction Coordinator.
   7. Right-click Local DTC and then select Properties.

   8. Click the Security tab on the Local DTC Properties dialog box.

   9. Select the Enable XA Transactions check box, and then click OK. This action causes a MS DTC service restart.

6. Start SQL Server.
7. Connect at least one user to the SQL Server instance. A user can be granted permission to use several schema names, so a single user for each instance is sufficient.

What to do next

Use the Configuration Wizard to set up and configure the database to work with HCL WebSphere Portal. You can use the wizard to create custom scripts that you or the database administrator can use to configure the database. We can also use the wizard to automatically set up and configure the database. The wizard creates instructions and scripts that are based on your selections and provided data. When using the wizard, you provide information about the database for the environment.

Note: Before entering the database name (dbdomain.DbName) in the Configuration Wizard, check the database documentation for restrictions on character length.

We cannot use the Database Transfer option in the configuration wizard to assign custom table spaces on the database server. We can perform manual steps to assign custom table spaces.

Parent topic: Install the database software