Linux and MS-SQL Server

[seyton]

I am trying to get rid of my Windows XP machine and just run Linux, however I have to run MS-Sql Server for development and unfortunatly I can not change that. Do to the client. I have a replacement for every other application I have to run on the WinXP machine, so, my question is... Is there a way to run MS Sql Server on the linux box, or would it be possible to run just the sql server on a seperate partition and still be able to get to the services through Linux?

 

[jstreich]

Why MS Sql? SQL is a common stardard that many databases use, and thus the clients shouldn't notice a difference if you swtich to, say, MySQL... Otherwise, you could use WINE (Wine Is Not an Emulator -- which it is, by the way), and run MS SQL under wine on a linux box... this would take a little monying arround, and running MySQL would be a lot easier.

 

[seyton]

Thanks for the info. The reason I "have" to use MSSql is due to the extensions that are used in the code. Go Figure.... Plus the other developers are not engineers and I think they would freak, wait I know they would freak out if I changed the back end on the develop area. I was just simply trying to change my development system to Linux. So, I think I might try the WINE first then maybe simply remove the MS extensions.

 

[sleipnir214]

My intuition tells me that a resource-hog like MSSQL will not play well with WINE.

Want the best answers? Ask the best questions:

http://www.catb.org/~esr/faqs/smart-questions.html

TANSTAAFL!!

 

[jrjuiliano]

I know you said you wanted to get rid of XP (and I'm with ya there!), but maybe you can make a small partition to run XP when you need it and then run all your regular stuff off Linux?

This is what I've done with my laptop. Windows 2000 on one side and Gentoo Linux on the other. Works quite well for me.

J.R.

 

[jwenting]

Always use the same OS as your client is using for development and at the very least testing!

The one time we didn't we ran into all kinds of problems due to things not working quite as they should on the client's operating system (and that was Java software, which was programmed to be OS independent from the outset...).

Your best bet is to use 2 PCs, one running Linux and one Windows 2000 (or XP if the client uses that) to use to run MSSQL Server (and MS Office and/or Visual Studio if you use those).
You will likely want to have either a 3rd PC running Windows (as a test machine for remote client access to the MSSQL server) or make the Linux machine dual boot into Windows for that purpose.

jsstreich, mySQL is no alternative to MSSQL. It's far less powerful and not (yet?) suited to large enterprise systems.
It also lacks many features enterprise applications require.
Oracle or Interbase on Linux would be an alternative (and I think Sybase offer their server on Linux now as well) but none are capable of offering a one on one replacement for MSSQL (at least for a developer. If you are just going to use it they are interchangable if your application is yet to be created or doesn't depend on platform specific features).