SQL Server service account password change

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AaronS - 27 Mar 2006 21:11 GMT

OK. I've read all kinds of stuff on the internet about changing the SQL
Server Service and SQL Server Agent Service account passwords. They all
say "use Enterprise Manager" because it performs additional tasks that
you would otherwise have to perform manually. I can dig that.

My problem is that I can't figure out *how* to change the password(s)
using EM. I have no problem seeing how to switch to a completely
different account: just type in the account and password and stop and
restart the service. But how do I change *just the password* in EM?
Maybe I'm confused. Does EM actually change the service account's
password in the domain, or do I need to do that elsewhere before I
change the password in EM?

On top of this, I'm doing this in a clustered environment, and I'm
pretty new to SQL Server clustering. Can someone please set me
straight?

Thanks,
Aaron

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Geoff N. Hiten - 27 Mar 2006 23:41 GMT

First, change the password of the SQL service account using the Domain Users
and Computers tool. Wait for the Active Directory information to propagate
to all domain controllers (typically 15 minutes).

Connect to your SQL Virtual Server using Enterprise Manager. Connect using
the "sa" account or using a windows account with SQL administrator
membership. All cluster host nodes must be up and running. Right-click the
server name and select Properties. Choose the Security tab and enter the
new password. Click OK. This should update the service account stored
password on all cluster nodes.

You will need to stop and restart the SQL Service at some point or it will
not be able to properly use the sevice account credentials to access network
resources. Do this change during a maintenance window if at all possible.

If this procedure fails, you can use the Services applet under control panel
to set the password on each node. Do not change the startup type to
anything other than MANUAL for a clustered SQL installation.

Signature

Geoff N. Hiten
Senior Database Administrator
Microsoft SQL Server MVP

> OK. I've read all kinds of stuff on the internet about changing the SQL
> Server Service and SQL Server Agent Service account passwords. They all
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
> Thanks,
> Aaron

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AaronS - 28 Mar 2006 14:42 GMT

Geoff,

Thanks for such a detailed explanation of this change. It's exactly
what I was looking for.

Aaron

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