When you install System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 on an x64 Edition of Windows Server 2008, no options on the System Center Database page of the installation wizard are enabled

This article describes the scenarios that are supported when you install Microsoft System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 (SP1) on Windows Server 2008. System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 includes Microsoft SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services. System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 can also work with other editions of SQL Server 2005. This article focuses on the requirements of SQL Server 2005.

You have a server that is running an x64 Edition of Windows Server 2008. When you install System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 on the server, the following options are disabled on the System Center Database page of the installation wizard:

• The Install new SQL Server 2005 Express option is disabled, and the following warning message is displayed:
  Installing SQL Server 2005 Express is not supported on this architecture.
• The Use an existing local instance of SQL Server instance option is disabled, and the following warning message is displayed:
  Requires a local SQL Reporting Services instance.
  Note This warning message is displayed even if SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services is installed and Reporting Services is configured.
• The Use an existing remote SQL Server instance option is disabled, and the following warning message is displayed:
  Requires a local SQL Reporting Services instance

Additionally, the Next button is disabled. You cannot continue to install System Center Essentials 2007 SP1.

This problem occurs for one of the following reasons:

• The Setup program of System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 does not install SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services.
• System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 cannot detect the instance of SQL Server 2005 Express Edition that is installed.

Supported scenarios

The following 4 scenarios are supported when you install System Center Essentials 2007 SP1.

Notes

• In Scenario 1, the operating system and SQL Server are 64-bit.
• In Scenario 2, the operating system and SQL Server are 32-bit.
• In Scenario 3, the operating system is 64-bit while SQL Server is 32-bit or 64-bit.
• In Scenario 4, the operating system is 64-bit while SQL Server is 32-bit.

Scenario 1
An x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 on which one of the following editions of SQL Server 2005 is running:

• The x64 edition of SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition
• The x64 edition of SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition

Scenario 2
An x86 edition of Windows Server 2008 on which one of the following editions of SQL Server 2005 is running:

• SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services
• The x86 edition of SQL Server 2005 Standard Edition
• The x86 edition of SQL Server 2005 Enterprise Edition

Note Scenario 2 can be a virtualized environment where Windows Server 2008 is a guest operating system.

Scenario 3
Windows Essential Business Server 2008 where System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 is installed by using the Management Server Installation wizard (Mmssetup.exe).

Note Windows Essential Business Server 2008 is 64-bit.

Scenario 4
An x64 edition of Windows Server 2008 on which the following edition of SQL Server 2005 is running:

• SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services

Additionally, System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 must be from an OEM package that also contains System Center Virtual Machine Manager.

Note In Scenario 3 and in Scenario 4, Essential Business Server 2008 and OEM packages have additional code to make sure that System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 is successfully installed.

More information about supportability

SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services is a 32-bit application. Reporting Services in SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services requires an application pool of Internet Information Services (IIS) 7 to run in 32-bit mode. Windows Software Update Services (WSUS) Service Pack 1 (SP1) is a 64-bit application that requires an application pool of IIS 7 to run in 64-bit mode. IIS 7 supports a 32-bit mode application pool and a 64-bit application pool to run at the same time. However, the configuration is complex, and there is a specific installation order to make sure that Reporting Services in SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services and WSUS SP1 are successfully installed.

By default, the Setup program of System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 does not perform the necessary configuration steps when you install System Center Essentials 2007 SP1 together with SQL Server 2005 Express Edition with Advanced Services and with WSUS SP1. Because the configuration is complex, only Scenario 3 and Scenario 4 are supported.

Additionally, Microsoft SQL Server 2008 is not supported to work with System Center Essentials 2007 SP1. System Center Essentials 2010 includes an x64 edition of SQL Server 2008. You will not encounter any problem when you install System Center Essentials 2010 on an x64 edition of Windows Server 2008.

Note System Center Essentials 2010 does not support the scenario where an x86 edition of SQL Server is running on an x64 edition of Windows Server 2008.

For more information about how to install the System Center Essentials Management Server on Windows Server 2008, visit the following Microsoft TechNet Web site: For more information about the hotfixes that you must apply before you install System Center Essentials 2007 Service Pack 1 on Windows Server 2008, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: