default password for sa user when installing SIM with MSDE

[Michael Baser]

Hi all,

i want to install another tool on our SIM (v4.2) Server which also uses MSDE. I already changed authentication to mixed mode (MSDE installs in Windows Authentication Mode when installed by SIM Installation). My problem is that i don´t know the password for the sa user to connect to MSDE. Does anybody know the sa password installed by SIM???

Regards,
Michae

[Sam De Coster]

Hi Michael,

Did you already try an empty password. This is/was the default.

But there was a security issue with this. Look at this post:

http://forums1.itrc.hp.com/service/forums/questionanswer.do?threadId=176657

I'm not sure if this was changed in one of the last versions.

HTH

Best regards

Sam

[Michael Baser]

Hi Sam,

thanks for your reply but i already tried an empty password. So it seems that HP has changed this.

Regards,
Michael

[Michael Baser]

Hi all,

here what i found:

1) To change authentication to mixed mode change HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\MSSQLServer\MSSQLServer\LoginMode to 2 (hex) and restart MSDE

2)Log on as Administrator. In a Dos Box change to C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\BINN and start "osql -E" (Windows Authentication). Type "sp_password NULL,,sa". In the next line type "go".

3) If you also want to connect to the Database from an existing MSSQL Enterprise Manager over the Network you have to activate the apropriate protocols using C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\80\Tools\Binn\SVRNETCN.exe

Regards,
Michael

[David Claypool · Accepted solution]

Michael:

Because of the MSDE exploit that involved a lack of SA password, HP SIM uses Windows authentication and generates a random string to apply as the SA password at install.

[Michael Baser]

Hi David,

when i read that it is possible to assign a random password during install of MSDE i was almost sure that HP would do this but the solution i found (read above) is working fine.

Thanks a lot,
Michael