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HomeHomeGetting StartedGetting StartedInstalling DNN ...Installing DNN ...SQL Express vs. Full SQLSQL Express vs. Full SQL
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9/17/2008 10:51 PM
 

 

Hello,

I just got a hint today that I may have made a big mistake.

I'm getting a small web design and hosting business going and have decided to use DNN instead of my own CMS. So far so good. Once I got over not having everything work *exactly* how I want, I'm impressed and pleased.

I went with SQL Express to save around $100 a month on hosting costs. The research I did indicated it would be sufficient. I've always used full SQL for websites in the past, but figured it was a brave new world. I've now got 4 production sites up and running on this installation.

This evening, I got a series of timeouts with matching asp.net event log entries talking about not being able to get a connection. I think in this context we're talking about db connections.

Should I have gone with full SQL for this use? Is SQL express really not a production database?

If I need to go with full SQL, will I be able to migrate simply by copying DNN install directory and .mdf file to a new machine running SQL 2005 and attaching the .mdf file (making all necessary config changes of course)?

If I need to make this move, sooner is better than later.

Thanks in advance...

 
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9/18/2008 4:37 AM
 

sql express should not be used to run more than one site on, as there are a number of limitations that will hinder your sites.

What corner of the world do you live in if you have to pay $100 for an sql server license. You should go for SQL server 2008 Web edtion, which is the cheapest of the "real" sql servers. Also, if you are in the hosting business you must use an SPLA license, you can read more about that here: http://www.microsoft.com/serviceproviders/licensing/default.mspx

spla licenses cannot be acquired directly from microsoft, you must go through an spla licensing partner.


Erik van Ballegoij, Former DNN Corp. Employee and DNN Expert

DNN Blog | Twitter: @erikvb | LinkedIn: Erik van Ballegoij on LinkedIn

 
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9/18/2008 6:19 AM
 

Evan,

SQL Server Express is sufficient for small and medium web sites, but I always suggest to create database manually and grant user permisson (use SQL2000/2005 conenction string in web.config), this allows you to use Management Studio Express to maintain database. This is more important, since there is no automatic backup included and you need to backup database manually. If you are using full recovery model, make sure to truncate transaction log frequently, otherwise you might run into timeouts.

If your business is growing or you are getting sites to host with additional security & backup requirements, those databases are easy to be used in SQL Server Web/Standard/...

If you are using Express connection string, please read here.


Cheers from Germany,
Sebastian Leupold

dnnWerk - The DotNetNuke Experts   German Spoken DotNetNuke User Group

Speed up your DNN Websites with TurboDNN
 
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9/18/2008 9:00 AM
 

Thanks for the quick responses.

I had already thought of creating the database manually using MSE and then connecting to it as if it were a regular install, but based on this advice, I'm going to move to a full SQL installation. I was wrong on my pricing before -- $75 a month for SQL 2005 Standard from Serverbeach, and I get a discount off of that. I don't *think* I need the SPLA license because I'm not providing open ended hosting where people have access to the database. I'm only hosting DNN sites that I've built. In most cases, my customers don't even have full admin access to their sites, just a "site editor" role that I've created that allows them to edit pages. Although I cut my teeth in Seattle, I'm now serving a small rural market.

Sounds like moving the existing sites over to the server with full SQL won't be that hard -- just attach the old express .mdf file on the new 2005 database, change connection settings, and I'm off and running.

 

 
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9/18/2008 9:26 AM
 

Hi Evan,

How many hits per day across all of your production sites are we talking about?  Although I would strongly agree with everyone above, four low-traffic sites is not beyond the ability for MSSQL-Express to handle.

Also, I suggest posting the exact exception and call stack so that we're sure that it is in fact a MSSQL version-specific issue. 

Brandon


Brandon Haynes
BrandonHaynes.org
 
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