SQL Logins for the service and cluster accounts

Question

Hi

Can anybody please, let me know that why the cluster service needs local SQL logins and the sql server services need SQL logins.

Thanks,

Answer 1

Neither of them can use sql logins. They both should be using domain accounts for most environments.

You can probably find more info hidden deep within these pages: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms179530(SQL.90).aspx

Microsoft does not always explain why you must do things, they just say and you do.

---

edit: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143504.aspx

there we go. sorry, having a bad microsoft day.

Answer 2

That's funny, this guy emailed me directly and asked the same question. My answer was:

The services accounts aren't SQL logins. SQL logins are used to connect to a SQL Server, but not to run the SQL Server itself.

If you go into Control Panel, Administrative Tools, Services, and go to the SQL Server service, you'll see the account that the service is running under. It's usually Local System, or it's a Windows domain account.

If that doesn't answer your question, send a screenshot of what you're looking at that's confusing you, and I might be able to help more. Hope that helps!

Answer 3

When the cluster is first set up, you must specify a user account that is a member of the domain. This is the cluster service account. It is a Windows account, meaning it is a Windows login (Windows user login, specifically) as far as SQL Server is concerned. This Windows account has to be a member of the local Administrators group for the operating system on every server that makes up the cluster. And prior to SQL Server 2008, the Administrators group was automatically added to SQL Server and granted sysadmin level rights, meaning when you installed SQL Server, you didn't have to worry about it.

With respect to SQL Server service accounts, and this include SQL Server Agent, SQL Server Full Text (if on 2005/2008), they need to be Windows accounts from the domain, too. The reason is that the operating system actually starts those services using those accounts and they need to be able to run on every server of the cluster where SQL Server is configured to potentially run. If you don't change these from when you set up SQL Server, then the installation will ensure that these accounts have the correct permissions within SQL Server as well.