MSSQL 'hide instance'

[Chris_Tan]

Hi guys,

was wondering if you ever encountered this issue before, we are running on erp6.0 on ehp 5 on mssql 2012. Recently, there has been a request to tighten security, so one of the requests was to hide the instance of the mssql server using the following method:

Hide an Instance of SQL Server Database Engine

However I noticed after doing this and restarting my CI, that sap would not start anymore. Does any one know why this is so? or know any articles that talk about such things? I tried raising an OSS message but they just said this is a setting only controlled by mssql and doesn't have any relations to sap kernel so they can't advise. I'm thinking it's coz the SAP CI can't find the DB instance thus stops working. Unfortunately I don't have any logs on this as I reverted the changes and there has been some other maintenance tasks that have happened in the past week which got the server restarted a couple of times.

Just wondering whats your take on this from a technical perspective?

Regards,

Chris

[Sriram2009 · Accepted solution]

Hi Chris

1. You can revet the instance hide to unhide. I thing

2. Due to high security have you switch on the local firewall or UAC on windows OS level?

3. Your DB instance on same or different host?

BR

SS

[Chris_Tan · Accepted solution]

Hi SS,

1.Yeap it's reverseable, thus I have reverted it back earlier.

2.local firewall is off.

3. My DB instance is on a different host from my CI.

Regards,

Chris

[Sriram2009 · Accepted solution]

Hi Chris

1.  From the CI system execute the command r3trans -d and check the log any error message? and share the log

2. Any error message while starting the CI ?

BR

[Chris_Tan]

Hi all,

My bad.. seems like it works, I must have set other parameters such as disabling xp_cmdshell whilst hiding the instance during the hardening of our systems which caused the confusion. (was on my 50th hour). So it is possible to hide the instance! Only one system is having the problem, and that is our dual stack system, solution manager 7.1. Portal can also hide their instance.

Regards,

Chris