Multiple Copies of VMs to run at same time

Question

I need to try out SQL Server replication. I'm using VMWare Player 3.1.1. I have a domain controller VM and a SQL Server VM. I took a copy of the SQL Server VM to give me my SQL Subscriber.

I have set the VMs to use "Host-only" network. I have assigned each a unique ip address on the same range and each has a unique machine name. When using only 1 of the SQL Servers with the domain controller then all works fine.

When I try to logon to the second of the SQL Servers after loading the 1st I get an error message "the security database on the server does not have a computer account for this workstation"

Can anyone suggest a way around this please.

Thanks

Rob.

Answer 1

You experiments are doomed. Copying a VM with SQL Server in it and trying to set up replication with its former self will fail, guaranteed. There are just too many places where the machinery will get confused about who is talking to.

Make a new VM for the subscriber, install OS and SQL from scratch, its a 30 min. exercise that will get you a clean state. The alternative you're trying will 'save' those 30 minutes only at the cost of chasing false failures for days.

Answer 2

Remus Rusanu is essentially correct -- you're doomed. Well, okay, that's perhaps a bit apocalyptic. Here's the deal: the "security database" in the error message has nothing to do with SQL -- this is an Active Directory trust error. You didn't copy the SQL server VM after you joined it to the domain, did you? Each VM copy needs a distinct hostname, and each copy must be joined to the domain separately so that they will have distinct identities in Active Directory. In some instances (such as creating multiple domain controllers from a VM template), running the NewSID tool on each copy may also be necessary.