Installation guide

SQL Server

The following sections describe security and hardening guidelines that are unique to the system where

Microsoft SQL Server and your databases are installed. The database machine might be the same one as

the VCM Collector, or it might be a separate machine if you are running a split VCM installation.

Using VCM to Manage the SQL Server

After you install VCM, use it to manage the SQL Server system, subject it to assessment, and maintain its

integrity. Running the following VCM compliance template against SQL Server detects and identifies some

of the security setting and configuration issues that you must address.

VMware vCenter Configuration Manager Hardening - SQL Server 2008

NOTE If you have VCM installed and are preparing to set up another SQL Server, running the template

can help you preharden the candidate system.

The remaining SQL Server hardening steps in this chapter are in addition to those that you apply for all

server zone systems. See "Server Zone Security" on page 21.

Having a SQL Server Machine Group in VCM

To better manage SQL Server systems, place them into a separate, dedicated SQL Server machine group in

VCM, and make sure that the machine group is not authorized to any nonadministrator VCM user.

Without a machine group, you might mix VCM SQL Server management with non-VCM servers, which

can result in the misconfiguration of necessary security settings.

Managing the right group of SQL Server allows them to be assessed routinely by the VCM security

assessment compliance tests and monitored for configuration and change, all of which can be managed

and tracked through VCM.

Failure to follow this guideline means that the security posture of unmanaged VCM SQL Servers cannot

be assessed, tracked, or controlled with VCM. Later, if a SQL Server comes under VCM management,

there is also the risk that it might be incorrectly placed into a machine group that is managed by

nonadministrator VCM users.

Microsoft SQL Server Best Practices and Hardening Tests

Microsoft provides guidelines and an auditing tool that ensure the secure installation and operation of SQL

Server. The following tools are available from the Microsoft Web site.

VMware, Inc.