Managed Service Accounts for Cluster

Hi,
Is it possible to use a MSAs for a 2012 FCI on windows 2008 R2? Since a MSA can only be associated with one computer, you would have to use multiple MSA accounts, but I've not heard about using service accounts with different names to run a clustered
SQL service.
Thanks,
Sam

Hi sam_squarewave,
We can configure the SQL 2012 standalone instance to utilize the new Managed Service Accounts feature in Windows 2008 R2. Usually
setup the MSA in Active Directory,
install the MSA on the target server and change the SQL Service account. The managed service account is designed to provide crucial applications such as Exchange Server and IIS with the isolation of their own domain accounts, it should not support
with SQL 2012 Failover Clustered Instances(FCI). For more information about Managed Service Accounts (MSA) and SQL 2012, you can review the following article.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/arvindsh/archive/2014/02/03/managed-service-accounts-msa-and-sql-2012-practical-tips.aspx?PageIndex=5
In addition, when you configure Windows Failover Clustering for SQL Server (Availability Group or FCI), if you want to other accounts,
the accounts and permissions required to create and maintain your HADR solution. For guidance configuring the required account permissions for WSFC clusters and clustered services, see Failover Cluster Step-by-Step Guide: Configuring Accounts
in Active Directory (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc731002(WS.10).aspx).
There is detail about configure Windows Failover Clustering for SQL Server (Availability Group or FCI) with Limited Security, you can review it.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlalwayson/archive/2012/06/05/configure-windows-failover-clustering-for-sql-server-availability-group-or-fci-with-limited-security.aspx
Regards,
Sofiya Li
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Sofiya Li
TechNet Community Support

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Group managed service accounts for SQL Server

Hey guys,
Unfortunately I missed that (g/s)MSAs aren't supported yet for SQL Servers but I'm using them without any worries since ages.
As i digged a bit deeper I could find different informations due to the related TechNet entrys. So it seems Microsofts Informations about (s)MSAs and gMSAs aren't consistent.
I'm not a SQL Server guy and use SQL only for System Center testing stuff so i would like to get a real world exps of SQL Server guys.
Should I continue using gMSAs or are there any worries I should know?
some sources I found so far:
Not supported:
"Hi Adam,
Thank you for your feedback. Windows Server 2012 Group Managed Service Account is not currently supported as SQL 2012 released earlier than Windows Server 2012. We will consider to support gMSA in future SQL Server release.
Regards,
Min He, Program Manager, SQL Server"
11.2012 -
https://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/767211/gmsa-for-sql-server-failover-Clusters
gMSA are not yet available, are not yet supported for SQL Server. gMSA exist and are available and supported in Windows Server 2012 and higher.  SQL does not support them , but
from an OS perspective, they exist and are supported.
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/sqlosteam/archive/2014/02/19/msa-accounts-used-with-sql.aspx
Within the FAQ Task Scheduler isn't supported as well ...
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ff641729%28WS.10%29.aspx
... but also PFEs using them for Tasks... this is confusin... 0o
http://blogs.msdn.com/b/arvindsh/archive/2014/02/03/managed-service-accounts-msa-and-sql-2012-practical-tips.aspx
supported?:
Configure Windows Service Accounts and Permissions
... New Account Types Available with Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143504(v=sql.110).aspx#Default_Accts
The MSA must be created in the Active Directory by the domain administrator before SQL Server setup can use it for SQL Server services.
others sources won't mentioning s/gMSAs...
I couldn't find clear informations about using gMSA for SQL Server 2014.
only the same page which also Looks like the page for 2008 R2 and SQL 2012.
Configure Windows Service Accounts and Permissions
            SQL Server 2014
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143504.aspx
annoying topic so far... ;)

