How To Install Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS. For those of you who didn’t know, Microsoft SQL Server is a relational database management system developed by Microsoft. It is a highly popular database system that provides an efficient and secure way to store and retrieve data. SQL Server is used by businesses of all sizes to manage and store data for applications, websites, and other systems. While it is commonly used on Windows servers, SQL Server can also be installed on Ubuntu, a popular Linux distribution.

This article assumes you have at least basic knowledge of Linux, know how to use the shell, and most importantly, you host your site on your own VPS. The installation is quite simple and assumes you are running in the root account, if not you may need to add ‘sudo‘ to the commands to get root privileges. I will show you the step-by-step installation of the Microsoft SQL Server database on Ubuntu 22.04 (Jammy Jellyfish). You can follow the same instructions for Ubuntu 22.04 and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint, Elementary OS, Pop!_OS, and more as well.

Prerequisites

• A server running one of the following operating systems: Ubuntu 22.04, 20.04, and any other Debian-based distribution like Linux Mint.
• It’s recommended that you use a fresh OS install to prevent any potential issues.
• An active internet connection. You’ll need an internet connection to download the necessary packages and dependencies for Microsoft SQL.
• SSH access to the server (or just open Terminal if you’re on a desktop).
• A non-root sudo user or access to the root user. We recommend acting as a non-root sudo user, however, as you can harm your system if you’re not careful when acting as the root.

Install Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish

Step 1. To ensure a smooth installation process and avoid potential compatibility issues, it’s crucial to update your Ubuntu system packages to their latest versions before proceeding. Open a terminal and run the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade
sudo apt install wget apt-transport-https gnupg2 software-properties-common

Step 2. Installing Microsoft SQL Server on Ubuntu 22.04.

By default, Microsoft SQL is not available on Ubuntu 22.04 base repository. Now run the following command below to add the Microsoft SQL Server repository to the Ubuntu package sources:

sudo add-apt-repository "$(wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/config/ubuntu/22.04/mssql-server-2019.list)"

Next, import the GPG key using the following command:

wget -qO- https://packages.microsoft.com/keys/microsoft.asc | sudo apt-key add -

After adding the repository, update the package list and install SQL Server by running the following command below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mssql-server

During the installation process, you’ll be prompted to set the SA account password. This account is the system administrator for SQL Server and has full control over the database server. Choose a strong password and keep it in a safe place.

After installation, you can verify that SQL Server is running by running the following command:

systemctl status mssql-server --no-pager

Step 3. Configure SQL Server.

After the installation is complete, you need to configure SQL Server with the appropriate licensing and set up the system administrator (SA) password. To begin the configuration process, run the following command:

sudo /opt/mssql/bin/mssql-conf setup

This command launches the SQL Server configuration utility, which will guide you through a series of prompts to configure your SQL Server instance.

During the configuration process, you’ll be asked to select the edition of the SQL Server you want to use. If you’re using SQL Server for non-production or development purposes, you can choose the free Developer edition. For production environments, you’ll need to select the appropriate paid edition, such as Enterprise or Standard, based on your licensing agreement.

Next, you’ll be prompted to accept the license terms for SQL Server. Review the terms carefully and accept them to proceed with the configuration.

One of the most critical steps in the configuration process is setting the system administrator (SA) password. The SA account is a highly privileged account used for managing and administering your SQL Server instance. Choose a strong, complex password to ensure the security of your SQL Server installation. Follow best practices for password creation, such as using a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters, and avoid using easily guessable or common words.

After providing the necessary configuration details, the utility will apply the specified settings and create the necessary configuration files for your SQL Server instance.

Step 4. Connect to SQL Server.

Now that SQL Server is installed, you can connect to it from the command line or through a graphical user interface (GUI) tool. One popular GUI tool for managing SQL Server on Linux is Azure Data Studio.

To connect to SQL Server from the command line, use the sqlcmd command followed by the server name and SA account login:

sqlcmd -S localhost -U SA -P [your-strong-password]

Step 5. Configure Firewall.

By default, Ubuntu 22.04 LTS has the Uncomplicated Firewall (UFW) enabled. This firewall needs to be configured to allow traffic to and from Microsoft SQL Server. You can do this by running the following commands in the terminal:

sudo ufw allow 1433/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Microsoft SQL Server. Thanks for using this tutorial for installing the Microsoft SQL Server database on Ubuntu 22.04 LTS Jammy Jellyfish system. For additional help or useful information, we recommend you check the official Microsoft website.