SMS: Upgrading SQL Server May Not Succeed When Running SMS (256202)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Systems Management Server 2.0
This article was previously published under Q256202

SYMPTOMS

SQL servers that host the Systems Management Server (SMS) database may experience error messages when you are upgrading SQL Server from one version to another or from one service pack level to another. This behavior may also occur when you attempt to perform an upgrade to the SQL servers by using Smssetup and the integrated SQL installation methodology.

Note that this behavior may occur with any program that requires SQL connectivity and is not disabled before you run a SQL upgrade.

CAUSE

When the SQL upgrade starts, SQL services are stopped and then restarted in Single User mode for the upgrade. If the SMS services (or other software that actively accesses SQL) are not stopped before you start the upgrade, SMS may continue to make requests for SQL connections while the SQL service is stopped. When the SQL service is restarted in Single User mode, SMS may have queued a request for a SQL connection. At startup, SQL services have a slight delay before requesting a connection to SQL. Because of this delay, SMS (or other SQL programs) may have already taken the connection; SQL will not be able to connect to the database to perform the requested upgrade.

When you perform an upgrade to SQL Server, always disable any program (including SMS) that relies upon SQL Server. Use the following steps as a general guideline to make sure that SMS (or other programs or services) does not cause a problem with a SQL upgrade:
  1. Copy the SQL upgrade image locally (that is, do not upgrade over the network).
  2. Stop all processes and services not directly related to Microsoft Windows NT or SQL.
  3. For SMS 2.0, stop and disable Windows Management so that no other process can restart it.
  4. Remove the computer from the network.
  5. Run the SQL upgrade from a local CD-ROM or a locally copied image.
  6. Put the computer back on the network.
  7. Restart Windows Management and reconfigure it for an automatic start.
  8. Reboot the computer to ensure a typical startup sequence for all programs and services.

WORKAROUND

If you have experienced this behavior, stop all services as described earlier, and then run the SQL Setup program again to allow the installation to run correctly.

MORE INFORMATION

Note that the integrated SQL Setup feature in SMS Setup only supports clean installations of SQL. Using this feature to upgrade existing installations of SQL is not supported.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:6/14/2005
Keywords:kbBug kbDatabase kbprb KB256202
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