How to Install SQL Server 2005 - A Quick Guide

Installing Replication on SQL Server 2005

If you need to install replication on SQL Server, or if you have received the Microsoft SQL Server, Error 21028 [Replication components are not installed on this server. Run SQL Server Setup again and select the option to install replication.], here's a brief guide on how to install replication on SQL Server 2005.

Preparation:

First things first, you need to check if replication is already installed on your SQL Server. To do this, right click on the tree node in the SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) Object Explorer window:

Figure 1: Check if Replication is Installed on SQL Server 2005

Now click on the Configure Distribution menu item. If replication has not been installed on the SQL Server, the following message will appear:

Figure 2: Replication has not been Installed on this SQL Server

You will see in the lower part of the message the details for SQL Server Error 21028 - this is just SQL Server telling you that you have not yet installed Replication.

How to Install Replication on Your SQL Server 2005

To install replication on a base instance of SQL Server 2005, you ideally need to pop the original installation CD or DVD into its original drive, that is the same drive you used when SQL Server was initially installed.

If you do not have the original media (CD or DVD), or the original drive from which SQL Server was installed has changed or is unknown, simply copy the SQL Server 2005 "Servers" folder from an installation DVD onto the root directory of a local hard disk drive. This will then allow you to install from a location other than the original.

Once you've done this, run the following command from a DOS (or "command") prompt, assuming that the original SQL Server installation media is located on the X: drive:

start /wait X:\Servers\setup.exe /qb INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER ADDLOCAL=SQL_Replication

If you get the following error message:

Installation package for the product SQL Server 2005 (64bit) cannot be found. Please locate a valid SQLRUN_SQL.msi

...then you may need to re-install the database engine files. This can be done very easily with the following command:

start /WAIT X:\Servers\setup.exe /qb INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER REINSTALL=SQL_Engine REINSTALLMODE=v

Once this has successfully run, you then need to run the command to install replication again:

start /wait X:\Servers\setup.exe /qb INSTANCENAME=MSSQLSERVER ADDLOCAL=SQL_Replication

Congratulations, you've successfully installed SQL Server 2005 replication, now you just need to configure it.

Right click on the Replication tree node in SQL Server Management Studio again and this time click on the Configure Distribution menu item to bring up the Configure Distribution Wizard:

Figure 3: Click on Replication, Configure Distribution in SSMS

This should bring up the following Configure Distribution Wizard window:

Figure 4: The Configure Distribution Wizard for Replication

Click on the Next button and simply navigate through the Distribution Configuration Wizard according to your replication needs - this will vary from company to company, but the wizard is self-explanatory. If you need to go away and find out more information before proceeding, you can click the Cancel button and return to this step at a later time, but right clicking on Replication and choosing Configure Distribution again.

Once you have been through each of the configuration steps, you should reach the final screen of the Wizard to show successful completion:

Figure 5: SQL Server Replication has been Successfully Set Up

Click on the Close button and return to Management Studio. Now right click on the Replication tree node one more time to confirm that replication is configured.

The menu should now have changed to this:

Figure 6: The Replication Menu has now Changed

Replication is now set up and you're ready to start distributing data!

End of Essential Guide

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