Install SQL Server on Server Core

Applies to: SQL Server - Windows only

You can install SQL Server on a Server Core installation.

The Server Core installation option provides a minimal environment for running specific server roles. This helps to reduce maintenance and management requirements and the attack surface for those server roles.

For a list of currently supported operating systems, see Hardware and Software Requirements for Installing SQL Server.

Use the following table to find which features are supported in SQL Server on a Server Core installation.

The following table shows the supported scenario matrix for installing SQL Server on a Server Core.

On Server Core installations, upgrading from SQL Server 2014 (12.x) to SQL Server 2016 (13.x) is supported.

SQL Server doesn't support setup by using the installation wizard on the Server Core operating system. When installing on Server Core, SQL Server Setup supports full quiet mode by using the /Q parameter, or Quiet Simple mode by using the /QS parameter. For more information, see Install SQL Server from the Command Prompt.

Regardless of the installation method, you're required to confirm acceptance of the software license terms as an individual or on behalf of an entity, unless your use of the software is governed by a separate agreement such as a Microsoft volume licensing agreement or a third-party agreement with an ISV or OEM.

The license terms are displayed for review and acceptance in the Setup user interface. Unattended installations (using the /Q or /QS parameters) must include the /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS parameter. You can review the license terms separately at Microsoft Software License Terms.

Beginning with SQL Server 2022 (16.x), read the Microsoft SQL Server Software License Terms at aka.ms/useterms.

To install specific features, use the /FEATURES parameter and specify the parent feature or feature values. For more information about feature parameters and their use, see the following sections.

See the following examples of the usage of feature parameters:

For a list of features supported by the editions of SQL Server on Windows, see:

• Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2022
• Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2019
• Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2017
• Editions and supported features of SQL Server 2016

The Setup supports the following installation options while installing SQL Server on a Server Core operating system:

1. Installation from command line

   To install specific features using the command prompt installation option, use the /FEATURES parameter and specify the parent feature or feature values. The following is an example of using the parameters from the command line:

   setup.exe /qs /ACTION=Install /FEATURES=SQLEngine,Replication /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER /SQLSVCACCOUNT="<DomainName\UserName>" /SQLSVCPASSWORD="<StrongPassword>" /SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="<DomainName\UserName>" /AGTSVCACCOUNT="NT AUTHORITY\Network Service" /TCPENABLED=1 /IACCEPTSQLSERVERLICENSETERMS
   

2. Installation using configuration file

   Setup supports the use of the configuration file only through the command prompt. The configuration file is a text file with the basic structure of a parameter (name/value pair) and a descriptive comment. The configuration file specified at the command prompt should have an .ini file name extension. See the following examples of ConfigurationFile.ini:

   • Installing Database Engine:

     The following example shows how to install a new stand-alone instance that includes the SQL Server Database Engine:

     ; SQL Server Configuration File
     [OPTIONS]
     
     ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, or UPGRADE. This is a required parameter.
     ACTION="Install"
     
     ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade. The lists of features include SQLEngine, FullText, Replication, AS, IS, and Conn.
     FEATURES=SQLENGINE
     
     ; Specify a default or named instance. MSSQLSERVER is the default instance for non-Express editions and SQLExpress for Express editions. This parameter is   required when installing the ssNoVersion Database Engine, and Analysis Services (AS).
     INSTANCENAME="MSSQLSERVER"
     
     ; Specify the Instance ID for the ssNoVersion features you have specified. ssNoVersion directory structure, registry structure, and service names will   incorporate the instance ID of the ssNoVersion instance.
     INSTANCEID="MSSQLSERVER"
     
     ; Account for ssNoVersion service: Domain\User or system account.
     SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER"
     
     ; Windows account(s) to provision as ssNoVersion system administrators.
     SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="\<DomainName\UserName>"
     
     ; Accept the License agreement to continue with Installation
     IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms="True"
     

   • Installing connectivity components. The following example shows how to install the connectivity components:

     ; SQL Server Configuration File
     [OPTIONS]
     
     ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, or UPGRADE. This is a required parameter.
     ACTION="Install"
     
     ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade. The lists of features include SQLEngine, FullText, Replication, AS, IS, and Conn.
     FEATURES=Conn
     
     ; Specifies acceptance of License Terms
     IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms="True
     

   • Installing all supported features:

     The following example shows how to install all supported features of SQL Server on Server Core:

     ; SQL Server Configuration File
     [OPTIONS]
     ; Specifies a Setup work flow, like INSTALL, UNINSTALL, or UPGRADE. This is a required parameter.
     ACTION="Install"
     
     ; Specifies features to install, uninstall, or upgrade. The lists of features include SQLEngine, FullText, Replication, AS, IS, and Conn.
     FEATURES=SQLENGINE,FullText,Replication,AS,IS,Conn
     
     ; Specify a default or named instance. MSSQLSERVER is the default instance for non-Express editions and SQLExpress for Express editions. This parameter is  required when installing the ssNoVersion Database Engine (SQL), or Analysis Services (AS).
     INSTANCENAME="MSSQLSERVER"
     
