HTTP Endpoints vs. Linked Servers in SQL 2005

  • I don't know if this is a valid question, but here it is anyway:

    Can HTTP Endpoints be used in place of linked servers in a SQL Server environment encompassing multiple instances? If yes, what are the pros and cons of HTTP Endpoints vs. Linked Servers, and in which situations should each technology be used?

    Does anyone have experience on this?

    Thank you for any feedback!

    __________________________________________________________________________________
    SQL Server 2016 Columnstore Index Enhancements - System Views for Disk-Based Tables[/url]
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    Turbocharge Your Database Maintenance With Service Broker: Part 2[/url]

  • Hmm, I think HTTP Endpoints are only called from a Web Service, not from T-SQL, so perhaps the analogy with linked servers was not as close as I thought...

    Just thinking out loud here... 🙂

    __________________________________________________________________________________
    SQL Server 2016 Columnstore Index Enhancements - System Views for Disk-Based Tables[/url]
    Persisting SQL Server Index-Usage Statistics with MERGE[/url]
    Turbocharge Your Database Maintenance With Service Broker: Part 2[/url]

  • From the Horse's Mouth:

    Linking Servers

    SQL Server 2005 Books Online (September 2007)

    http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms188279.aspx

    A linked server configuration enables SQL Server to execute commands against OLE DB data sources on remote servers. Linked servers offer the following advantages:

    * Remote server access.

    * The ability to issue distributed queries, updates, commands, and transactions on heterogeneous data sources across the enterprise.

    * The ability to address diverse data sources similarly.

    --

    --

    Network Protocols, and TDS Endpoints

    SQL Server 2005 Books Online (September 2007)

    http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms191220.aspx

    When the SQL Server Database Engine communicates with an application, it formats the communication in a Microsoft communication format called a tabular data stream (TDS) packet. The network SQL Server Network Interface (SNI) protocol layer, which replaces the Net-Libraries for SQL Server 2000 and Microsoft Data Access Components (MDAC), encapsulates the TDS packet inside a standard communication protocol, such as TCP/IP or named pipes. The SNI protocol layer is common to both the Database Engine and SQL Native Client. The SNI protocol layer is not directly configured. Instead, the server and SQL Native Client are configured to use a network protocol. Then, the Database Engine and SQL Native Client automatically use the appropriate protocol settings. The server creates a SQL Server object called a TDS endpoint for each network protocol. On the server, the TDS endpoints are installed by SQL Server during SQL Server installation.

    ...

    TDS Endpoints Defined

    A TDS endpoint is the SQL Server object that represents the communication point between SQL Server and a client. SQL Server automatically creates an endpoint for each of the four protocols supported by SQL Server. By default, all users have access to them when the protocols are enabled. If a network protocol is not enabled, the endpoint still exists, but cannot be used. An additional endpoint is created for the dedicated administrator connection (DAC), which can only be used by members of the sysadmin fixed server role.

    SQL Server generates a unique name for each TDS endpoint. The endpoints that are automatically created are shown in the following table.

    Purpose

    Endpoint name

    Shared memory

    TSQL LocalMachine

    Named pipes

    TSQL Named Pipes

    TCP/IP

    TSQL Default TCP

    VIA

    TSQL Default VIA

    DAC

    Dedicated Admin Connection

    HTTP

    HyperText Transport Protocol

    For the named pipes and shared memory protocols, there can only be one endpoint per instance. There are no configurable endpoints for these protocol types. For TCP/IP and VIA, there is a default endpoint, but additional endpoints can be created. HTTP endpoints are also user-created, and do not appear in SQL Server Configuration Manager, although they do appear in the Surface Area Configuration tool.

    Only the owner and the state can be changed on the system endpoints (by using ALTER ENDPOINT). You cannot disable the default endpoints, but you can stop and start them. A stopped endpoint still listens, but it rejects and closes new connections.

    "Key"
    MCITP: DBA, MCSE, MCTS: SQL 2005, OCP

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