Configuring a secure connection to the Microsoft SQL Server database server

You can configure a secure connection to encrypt transactions between the IBM® Control Center engine and Microsoft SQL Server 2012 Enterprise Edition or Microsoft SQL Server 2014 Enterprise Edition database instances and between Cognos® Business Intelligence and Microsoft SQL Server database instances. You can configure the secure connection in either a high availability or non-high availability environment.

Before you begin

  • Before you configure IBM Control Center to enable secure connections to the databases, complete the following tasks for the Microsoft SQL Server database server:
    1. Create a self-signed certificate (trusted database server certificate).
    2. Install a certificate in the Microsoft Windows certificate store of the server computer.
    3. Configure SQL Server to use this certificate using the SQL Server Configuration Manager.
    4. Export the self-signed certificate.
  • Create and configure the keystore and truststore files in IBM Control Center.

About this task

Use this procedure to enable encryption and SSL authentication between the IBM Control Center engine and Microsoft SQL Server databases and between Cognos Business Intelligence and Microsoft SQL Server databases. To configure a secure connection between the IBM Control Center engine and Microsoft SQL Server databases and between Cognos Business Intelligence and Microsoft SQL Server databases in a high availability or non-high availability environment:

Procedure

  1. Install IBM Control Center.
  2. During the Microsoft Windows installation, select Microsoft SQL Server as the database type and provide information about the Microsoft SQL Server databases (production, staging, and Cognos).
    Important: The Cognos connection to the Cognos Report Content Store cannot be secured. However, the Cognos connection to the IBM Control Center production database can be secured.
  3. Import the trusted database server certificate you exported during the MS SQL database server set up into the IBM Control Center engine truststore.
  4. Use one of the following methods to run the configCC utility:
    Microsoft Windows UNIX
    Double-click configCC.bat in installation directory\bin. Run the configCC.sh utility from installation directory/bin.
  5. When you are prompted to secure the connection to each of the IBM Control Center databases (production and staging), type Y.
  6. Type Y to confirm your configuration changes.
Parent topic: Creating a secure connection between the event processor and the databases
Related concepts:
Creating a secure connection between the event processor and the databases