Hi Enrico
aside from what Dan says about the risk for support, on which I agree, the following thread may clear it up a bit:
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/sqlserver/en-US/acb2048c-ffce-4d44-b882-6aafc7eb689d/managed-service-accounts-to-run-sql-server-service?forum=sqlsecurity
Andreas Wolter (Blog |
Twitter)
MCM - Microsoft Certified Master SQL Server 2008
MCSM - Microsoft Certified Solutions Master Data Platform, SQL Server 2012
www.andreas-wolter.com |
www.SarpedonQualityLab.com

Using Managed Service Accounts for App Activities

I know and understand the introduction of windows service accounts, and how various applications run as Windows Service Account or a virtual account. I also know that one can connect to things such a File Share etc using a Managed Service Account.
Has anyone ever tried to do anything like FTP or anything with a Managed Service Account?
If so do can you provide locations on where this information is documented.
Currently we have applications & scripts that rely on things like FTP, for doing their various jobs, these apps & scripts use, domain creds like FTPUser to connect to the FTP service. Having these domain level (user accounts) for these types of a tasks
is a maintenance nightmare and a security risk. I would like to replace FTPUser with something like TRANS_APP_FTP_USER$ (Managed Service Account) so that the transfer app, will use a MSA instead of a domain account to connect to the FTP server.
So far all the docs I've seen have explained how to get the TransApp to run using an MSA... but I want the TransApp to connect to something like an FTP server.
Some documentation (links) discussing this would be helpful.

Hi,
>>these apps & scripts use, domain creds like FTPUser to connect to the FTP service. Having these domain level (user accounts) for these types of a tasks
is a maintenance nightmare and a security risk.
As stated in the Wikipedia article:
FTP users may authenticate themselves using a clear-text sign-in protocol, normally in the form of a username and password, but can connect anonymously if the server is configured to allow it. For secure transmission that protects
the username and password, and encrypts the content, FTP is often secured with SSL/TLS (FTPS).
File Transfer Protocol
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File_Transfer_Protocol
Besides, for FTP related questions, in order to get better help, it’s recommended that we ask for suggestions in the following IIS forum.
IIS
http://forums.iis.net/
Best regards,
Frank Shen

Managed Service Accounts to run SQL Server Service

Has anyone played around with using managed service accounts for running the SQL Server Service? I am on a forest functional level of 2008R2 and was thinking about how cool it would be to use those for SQL Server. Unfortunately, I hear that it's not supported
by Microsoft and yet I've read about people doing that but would like to know if anyone has first hand experience. Otherwise, if not recommended, I'll stick to the old fashioned way of creating typical user accounts. Thanks in advance!

Hi Scott hi Sean
I see that my first answer was badly phrased.
Let me try to make it more clear:
Managed Service Accounts(MSA):
Works with Kerberos including Delegation, but:
NOT working with cluster nodes
NOT working for load balancing using Kerberos
More information:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2009/09/10/managed-service-accounts-understanding-implementing-best-practices-and-troubleshooting.aspx
Group Managed Service Accounts (GMSA):
Works with Kerberos including Delegation, but:
NOT supported with Failover Clustered Instances
Here is the connect item:
http://connect.microsoft.com/SQLServer/feedback/details/767211/gmsa-for-sql-server-failover-clusters
@all Please feel free to vote(!). I am waiting for this as well.
This is the state of my information today. Feel free to correct me if you know of any changes.
Andreas Wolter (Blog |
Twitter)
MCM - Microsoft Certified Master SQL Server 2008
MCSM - Microsoft Certified Solutions Master Data Platform, SQL Server 2012
www.andreas-wolter.com |
www.SarpedonQualityLab.com

Are Managed Service Accounts Supported in BizTalk?

Hello,
Does BizTalk Server support the use of Managed Service Accounts for running host instances? Please see: http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd560633(v=ws.10).aspx
Thank You,
PBR

I would not say complete No. Its yes and no.
Yes- You can use MSA on a single server quick (quick in terms of building an environment for test/dev) test BizTalk environment/dev. Is it a good practice to use MSA ? then its no.
Strict No: For multi-computer environment or in cluster, obviously you can't use MSA. Its also one of the limitations of MSA that it can't span multiple computers.
but there is no official word from BizTalk (at least I can't find one) to say not to use it in BizTalk. Its not advisable to use MSA in BizTalk, but you can in single-server dev./test environment technically.
If this answers your question please mark it accordingly. If this post is helpful, please vote as helpful by clicking the upward arrow mark next to my reply.

Service Accounts for Reporting Service in SQL Server Failover Cluster setup

I am setting up 2 Report Services (SSRS) in SQL Failover Clustering (Version: 2012SP1) on Windows 2012, as part of scale out architecture.
There are 2 options to configure the service account for SSRS:
Option 1) Using domain accounts, as what I have done for DB Engine and SQL Agent.
Option 2) accept the default, which is virtual account for SSRS. Per documentation URL:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143504.aspx
which is the recommended one? is it option 2?
There is security note on above URL as well, but does not clearly mention that option 1 is not recommended.
Security Note: Always run SQL Server services by using the lowest possible user rights. Use a MSA or virtual account when possible. When MSA and virtual accounts are not possible, use a specific low-privilege user account or domain account instead
of a shared account for SQL Server services. Use separate accounts for different SQL Server services. Do not grant additional permissions to the SQL Server service account or the service groups. Permissions will be granted through group membership or granted
directly to a service SID, where a service SID is supported.
Thanks very much for your help!

Hi Luo Donghua,
In SQL Server Failover Cluster Instance, personally two options can run well. If you use the virtual account for SQL Server Reporting Service. Virtual accounts in Windows Server 2008 R2 and Windows 7 are managed local accounts that provide the features to
simplify service administration. The virtual account is auto-managed, and the virtual account can access the network in a domain environment.
Of cause, you can also use domain accounts in your clustering.
Just make sure your service account is set up here, or that it is using a proper built-in account.For more information, see:http://ermahblerg.com/2012/11/08/cluster-ssrs-in-2008/
Thanks,
Sofiya Li
Sofiya Li
TechNet Community Support

Service Accounts for Browser Services and FD Launcher (Full-text Search)

I am setting up SQL Failover Clustering (Version: 2012SP1) on Windows 2012. There are 2 options to configure the service account for Browser Services and FD Launcher :
Option 1) Using separate domain accounts, as what I have done for DB Engine and SQL Agent.
Option 2) accept the default, which is local service for
browser, and virtual account for
FD Launcher. Per documentation URL: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms143504.aspx
which is the recommended one? is it option 2?
There is security note on above URL as well, but does not clearly mention that option 1 is not recommended.
Security Note: Always run SQL Server services by using the lowest possible user rights. Use a
MSA or
virtual account when possible. When MSA and virtual accounts are not possible, use a specific low-privilege user account or domain account instead of a shared account for SQL Server services. Use separate accounts for different SQL Server services. Do not
grant additional permissions to the SQL Server service account or the service groups. Permissions will be granted through group membership or granted directly to a service SID, where a service SID is supported.

Hi Luo Donghua,
In SQL Server Brower, the default logon account is NT Authority\Local service and cannot be changed during SQL Server setup.SQL Server Browser is not a clustered resource and does
not support failover from one cluster node to the other. SQL Server Browser should be installed and
turned on for each node of the cluster. SQL Server Browser should be run in the security context of a low privileged user to minimize exposure to a malicious attack.
You can change the account after the setup has been completed; For more information, see:http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh510203.aspx.
In SQL Server full text filter daemon launcher, on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the FDHOST Launcher service account also defaults to LOCAL SERVICE. If you provide a domain account in which to run the FDHOST Launcher service, we highly recommend
that you use a low privilege account. On Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008R2 , we use Virtual Account or Managed Service account(MSA) in FD Launcher . We also need to note the account you used for
FD Launcher should be different from the account that you use for the SQL Server service. For more information, see:
http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/cc281953(v=sql.100).aspx
So I recommend you use the option 2 to configure the service account for Browser Services and FD Launcher.
Thanks,
Sofiya Li
Sofiya Li
TechNet Community Support

