Q: Can ADNM be used together with MS SQL Server 2005?

A:

Yes, ADNM works flawlessly with MS SQL 2005 and its use is fully supported. However, at least service pack 1 is required (due to bugs in the original release of SQL 2005 Server, ADNM does not work correctly unless the service pack is applied).

If you want to use the free edition of MS SQL 2005 (called "SQL 2005 Express") instead of MSDE, please follow these instructions:

1. Install SQL 2005 Express (either on the server that will act as AMS, or any other server). Make sure to remember the sa account password. It is recommended to install the SQL Server as a named instance (so that it doesn't interfere with other SQL installations that may be already present on the machine) - as an instance name, use e.g. "AVAST".
2. Start the installation of ADNM (you can use the smaller package that doesn't include MSDE). Make sure the "Install MSDE" check box is unchecked.
3. When asked for SQL server details, fill in the name and instance of the SQL Server and the correct sa account password. If there's a problem with the database connection, the installation wizard will prompt you.
4. Complete the installation as usual.

Note: SQL Server 2005 Express cannot be used if you want to run ADNM in multi-AMS mode. This is because the Express edition of SQL Server doesn't support "snapshot publication" (a feature of SQL replication system that the multi-AMS mode relies on); for more information about the differences between SQL 2005 Express and MSDE, please see this page on Microsoft website.