Using aspnet_regsql.exe to set up Windows Authentication on an already matured database

Question

I have a database (using Microsoft SQL Server Management Studio Express) that is currently being used quite heavily in a functioning application. I am porting this application over to Windows Authentication rather than the current basic authentication system (or lack thereof) that exists.

The easiest way that I know to set this up involves using the aspnet_reegsql.exe file to set up some tables for me. This obviously creates its basic tables, such as dbo.aspnet_Roles, dbo.aspnet_Users and dbo.aspnet_UsersInRoles.

In the current database, there exist tables named dbo.Users, dbo.UserRole, and dbo.UserRoleMapping. Many of the stored procedures that are written currently for this database rely on these tables.

Is there any gentle way of settling in to the new tables that aspnet_regsql.exe will create? Possibly having it create the configurations on these existing table names, rather than what it is hardwired to do?

Thanks in advance :)

Answer 1

It sounds like you're confusing two different things. Windows authentication is a way of presenting your Windows login to the database. It works in SSMS by connecting to a database using "Windows Authentication". An application would specify in its connection string:

Integrated Security=SSPI;

instead of a username and password. Both of these options send your current Windows credentials to the database. An example windows login is yourlaptop\chris.

On the other side, aspnet_regsql.exe sets up up a bunch of tables that allow the predefined Microsoft "forms authentication" to work. For example, those tables are required for the login control. When using the aspnet_regsql controls, you typically work with forms authentication. You log on by entering your username and password on a webform. See this site for more membership examples.