Query relating to the creation of Managed Service Accounts

Hi Folks
I am studying for my 70-411 exam and have a query relating to the creation of Managed Service Accounts.
I have successfully created an MSA account named 'MSATest' on a DC using:
new-adserviceaccount -name msatest –dnshostname home-dc-01 -passthru
and
add-AdcomputerServiceAccount -identity home-ap-01 -serviceaccount msatest -passthru
However the guide that I am using now says that I now need to run: Install-ADServiceAccount on the host computer in the domain to install the MSA in order to make available it available for use by services.
So on my member server (home-ap-01) I have installed the Active Directory Module for powershell and ran:
PS C:\Users\administrator.PCECORP> Install-ADServiceAccount -Identity msatest
Install-ADServiceAccount : Cannot install service account. Error Message: 'An
unspecified error has occurred'.
At line:1 char:1
+ Install-ADServiceAccount -Identity msatest
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : WriteError: (msatest:String) [Install-ADServiceA
   ccount], ADException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : InstallADServiceAccount:PerformOperation:Install
   ServiceAcccountFailure,Microsoft.ActiveDirectory.Management.Commands.Insta
llADServiceAccount
PS C:\Users\administrator.PCECORP>
However this errors, Have I misunderstood the purpose of the Install-ADServiceAccount ? or am I doing something wrong?
Thanks in advance for you help.

Try using -RestrictToSingleComputer parameter when creating service account with New-ADServiceAccount.
Gleb.
Hi Gleb
Thank you for your help, it is appreciated. That did the trick.
All the best.

Are Group Managed Service Accounts supported by BizTalk?

Hi all,
I saw that there is already a discussion about the Managed Service Accounts support in BizTalk (http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/ffcea33b-652b-4866-8bb2-21ffc7d8bffa/are-managed-service-accounts-supported-in-biztalk?forum=biztalkgeneral) with
a clear response to NO.
But Windows 2012 R2 introduced the "Group Managed Service Accounts" which seems to be a better way to workaround the MSA limitations.
Are the gMSA supported in BizTalk?
Thanks.

While the documentation mentions that gMSA are managed by the Domain Controller and is introduced in Windows Server 2012. I interpret this to imply that this functionality would be AVAILABLE ONLY if you're running your DOMAIN CONTROLLERS on a Windows Server
2012 or higher DOMAIN.
If you just setup BizTalk on a Windows Server 2012 machine but in a domain which is running on Windows Server 2003 or 2008 compatibility mode because of other things such as Exchange, etc. then you WOULD NOT be able to leverage the gMSA functionality.
If on the other hand, your domain controllers are running Windows Server 2012 and Domain Level is Windows Server 2012 then you should be able to leverage gMSA accounts for BizTalk/SQL/IIS Service accounts.
Regards.
NOTE: The effect of a gMSA account on the Enterprise SSO service which has a serious dependency on the service account password and encryption however would still need to be evaluated.

Why would you use a managed service account rather than a virtual account in SQL Server 2012?

In SQL Server 2012, service accounts are created as
virtual accounts (VAs), as described
here, as opposed to
managed service accounts (MSAs).
The important differences I can see for these, based on the descriptions:
MSAs are domain accounts, VAs are local accounts
MSAs use automagic password management handled by AD, VAs have no passwords
in a Kerberos context, MSAs register SPNs automatically, VAs do not
Are there any other differences? If Kerberos is not in use, why would a DBA ever prefer an MSA?
UPDATE:
Another user has noted a
possible contradiction in the MS docs concerning VAs:
The virtual account is auto-managed, and the virtual account can access the network
in a domain environment.
versus
Virtual accounts cannot be authenticated to a remote location. All virtual accounts
use the permission of machine account. Provision the machine account in the format
<domain_name>\<computer_name>$.
What is the "machine account"? How/when/why does it get "provisioned"? What is the difference between "accessing the network in a domain environment" and "authenticating to a remote location [in a domain environment]"?

Hi,
“Virtual accounts cannot be authenticated to a remote location. All virtual accounts use the permission of machine account. Provision the machine account in the format <domain_name>\<computer_name>$.”
“The virtual account is auto-managed, and the virtual account can access the network in a domain environment. If the default value is used for the service accounts during SQL Server setup on Windows Server 2008 R2 or Windows 7, a virtual account
using the instance name as the service name is used, in the format NT SERVICE\<SERVICENAME>”
Per the above description, they are two concepts and not conflict with each other.
As you understand, virtual account access network resources by using the credentials of the computer account. Generally, computer account will not be granted permission unless giving the computer account permission on the shared folder manually.
Thanks.
Tracy Cai
TechNet Community Support

Should I use Managed Service Accounts or individual, Domain User accounts?

I'm setting up a new SP 2013, and I'm trying to be very granular as it relates to "Least Privilege".
I'm trying to figure out which accounts could be created as Managed Service Accounts (MSA's) and which ones truly need to be created as Domain User accounts in order to run either specific SQL and/or SharePoint services.
At face value, I *think* any service could be successfully run using an MSA and yet any installation of either SQL Server 2012 and/or SharePoint 2013 should be done using a Domain User account created for that specific purpose (i.e., SP_FARM, SP_ADMIN, SQL_ADMIN,
etc.). In fact, I *think* the installation would HAVE to be done with an actual Domain User account, because (unless I'm wrong), MSA's do not have a shell and therefore CAN'T log on...which is by design?
Here's a Microsoft TechNet article that lists many of the accounts I'm referring to:
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/wiki/contents/articles/14500.sharepoint-2013-service-accounts.aspx
Note that it says MOST of the accounts are Domain accounts, but I don't *think* all of these need to BE
Domain accounts - I think MOST of them could be created as MSA's and assigned to run the specific service without any problems whatsoever?
So again, my question is: which accounts could be created as Managed Service Accounts (MSA's) and which ones truly need to be created as Domain User accounts in order to run either specific SQL and/or SharePoint service or to even perform a
successful installation of the software?
Ed

No, script 1 does not create Active Directory Managed Service Accounts (see here:
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askds/archive/2009/09/10/managed-service-accounts-understanding-implementing-best-practices-and-troubleshooting.aspx) These are not applicable to SharePoint and are not mentioned in any of those scripts, look at the PowerShell
commandlets, they are very different.
Script 1 creates active directory users. These are, as far as AD cares, just standard user objects. There is nothing at all special about them in AD.
At some point you would install SharePoint using those accounts, during that process they get resisted in SharePoint as SharePoint Managed Accounts.
Script 2 updates the settings on those managed accounts in bulk.

SQL Server services accounts using Managed Service Accounts

Hi guys,
Need your feedback on something, is it wiser to use Managed Service Accounts or normal domain accounts to run SQL Server services? MSA's only work in a single computer, so for every environment I would need to create a new set of sql services accounts.
If I create a single account wouldn't it be simpler? For instance domain\sqlservices and set it on every service and every environment (dev, qa and production)

Hi
It is a good question but the answer is not black or white. The answer is depend like most configuration questions.
I recommend you to use
Google to find blogs about the issue.
You can start from this links, which are great starting point for you question:
Best Practices For Using SQL Server Service Accounts
Book Online
Ronen Ariely
[Personal Site] [Blog] [Facebook]

Deleted "Managed Service Accounts" Container

Unaware that the container was created as part of our 2008 R2 AD Upgrade I deleted this container (thinking that another admin was doubling up efforts) on a pre-existing "Service Accounts" OU that was created in the past. While doing some
research months later, I was looking for a better way to deploy service accounts and ran across this new container. I looked for various ways of recovering this including:
ldp
adrestore
browsing for the object via adexplorer.exe
I'm unable to see the object so I think my next option is to either recreate it via some sort of script or some form of re installation. This is a highly utilized production environment therefore I'm looking for the least invasive way of
approaching this. If it is going to be a huge hassle we'll continue down the road of the specific OU already designated and continue using policies to limit thier access to the systems.
Thanks in advance!
Kyle

