Recovering SQL login & database

Hello all,
I appologize in advance if I posted in too many, or the wrong newsgroup.
A client of mine contacted me earlier regarding an issue they are having
with their MS SQL server. They use SQL mostly for timeclock entry for
employee's entering and leaving the building during the start of, and end of
the workday. However during the phone call the guy explained to me that
they are now no longer able to log in through the web-interface on the
server using the default login/password for MS SQL. He wondered if the
database itself had become corrupted, but when I began asking a series of
questions, he did seem to suggest that the timeclock information can get
entered into the database with a confirmation that it was entered.
So for the moment it appears that they are locked out of MS SQL. I don't
know how or why as this was just a pre-liminary phone call and I am
expecting to hear from them again shortly. However what is everyone's
thoughts here on password/username recovery for MS SQL? What if the
database did get corrupted, what are recovery options. As far as I know
this client does NOT have a backup server or solution in place.
BradBradley Walker (bawalkerREMOVE@.THISmodemnet.net) writes:
> A client of mine contacted me earlier regarding an issue they are having
> with their MS SQL server. They use SQL mostly for timeclock entry for
> employee's entering and leaving the building during the start of, and
> end of the workday. However during the phone call the guy explained to
> me that they are now no longer able to log in through the web-interface
> on the server using the default login/password for MS SQL. He wondered
> if the database itself had become corrupted, but when I began asking a
> series of questions, he did seem to suggest that the timeclock
> information can get entered into the database with a confirmation that
> it was entered.
> So for the moment it appears that they are locked out of MS SQL. I don't
> know how or why as this was just a pre-liminary phone call and I am
> expecting to hear from them again shortly. However what is everyone's
> thoughts here on password/username recovery for MS SQL? What if the
> database did get corrupted, what are recovery options. As far as I know
> this client does NOT have a backup server or solution in place.
First of all, which version of SQL Server are they running, and on
which operating system?
It is not clear here where this login/password lives. It this a
username/password for SQL authentication? Or does the web page login
with Windows Authnetication, and then has its own username/password
validated within or outside SQL Server.
In case they are using SQL authentication to login, username/password
information is in the master database, which is not there the timeclock
entries are. I hope!
Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@.sommarskog.se
Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx
Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at
http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx|||"Bradley Walker" <bawalkerREMOVE@.THISmodemnet.net> wrote in message
news:O%236hPz2UGHA.4276@.TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Hello all,
> I appologize in advance if I posted in too many, or the wrong newsgroup.
> A client of mine contacted me earlier regarding an issue they are having
> with their MS SQL server. They use SQL mostly for timeclock entry for
> employee's entering and leaving the building during the start of, and end
> of the workday. However during the phone call the guy explained to me
> that they are now no longer able to log in through the web-interface on
> the server using the default login/password for MS SQL. He wondered if
> the database itself had become corrupted, but when I began asking a series
> of questions, he did seem to suggest that the timeclock information can
> get entered into the database with a confirmation that it was entered.
> So for the moment it appears that they are locked out of MS SQL. I don't
> know how or why as this was just a pre-liminary phone call and I am
> expecting to hear from them again shortly. However what is everyone's
> thoughts here on password/username recovery for MS SQL? What if the
> database did get corrupted, what are recovery options. As far as I know
> this client does NOT have a backup server or solution in place.
> Brad
>
You've given no reason to assume the database is corrupt. Do you have an
administrator login for SQL Server? Do they know the SA password? If not,
you should still be able to log in as a domain admin or local admin for that
server using integrated security. Then you can check that the login they are
using for the site does in fact exist and you can change the password if
necessary. There is no such thing as a default login and password for SQL
Server.
Before you do anything you should of course make sure they have a valid
backup on disc or tape. If they are running in deathwish mode (no backups)
and you can't even login then shutdown the SQL service (only when the system
isn't in use) and backup the physical files from the data folder as a first
step.
--
David Portas, SQL Server MVP
Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
of any error messages.
SQL Server Books Online:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
--|||"Deathwish mode". I am gonna have to "borrow" that phrase. It is too good
to leave lying around unused.
--
Geoff N. Hiten
Senior Database Administrator
Microsoft SQL Server MVP
"David Portas" <REMOVE_BEFORE_REPLYING_dportas@.acm.org> wrote in message
news:ef9Pkz3UGHA.4740@.TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl...
> "Bradley Walker" <bawalkerREMOVE@.THISmodemnet.net> wrote in message
> news:O%236hPz2UGHA.4276@.TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
>> Hello all,
>> I appologize in advance if I posted in too many, or the wrong newsgroup.
>> A client of mine contacted me earlier regarding an issue they are having
>> with their MS SQL server. They use SQL mostly for timeclock entry for
>> employee's entering and leaving the building during the start of, and end
>> of the workday. However during the phone call the guy explained to me
>> that they are now no longer able to log in through the web-interface on
>> the server using the default login/password for MS SQL. He wondered if
>> the database itself had become corrupted, but when I began asking a
>> series of questions, he did seem to suggest that the timeclock
>> information can get entered into the database with a confirmation that it
>> was entered.
