From time to time, organizations move from an old version to a newer version as the application using the databases keep changing and become more complex. When they move to the newer platform, eventually the database versions have to be migrated / upgraded to the newer version. All these results in setting up a new SQL Server Instance by Installing SQL Server Database and other required services.   

In this blog we shall look at some of the post installation steps performed on a newly installed SQL Server.

• Check all the necessary Protocols are enabled except VIA (unless you are absolutely sure you need VIA).
• Make sure that you can connect to the SQL Instance from a remote system. That way you are sure your firewall is not blocking etc..
• Configure the Backup Compression option on the SQL Instance. (If you intend to use it and your SQL Server Version is 2008 or above)
• Configure Database Mail.
• Configure all Backups. (Full, Differential and Log) SQL Server Maintenance Plan is the the quickest way to get started.
• Make sure the SQL Server Authentication Mode is set to the mode that you wanted, be it Windows Only OR Mixed Mode.
• Set the minimum and maximum Memory settings for the SQL Instance. Remember that enable AWE is not required for 64 bit servers. (Read blog here…)
• Assign Lock Pages in Memory to the service account under which SQL Server is running. (Read blog here…)
• Configure startup modes for SQL Agent, SQL Server Database Engine, Integration Services, Analysis Services, Reporting Services, Full-Text and SQL Browser.
• Create maintenance plans to manage / purge old backup files.
• Create linked servers that are required (especially where you are Upgrading / Migrating) (Read blog here…).
• Recreate the SQL Agent jobs you had on the old SQL Server (if you are doing a Upgrade/Migration).
• Configure Reporting Services (if install only option was chosen) (read blog here…).
• Document everything that was performed on that Server, over a period of time you might not remember every step or changes made to that Instance.

— Bru Medishetty