Connect from (Matlab on) MACOSX to Microsoft SQL Server (2005 Express)???

OK, that's a bit malad.
We have two ways: ODBC (proprietary, I downloaded OpenLink ODBC Adminstrator, with 30days trial), easily configurable, or JDBC (needed if you're using, for instance, Matlab for MacOS/Linux).
About JDBC, this link (http://www.razorsql.com/articles/sql_server_mac.html) says that we can have the JDBC driver in two ways:

The easiest way to connect to MS SQL Server from Mac is with a JDBC (Java Database Connectivity) driver. Since Mac OS X comes with Java pre-installed, the only thing that needs to be downloaded is a suitable JDBC driver. There are two options for JDBC driver. Once is the open source jTDS driver. The other is the JDBC driver from Microsoft.

About the JDBC driver from Microsoft, I'm not able to understand how to install it... and to use it...
About the iTDS driver, I downloaded it, but it comes like the Microsoft driver: basically a .jar file.

What to do?

I found it! ;)
JDBC is not like ODBC connection. ODBC is Microsoft-proprietary, and need some "tool" (like the one from OpenLink) to interact with the OS. JDBC, on the contrary, needs only an application to call the jar file, and so the libraries in it.

My problem was to connect to a Microsoft SQL Server 2005 with Matlab for MacOSX.
Matlab come with the Database Toolbox, and reading the help (...carefully reading...), I learned something. Matlab can use ODBC on Windows systems, and ODBC/JDBC on other systems. So, as we are in MacOSX, we are going to use a JDBC, previously downloaded (done!).
Now, guess wath? As Matlab is an application, and it's developed in Java too (and comes with his Java VM!!!), it's only necessary to understand where to indicate to Matlab the path of the JDBC jar-file.

I found this:

Specify the location of the drivers file in the MATLAB Sun Java classpath by adding this file's path to the matlabroot/toolbox/local/classpath.txt file.

I found it in /Applications/MATLAB_R2009b.app/toolbox/local/ , and I add the path "/Users/ivanoirrera/lib/MSSQL_JDBC/sqljdbc.jar" (in my case, but you can put the jar-library everywhere you want). Then restart Matlab.
After it, run "querybuilder", and click Query > Define JDBC Data Source.

Now, specify correctly the information the connection needs.
In my case:

name = master
driver = "com.microsoft.sqlserver.jdbc.SQLServerDriver"
URL = //10.3.1.200:1433/master

Note: the Java version used by Matlab is 1.6, and Microsoft JDBC drivers 2.0 do not support this version! To solve the problem, download the "Microsoft SQL Server 2005 JDBC Driver 1.2" version.

Anyway... now it shows no problem... but it blocks :(

(to be completed)

Cannot start the Perfmon service

The Perfmon service (with 387 variables) cannot start, due to this problem:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: PDH
Event Category: None
Event ID: 3041
Date: 25-12-2010
Time: 20:43:29
User: N/A
Computer: TARGETREAL
Description:
The description for Event ID ( 3041 ) in Source ( PDH ) cannot be found. The local computer may not have the necessary registry information or message DLL files to display messages from a remote computer. You may be able to use the /AUXSOURCE= flag to retrieve this description; see Help and Support for details. The following information is part of the event: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]Login failed for user ''. The user is not associated with a trusted SQL Server connection..
Data:
0000: 14 .

To solve this problem, modify the registry on Controller (and Target?) systems.
Open Control Panel -> Administration tools -> Local Security Policy -> User Righ Assignment, and change the voices:

• Access computer from the net (Everyone)
• Deny access to this computer (erase Guest, if exists)
• Enable computer and user accounts to access... (Everyone)
• Enable computers and user to be trusted for delegation (Everyone, Guest, ...)
  

Moreover, in Local Security Policy -> Security options, change:

• Network access: Sharing and security model for local account (Classic)

Then, you may have this problem:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: PDH
Event Category: None
Event ID: 3041
Date: 22-02-2011
Time: 21:04:59
User: N/A
Computer: TARGETREAL
Description:
The description for Event ID ( 3041 ) in Source ( PDH ) cannot be found. The local computer may not have the necessary registry information or message DLL files to display messages from a remote computer. You may be able to use the /AUXSOURCE= flag to retrieve this description; see Help and Support for details. The following information is part of the event: [Microsoft][ODBC SQL Server Driver][SQL Server]Login failed for user 'LAB\Guest'..
Data:
0000: 18 .

To solve this problem, you must add the user GUEST in SQL Server (under the folder Security -> Logins).
Give to him the sysadmin right, or less.