>> So for the moment it appears that they are locked out of MS SQL. I don't
>> know how or why as this was just a pre-liminary phone call and I am
>> expecting to hear from them again shortly. However what is everyone's
>> thoughts here on password/username recovery for MS SQL? What if the
>> database did get corrupted, what are recovery options. As far as I know
>> this client does NOT have a backup server or solution in place.
>> Brad
>>
> You've given no reason to assume the database is corrupt. Do you have an
> administrator login for SQL Server? Do they know the SA password? If not,
> you should still be able to log in as a domain admin or local admin for
> that server using integrated security. Then you can check that the login
> they are using for the site does in fact exist and you can change the
> password if necessary. There is no such thing as a default login and
> password for SQL Server.
> Before you do anything you should of course make sure they have a valid
> backup on disc or tape. If they are running in deathwish mode (no backups)
> and you can't even login then shutdown the SQL service (only when the
> system isn't in use) and backup the physical files from the data folder as
> a first step.
> --
> David Portas, SQL Server MVP
> Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
> Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
> State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
> of any error messages.
> SQL Server Books Online:
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
> --
>|||"Geoff N. Hiten" <SQLCraftsman@.gmail.com> wrote in message
news:OmjcU13UGHA.5588@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> "Deathwish mode". I am gonna have to "borrow" that phrase. It is too
> good to leave lying around unused.
>
Hope you don't have cause to use it too often :-)
--
David Portas, SQL Server MVP
Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
of any error messages.
SQL Server Books Online:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
--|||You hang around the newsgroups enough to know how often I will have to use
it. :)
--
Geoff N. Hiten
Senior Database Administrator
Microsoft SQL Server MVP
"David Portas" <REMOVE_BEFORE_REPLYING_dportas@.acm.org> wrote in message
news:uCElmA4UGHA.4956@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
> "Geoff N. Hiten" <SQLCraftsman@.gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:OmjcU13UGHA.5588@.TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl...
>> "Deathwish mode". I am gonna have to "borrow" that phrase. It is too
>> good to leave lying around unused.
> Hope you don't have cause to use it too often :-)
> --
> David Portas, SQL Server MVP
> Whenever possible please post enough code to reproduce your problem.
> Including CREATE TABLE and INSERT statements usually helps.
> State what version of SQL Server you are using and specify the content
> of any error messages.
> SQL Server Books Online:
> http://msdn2.microsoft.com/library/ms130214(en-US,SQL.90).aspx
> --
>|||You said they can't login via the web interface on the server using the
default MSSQL login. I don't understand what that means.
Do they have physical access to walk up to the machine?
Can they log into Windows with an administrator windows account?
If yes to the above 2 questions, can they open Enterprise Manager on that
machine, under their windows login with windows authentication?
"Bradley Walker" <bawalkerREMOVE@.THISmodemnet.net> wrote in message
news:O%236hPz2UGHA.4276@.TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl...
> Hello all,
> I appologize in advance if I posted in too many, or the wrong newsgroup.
> A client of mine contacted me earlier regarding an issue they are having
> with their MS SQL server. They use SQL mostly for timeclock entry for
> employee's entering and leaving the building during the start of, and end
of
> the workday. However during the phone call the guy explained to me that
> they are now no longer able to log in through the web-interface on the
> server using the default login/password for MS SQL. He wondered if the
> database itself had become corrupted, but when I began asking a series of
> questions, he did seem to suggest that the timeclock information can get
> entered into the database with a confirmation that it was entered.
> So for the moment it appears that they are locked out of MS SQL. I don't
> know how or why as this was just a pre-liminary phone call and I am
> expecting to hear from them again shortly. However what is everyone's
> thoughts here on password/username recovery for MS SQL? What if the
> database did get corrupted, what are recovery options. As far as I know
> this client does NOT have a backup server or solution in place.
> Brad
>|||As I stated in my orginial post, I was going on based what the client told
me across the phone of intial symptoms, their concerns, and using that to
prepare for a possible client job. That is why I posted here, as part of my
quick pre-preperation to better understand what I may or may not see when I
arrive on the site. Normally what a client says on the phone is always the
opposite of what I find, so any information I posted was strictly from the
quick and informal phone call.
The good news is that in the end it was discovered that a heavily medicated
and disgruntled employee decided to start making unauthorized changes to the
server which appearantly included logon information. As far as I know they
are running in "Deathwish mode" because there are no onsite backups, no
backup proceedures, etc.
> You've given no reason to assume the database is corrupt. Do you have an
> administrator login for SQL Server? Do they know the SA password? If not,
> you should still be able to log in as a domain admin or local admin for
> that server using integrated security. Then you can check that the login
> they are using for the site does in fact exist and you can change the
> password if necessary. There is no such thing as a default login and
> password for SQL Server.
> Before you do anything you should of course make sure they have a valid
> backup on disc or tape. If they are running in deathwish mode (no backups)
> and you can't even login then shutdown the SQL service (only when the
> system isn't in use) and backup the physical files from the data folder as
> a first step.