Last try: Polling the network for SQL servers, including named instances

Hopefully I do not end up empty-handed.
Hi group,
I am trying to get a list of SQL Server installations running on the
network. I tried to use sqlcmd -L (or osql -L). However, when I do this
from my box the named instances do not show up, whereas when it is run from
a server box those instances do get listed.
What is required to make the command return the full list? Is there other
(simple) way to do it?
Thanks.
QuentinThe -L option will not give you the 'full list' in most cases. The most
reliable way I found is to enumerate the servers in a network/domain, and for
each server run a multiplicity of tests to see whether there are SQL instance
running or installed (e.g. checking for the SQL services. interrogating the
registry for a list of installed SQL instances). This approach can be time
consuming in a large network, and the network security may not like it.
Ideally, you should have some type of inentory in place and updated so that
you don't have to do this.
Exactly how you want to do this and whether you can simplify the work to get
it done depend on a number of factors: (1) how reliable you want this list to
be, and (2) the specifics of your environment. For instance, if you know that
you can count on your SQL Browser running on the SQL boxes, you could just
enumerate your servers, and run SQLPing.exe against each to get a list.
Linchi
"Quentin Ran" wrote:
> Hopefully I do not end up empty-handed.
> Hi group,
> I am trying to get a list of SQL Server installations running on the
> network. I tried to use sqlcmd -L (or osql -L). However, when I do this
> from my box the named instances do not show up, whereas when it is run from
> a server box those instances do get listed.
> What is required to make the command return the full list? Is there other
> (simple) way to do it?
> Thanks.
> Quentin
>
>
>|||Thanks Linchi.
independent of what I want to use it for, the fact that sqlcmd -L returns
different results when run from differnet servers makes it interesting, if
not bizzare ...
Quentin
"Linchi Shea" <LinchiShea@.discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:0C43A8EF-CF62-45F4-B060-CC72396CDEE4@.microsoft.com...
> The -L option will not give you the 'full list' in most cases. The most
> reliable way I found is to enumerate the servers in a network/domain, and
> for
> each server run a multiplicity of tests to see whether there are SQL
> instance
> running or installed (e.g. checking for the SQL services. interrogating
> the
> registry for a list of installed SQL instances). This approach can be time
> consuming in a large network, and the network security may not like it.
> Ideally, you should have some type of inentory in place and updated so
> that
> you don't have to do this.
> Exactly how you want to do this and whether you can simplify the work to
> get
> it done depend on a number of factors: (1) how reliable you want this list
> to
> be, and (2) the specifics of your environment. For instance, if you know
> that
> you can count on your SQL Browser running on the SQL boxes, you could just
> enumerate your servers, and run SQLPing.exe against each to get a list.
> Linchi
> "Quentin Ran" wrote:
>> Hopefully I do not end up empty-handed.
>> Hi group,
>> I am trying to get a list of SQL Server installations running on the
>> network. I tried to use sqlcmd -L (or osql -L). However, when I do this
>> from my box the named instances do not show up, whereas when it is run
>> from
>> a server box those instances do get listed.
>> What is required to make the command return the full list? Is there
>> other
>> (simple) way to do it?
>> Thanks.
>> Quentin
>>
>>