XPost: microsoft.public.sqlserver.programming   
   From: esquel@sommarskog.se   
      
   Gene Wirchenko (genew@ocis.net) writes:   
   >      It turns out that my opposite number and I installed different   
   > versions of SQL Server 2008 Express.  He has R2 and I have "" (R1?).   
   > My system is a sacrificial goat so I can blow away SQL Server any time   
   > I want.  But what of a production environment?   
   >   
   >      Suppose that there is an existing installation of SSE.  Call it   
   > OLD.  We wish to install a new version.  Call that one NEW.  It would   
   > be irresponsible to blow away OLD, install NEW, and hope that it all   
   > works.  We would like to be able to test that NEW does work with our   
   > existing databases before taking out OLD.   
   >   
   >      When we have completed this, how do we do a switchover so that   
   > whatever was pointing to OLD is now pointing to NEW?  Is it possible   
   > to rename an instance?  What questions should I be asking here?   
      
   In many cases when you move to a new version of SQL Server, you also take   
   the oppurtunity to new hardware, while everything sorts out automatically.   
   However, an application that uses Express Edition is not likely to have a   
   dedicated server - not even a virtual one.   
      
   One option is to upgrade the current instance, but as you say this is a   
   little iffy. You can always test that your application still works under   
   the new version by first installing a test instance and load backups of   
   the database to that environment. However, there may be performance issues   
   that does not exhibit until you run things in production, and if you   
   have the old instance around, you can easily compare performance. That is,   
   keeping the old instance is attractive.   
      
   However, there is no way to rename an instance, so that leaves you with   
   three options:   
   1) In-place upgrade.   
   2) Install new instance and change all connection strings. (*)   
   3) Install new instance on a new machine, and let the new machine inherit   
      the old name.   
      
      
   (*) One alternative is to peg the instance to a certain port, and then   
   use the port number in connection strings. When you install the instance   
   you change the port numbers, so that the new instance listens to the   
   same port number.   
      
      
      
   --   
   Erland Sommarskog, SQL Server MVP, esquel@sommarskog.se   
      
   Books Online for SQL Server 2005 at   
   http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/sql/2005/downloads/books.mspx   
   Books Online for SQL Server 2000 at   
   http://www.microsoft.com/sql/prodinfo/previousversions/books.mspx   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)