Install Windows XP on a Asus P5S800-VM motherboard

It's only necessary to enter the Bios, and in the first table change the "SATA" setting to "Normal".
Then the motherboard will emulate the SATA disk as PATA.
That's all :)

Restoring Windows XP backup + Microsoft SQL Server (Express) 2005

When restoring this backup on a pre-existing Windows XP machine, a malfunctioning in the Microsoft SQL Server 2005 occurred.
These are the problems that I encountered.

1) When trying to connect to the DB ("Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express"), this error occurs:

TITLE: Connect to Server
------------------------------

Cannot connect to PCG5116\SQLEXPRESS.

------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

A network-related or instance-specific error occurred while establishing a connection to SQL Server. The server was not found or was not accessible. Verify that the instance name is correct and that SQL Server is configured to allow remote connections. (provider: SQL Network Interfaces, error: 26 - Error Locating Server/Instance Specified) (Microsoft SQL Server, Error: -1)

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&EvtSrc=MSSQLServer&EvtID=-1&LinkId=20476

2) On the other hand, if I try to open "SQL Server Configuration Manager", I get this error:

Cannot connect to WMI provider. You do not have permission or the server is unreachable. Note that you can only manage SQL Server 2005 servers with SQL Server Configuration Manager.
Invalid class [0x80041010]

3) I also tried to access the DB configuration from the "SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration", clicking on one of the two possible choices to chow the configuration, and what I got was:

TITLE: Surface Area Configuration
------------------------------

Computer localhost does not exist on the network, or the computer cannot be configured remotely. Verify that the remote computer has the required Windows Management Instrumentation components and then try again. (SQLSAC)

------------------------------
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

An exception occurred in SMO while trying to manage a service. (Microsoft.SqlServer.Smo)

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&ProdVer=9.00.1399.00&EvtSrc=Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.ExceptionTemplates.InnerWmiException&LinkId=20476

------------------------------

Failed to retrieve data for this request. (Microsoft.SqlServer.SmoEnum)

For help, click: http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink?ProdName=Microsoft+SQL+Server&LinkId=20476

------------------------------

Invalid class (System.Management)

------------------------------

In addition, going in Windows Event Viewer (Control Panel), for every attempt to access the DB or its configuration, I got this error entry:

Event Type: Error
Event Source: MSSQL$SQLEXPRESS
Event Category: (2)
Event ID: 17058
Date: 10-12-2010
Time: 18:29:35
User: N/A
Computer: PCG5116
Description:
initerrlog: Could not open error log file 'c:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL.1\MSSQL\LOG\ERRORLOG'. Operating system error = 5(Access is denied.).

For more information, see Help and Support Center at http://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/events.asp.
Data:
0000: a2 42 00 00 10 00 00 00 ¢B......
0008: 13 00 00 00 50 00 43 00 ....P.C.
0010: 47 00 35 00 31 00 31 00 G.5.1.1.
0018: 36 00 5c 00 53 00 51 00 6.\.S.Q.
0020: 4c 00 45 00 58 00 50 00 L.E.X.P.
0028: 52 00 45 00 53 00 53 00 R.E.S.S.
0030: 00 00 00 00 00 00 ......

It then seems that there is some problem with the access rights on the SQL Server (its services and files)
Then I noticed that the SQL Server service (SQLExpress) is stopped (in Control Panel -> Administrative Tools -> Services). It cannot start because:

Windows could not start the SQL Server (SQLEXPRESS) on Local Computer. For more information, review the System Event Log. If this is a non-Microsoft service, contact the vendor, and refer to service-specific error code 17058.

In the same window, in Log On tab I noticed that there the configuration "Log on as: This account -> AUTHORITY\NetworkService".


SOLUTION: If changing to Log on as: Local System Account, the service starts without any problem. And anyone can access from the net the SQL Server too!!! :)

Part of the solution (probably): restore the WMI repository, with this script

net stop winmgmt /Y
c:
cd %systemroot%\system32\wbem
rd /S /Q repository


regsvr32 /s %systemroot%\system32\scecli.dll
regsvr32 /s %systemroot%\system32\userenv.dll


mofcomp cimwin32.mof
mofcomp cimwin32.mfl
mofcomp rsop.mof
mofcomp rsop.mfl
for /f %%s in ('dir /b /s *.dll') do regsvr32 /s %%s
for /f %%s in ('dir /b *.mof') do mofcomp %%s
for /f %%s in ('dir /b *.mfl') do mofcomp %%s
echo DONE reboot
pause