SQL Server - Remote Command Line Management

[JDB]

As a Sys Admin, I was wondering - if I have admin rights to a Win2k machine
that is hosting SQL Server 2000, do I have the ability using any
command-line tools such as OSQL or ISQL to add, delete, or change accounts
registered in SQL Server for the various databases if I don't have access to
a specific account within SQL Server?

I ask, because the question that came up was - what if we have a DBA leave
under less than amicable circumstances? Could I, someone who has admin
rights on the machine, be able to log into that machine remotely and somehow
via command line (I don't maintain active SQL clients centrally), change the
SA password, remove an account, and/or add an account with sysadmin rights,
etc?

Thanks in advance for any help -

[Erland Sommarskog]

JDB (jb***@vitria.com) writes:

As a Sys Admin, I was wondering - if I have admin rights to a Win2k
machine that is hosting SQL Server 2000, do I have the ability using any
command-line tools such as OSQL or ISQL to add, delete, or change
accounts registered in SQL Server for the various databases if I don't
have access to a specific account within SQL Server?

I ask, because the question that came up was - what if we have a DBA
leave under less than amicable circumstances? Could I, someone who has
admin rights on the machine, be able to log into that machine remotely
and somehow via command line (I don't maintain active SQL clients
centrally), change the SA password, remove an account, and/or add an
account with sysadmin rights, etc?

If you have administrator rights on the machine SQL Server is running on,
the you can log in through integrated security, and in the default
configuration, you would have sysadmin access through the role
BUILTIN\Administrators. However, I think this can be revoked.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, es****@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinf...2000/books.asp

[ScottT]

Thanks for the response.

Can this be done via command line? Or a thin SQL Server client such as
SQLExpress?

Thanks ...
"Erland Sommarskog" <es****@sommarskog.se> wrote in message
news:Xn*********************@127.0.0.1...

JDB (jb***@vitria.com) writes:

As a Sys Admin, I was wondering - if I have admin rights to a Win2k
machine that is hosting SQL Server 2000, do I have the ability using any
command-line tools such as OSQL or ISQL to add, delete, or change
accounts registered in SQL Server for the various databases if I don't
have access to a specific account within SQL Server?

I ask, because the question that came up was - what if we have a DBA
leave under less than amicable circumstances? Could I, someone who has
admin rights on the machine, be able to log into that machine remotely
and somehow via command line (I don't maintain active SQL clients
centrally), change the SA password, remove an account, and/or add an
account with sysadmin rights, etc?

If you have administrator rights on the machine SQL Server is running on,
the you can log in through integrated security, and in the default
configuration, you would have sysadmin access through the role
BUILTIN\Administrators. However, I think this can be revoked.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, es****@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinf...2000/books.asp

[Erland Sommarskog]

ScottT (rd*@drewscott.com) writes:

Can this be done via command line? Or a thin SQL Server client such as
SQLExpress?

Yes, you can use Integrated Security with any tool that supports it.
(And most tools should to that, since Integrated Security is always
available, whereas SQL authentication is not.)

So OSQL should do. SQLExpress is nothing I know about.

--
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, es****@sommarskog.se

Books Online for SQL Server SP3 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/techinf...2000/books.asp