SQL Server: Set up 3.0 database on a separate non-trusted server

This article applies to FogBugz 3.0.

If you are using FogBugz 4.0 or later please use this article instead.

In situations where the access permissions in your environment are such that Setup will not be able to log in to your SQL Server and/or grant the FogBugz user account permissions in your database:

  1. Run Setup on the web server, choosing Access as the database. (You can just delete the FogBugz/Accessories/fogbugz.mdb file later.)
  2. Don't install the licenses yet. (That uses the database.)
  3. Run Setup from the command line on the database server, using the following command-line argument:
    /sqlserveronly
    This tells Setup to install only the SQL Server components. 
  4. On the page where Setup asks you to choose a SQL Server installation, select "Connect using the following SQL Server account". Do NOT use Windows Authentication. This name and password is what you will supply in the connection string later. You need to give it a SQL Server login that uses SQL Server Auth., not Windows Auth., and this login needs to be db_owner for the FogBugz database.
  5. Finish running Setup.
  6. You now want to point FogBugz to your new SQL Server database. Run Registry Editor, and go to
    HKLM/SOFTWARE/Fog Creek Software/FogBugz/C:/Program Files/FogBugz/website
    (Your file path at the end may be different)
  7. Double click on sConnectionString, and paste in the following connection string (all one line) instead of what's there:
    Provider=sqloledb;Data Source=YOURSERVER;Initial Catalog=FogBugz;User Id=USER;Password=PASSWORD;
  8. Edit the string, replacing YOURSERVER, USER, and PASSWORD. Use the name and password you entered during Setup. (If this is not your first install the database name (a.k.a "initial catalog") may not be "FogBugz".)
  9. Bring up FogBugz in the browser. If you don't get an error, you're using your SQL Server database. (From here on you can click on Site to view your connection string rather than using RegEdit.)
  10. Lastly, run regedit on the web server and go to:
    HKLM > Software > Fog Creek Software > FogBugz > C:\\path\to\your\FogBugz
    Set fFullTextSearchOK to 1. This turns full text search on in FogBugz. (Full text search is disabled when you use Access as your database.)