Delete the following container as well: d262aae8-41f7-48ed-9f-35-56-bb-b6-77-57-3d
As the operations for the "Managed Service Accounts" container preformed by adprep is as shown below. (if this dosen't help, e.g. adprep still dosen't try to re-run the operation, remove the value of the revision attribute for the CN=ActiveDirectoryUpdate,CN=DomainUpdates,CN=System,DC=ForestRootDomain
- it should be '5' now)
Operation 75: {5e1574f6-55df-493e-a6-71-aa-ef-fc-a6-a1-00}
Create the following object:
• CN=Managed Service Accounts
Attributes:
• objectClass: Container
• Description: Default container for managed services accounts
• ShowInAdvancedViewOnly: FALSE
Permissions:
• (A;;RPWPCRCCDCLCLORCWOWDSDDTSW;;;SY)
• (A;;RPWPCRCCDCLCLORCWOWDSW;;;DA)
• (OA;;CCDC;ce206244-5827-4a86-ba1c-1c0c386c1b64;;AO)
• OA;;CCDC;bf967aba-0de6-11d0-a285-00aa003049e2;;AO)
• (OA;;CCDC;bf967a9c-0de6-11d0-a285-00aa003049e2;;AO)
• (A;;RPLCLORC;;;AU)
Operation 76: {d262aae8-41f7-48ed-9f-35-56-bb-b6-77-57-3d}
Add the following value to the multivalued attribute otherWellKnownObject of the domain directory partition:
• B:32:1EB93889E40C45DF9F0C64D23BBB6237:CN=Managed Service Accounts,<distinguished name of the domain>
Enfo Zipper
Christoffer Andersson – Principal Advisor
http://blogs.chrisse.se - Directory Services Blog

Group Managed Service Accounts Error Message access denied

Hi I am playing around with group managed service accounts in my lab using a 2012 R2 DC on a 2012 r2 forest and domain Level .Net 3.5 installed.
I am following this tutorial
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2012/12/17/windows-server-2012-group-managed-service-accounts.aspx
1. I installed the keys
2. I waited for 10 hours
3. I created the GMSA
4. I tried to install the GMSA on the DC logged in as the Domain admin under a administrative powershell prompt
5. I got the nasty error: access denied message.

the powershell statement could be wrong...
-PrincipalsAllowedToRetrieveManagedPassword

Do Group Managed Service Accounts require permissions to run service in question?

I'm testing out GMSA (Group Managed Service Accounts) in Windows 2012 R2. My domain and forest functional level is 2008 R2 (which I understand is the minimal functional level for GMSA support).
Question I have is if I create a new GMSA for a particular service, does the GMSA require permissions to run service? For example, SQL rights, IIS rights, etc...
Also, can they be used to run scheduled tasks? Thanks.

a gMSA is like any other service account. when you it you need to prepare for whatever the app/service requires. the you eed to think HOW to implement. the HOW focusses on if you can use gMSA for the app/service or not, because it depends on the app and
the underlying os
regarding scheduled task support for gMSA see
https://social.technet.microsoft.com/Forums/windowsserver/en-US/42273a38-05dc-4f62-b915-8f55480d59bd/how-do-i-use-a-group-managed-service-account-with-the-task-scheduler?forum=winserver8gen
https://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/hh831782.aspx
http://blogs.technet.com/b/askpfeplat/archive/2012/12/17/windows-server-2012-group-managed-service-accounts.aspx
Cheers,
Jorge de Almeida Pinto
Principal Consultant | MVP Directory Services | IAM Technologies
COMMUNITY...:
DISCLAIMER: This post is provided "AS IS" with no warranties of any kind, either expressed or implied, and confers no rights! Always evaluate/test yourself before using/implementing this!

Managed Service Accounts for Cluster

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