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Install SQL Server Management Studio on a Host Without Internet Access Install SQL Server Management Studio on a Host Without Internet Access This guide shows how to install, upgrade, and uninstall SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS) on a host with no internet access. It is for SSMS 21 and the versions after it. SSMS 21 and the versions after it use a Visual Studio-style bootstrapper, vs_SSMS.exe . SSMS 20 and the versions before it use an MSI installer. The bootstrapper downloads its packages when you start it. An offline host cannot download these packages. The solution has two parts. In Stage 1, you make an offline layout on a machine with internet access. You make a zip file of the layout and put it in a repository. In Stage 2, the offline host downloads the zip file and installs SSMS from it. This guide uses the repository name ZipVault as an example. Use a repository that you have, for example JFrog Artifactory, Sonatype Nexus, or a file share. Change each e...

SQL Server 2025 Encryption Changes and the @@SERVERNAME Linked Server Problem Last updated: 2026-08-21 Table of Contents Why Microsoft Changed the OLE DB Driver The Certificate Requirement Why data access and provider string matter for @@SERVERNAME Procedure: Connect to @@SERVERNAME as a Linked Server The Recommended Fix vs. the Fallback Sources Why Microsoft Changed the OLE DB Driver SQL Server 2025 (17.x) removes the SQL Server Native Client (SQLNCLI) OLE DB provider. The Microsoft OLE DB Driver 19 for SQL Server (MSOLEDBSQL19) is the default OLE DB provider for linked servers. This driver adds support for TDS 8.0 and TLS 1.3. In OLE DB Driver 18 and earlier versions, the Encrypt setting had a default value of No. A linked server connection with no explicit Encrypt setting ran without encryption. Microsoft changed this default to close that security gap. In OLE DB Driver 19, the Encrypt setting has a default value of Mandatory. A linked server connecti...

Windows Server 2025 Performance Defaults — Issues and Justification Table of Contents Purpose Scope and Conditions 1. SMB Server Signing 2. SMB Client Signing 3. SMB Authentication Rate Limiter 4. Virtualization Based Security (VBS / HVCI) 5. Network Offloads (RSS, RSC, LSO) 6. IPsec Keying Module 7. Remote Mailslots 8. Network ATC 9. Azure Arc Setup 10. Power Plan Summary Table Related Operational Change (Not a Performance Issue) Trade-off and Warning Conclusion Purpose This document lists the performance issues in the default settings of Windows Server 2025 (WS2025). It explains what you can change on a server in a trusted private network. Each section also gives the command for that change. Scope and Conditions WS2025 changed 10 default settings. Each change raises a security control. Each change also adds a performance cost. On a trusted private network, you can disable the extra security control. On a public-facing server, keep the extra sec...