     ; Specify the Instance ID for the ssNoVersion features you have specified. ssNoVersion directory structure, registry structure, and service names will  incorporate the instance ID of the ssNoVersion instance.
     INSTANCEID="MSSQLSERVER"
     
     ; Account for ssNoVersion service: Domain\User or system account.
     SQLSVCACCOUNT="NT Service\MSSQLSERVER"
     
     ; Windows account(s) to provision as ssNoVersion system administrators.
     SQLSYSADMINACCOUNTS="\<DomainName\UserName>"
     
     ; The name of the account that the Analysis Services service runs under.
     ASSVCACCOUNT= "NT Service\MSSQLServerOLAPService"
     
     ; Specifies the list of administrator accounts that need to be provisioned.
     ASSYSADMINACCOUNTS="\<DomainName\UserName>"
     
     ; Specifies the server mode of the Analysis Services instance. Valid values are MULTIDIMENSIONAL, POWERPIVOT or TABULAR. ASSERVERMODE is case-sensitive.  All values must be expressed in upper case.
     ASSERVERMODE="MULTIDIMENSIONAL"
     
     ; Optional value, which specifies the state of the TCP protocol for the ssNoVersion service. Supported values are: 0 to disable the TCP protocol, and 1 to  enable the TCP protocol.
     TCPENABLED=1
     
     ;Specifies acceptance of License Terms
     IAcceptSQLServerLicenseTerms="True"
     

   The following example shows how you can launch Setup using a custom or default configuration file:

   • Launch setup using a custom configuration file:

     To specify the configuration file at the command prompt:

     setup.exe /QS /ConfigurationFile=MyConfigurationFile.INI
     

   To specify passwords at the command prompt instead of in the configuration file:

   setup.exe /QS /SQLSVCPASSWORD="************" /ASSVCPASSWORD="************"  /ConfigurationFile=MyConfigurationFile.INI
   

   • Launch setup using DefaultSetup.ini:

     If you have the DefaultSetup.ini file in the \x86 and \x64 folders at the root level of the SQL Server source media, open the DefaultSetup.ini file, and then add the Features parameter to the file.

     If the DefaultSetup.ini file doesn't exist, you can create it and copy it to the \x86 and \x64 folders at the root level of the SQL Server source media.

Perform the actions described below to configure remote access of a SQL Server instance that is running on Server Core.

To enable remote connections, use SQLCMD.exe locally and execute the following statements against the Server Core instance:

EXEC sys.sp_configure N'remote access', N'1';
GO
RECONFIGURE WITH OVERRIDE;
GO

By default, the Browser service is disabled. If it's disabled on an instance of SQL Server running on Server Core, run the following command from the command prompt to enable it:

Set-Service sqlbrowser -StartupType Auto

After it's enabled, run the following command from the command prompt to start the service:

Start-Service sqlbrowser

To create exceptions for SQL Server access in Windows Firewall, follow the steps specified in Configure the Windows Firewall to Allow SQL Server Access.

The TCP/IP protocol can be enabled through Windows PowerShell for an instance of SQL Server on Server Core. Follow these steps:

1. In PowerShell: Import-Module SQLPS.

2. In the Microsoft SQL Server Powershell window, run the following script to enable the TCP/IP protocol:

   $smo = 'Microsoft.SqlServer.Management.Smo.'
   $wmi = new-object ($smo + 'Wmi.ManagedComputer')
   # Enable the TCP protocol on the default instance. If the instance is named, replace MSSQLSERVER with the instance name in the following line.
   $uri = "ManagedComputer[@Name='" + (get-item env:\computername).Value + "']/ServerInstance[@Name='MSSQLSERVER']/ServerProtocol[@Name='Tcp']"
   $Tcp = $wmi.GetSmoObject($uri)
   $Tcp.IsEnabled = $true
   $Tcp.Alter()
   $Tcp
   

After you sign into a computer that is running Server Core, you have a limited desktop environment with an Administrator command prompt. You can use this command prompt to launch the uninstall an of SQL Server. To uninstall an instance of SQL Server, launch the uninstallation from the command prompt in full quiet mode by using the /Q parameter, or quiet simple mode by using the /QS parameter. The /QS parameter shows progress through the UI, but doesn't accept any input. /Q runs in a quiet mode without any user interface.

To uninstall an existing instance of SQL Server:

setup.exe /Q /Action=Uninstall /FEATURES=SQLEngine,AS,IS /INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER

To remove a named instance, specify the name of the instance instead of MSSQLSERVER in the preceding example.

If you accidentally close the command prompt, you can start a new command prompt by following these steps:

1. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to display Task Manager.
2. On the Applications tab, select New Task.
3. In the Create New Task dialog box, type cmd in the Open field and then select OK.

• Install SQL Server Using a Configuration File
• Install SQL Server from the Command Prompt
• Install Server Core
• Configure a Server Core installation of Windows Server 2016 with Sconfig.cmd
• Failover Cluster Cmdlets in Windows PowerShell