Export/Import Surface area Configuration

In larger environment you may need to have same Surface Area Configuration on many instance of SQL Server. In SQL Server 2005 , SAC command line utility make it very easier for you. To change the SAC setting using GUI is always time consuming and tedious. SAC Command line utility allow you to export and import surface area configuration to and from a file.
Here you go….

Suppose you have a master server and in that master you have configured the surface area as per the company security policy. Now you have another 50 instances to which you want to apply same configuration.

(a) Go to command prompt of Master server and change directory to “C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared”
(b) Now you will have C:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\90\Shared> prompt
(c) Give the following command
sac out C:\sac_MasterSetting.xml S MasterComputerName

Now you will have a xml file in C:\ with all you master server surface area configuration setting. Next step is to apply this to other instances

From the same directory, you can give the following command

sac in C:\sac_ MasterSetting.xml S Computer_1
sac in C:\sac_ MasterSetting.xml S Computer_2
sac in C:\sac_ MasterSetting.xml S Computer_3
……
sac in sac_ MasterSetting.xml S Computer_50

or what you can do is create a batch file and keep it in VSS for better management