SQL Server 2019 Enterprise on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

This guide covers the cloudimg SQL Server 2019 Enterprise Edition image on Microsoft Azure. The image ships with SQL Server 2019 pre-installed and configured. On first boot a unique SA password is generated for every virtual machine.

Getting Started

1. Deploy from Azure Marketplace

Deploy the image from the Azure Marketplace listing. Recommended VM size: Standard_D4s_v3 (4 vCPU, 16 GB RAM) or larger for production workloads. Open inbound TCP port 1433 in the Network Security Group if you need remote access.

2. SSH to Your VM

ssh azureuser@<VM-PUBLIC-IP>

3. Retrieve Your SA Credentials

The SA password is written to /stage/scripts/mssql-credentials.log on first boot. Read it with:

sudo cat /stage/scripts/mssql-credentials.log

The file contains your SA password and ready-to-use connection strings.

Connecting to SQL Server

Connect Locally (on the VM)

/opt/mssql-tools18/bin/sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '<your-sa-password>' -C -No

Once connected, run T-SQL directly:

SELECT @@VERSION;
GO
SELECT name FROM sys.databases;
GO

Type exit to disconnect.

Add sqlcmd to Your PATH

echo 'export PATH="$PATH:/opt/mssql-tools18/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc

Then connect simply with:

sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '<your-sa-password>' -C -No

Remote Access

Open Port 1433 in the Azure NSG

In the Azure Portal, navigate to your VM → Networking → Add inbound port rule:

• Destination port: 1433
• Protocol: TCP
• Name: Allow-SQLServer

Restrict the source IP to your application server's CIDR for security.

Connect from Azure Data Studio or SSMS

• Server: <VM-PUBLIC-IP>,1433
• Authentication: SQL Server Authentication
• Login: sa
• Password: <your-sa-password>
• Trust server certificate: Enabled

Applying Your Enterprise Licence

The image ships in evaluation mode. Apply your Microsoft SQL Server 2019 Enterprise product key to activate your licence:

sudo /opt/mssql/bin/mssql-conf set-edition

Enter your product key when prompted. Then restart SQL Server:

sudo systemctl restart mssql-server

Verify the edition:

sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '<your-sa-password>' -C -No -Q "SELECT SERVERPROPERTY('Edition')"

Database Operations

Create a Database and User

-- Create a database
CREATE DATABASE myapp;
GO

-- Create an application user
USE myapp;
GO
CREATE LOGIN appuser WITH PASSWORD = 'StrongP@ssword1!';
CREATE USER appuser FOR LOGIN appuser;
ALTER ROLE db_owner ADD MEMBER appuser;
GO

Backup a Database

sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '<your-sa-password>' -C -No -Q \
  "BACKUP DATABASE myapp TO DISK = '/var/opt/mssql/data/myapp.bak' WITH FORMAT, STATS=10"

Restore a Database

sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '<your-sa-password>' -C -No -Q \
  "RESTORE DATABASE myapp FROM DISK = '/var/opt/mssql/data/myapp.bak' WITH REPLACE, STATS=10"

Configuration

The SQL Server configuration file is at /var/opt/mssql/mssql.conf. Edit it with mssql-conf or directly.

Limit Memory Usage

By default SQL Server uses up to 80% of available RAM. Cap it for shared VMs:

sudo /opt/mssql/bin/mssql-conf set memory.memorylimitmb 4096
sudo systemctl restart mssql-server

Set Maximum Degree of Parallelism

sqlcmd -S localhost -U sa -P '<your-sa-password>' -C -No -Q \
  "EXEC sp_configure 'max degree of parallelism', 2; RECONFIGURE"

View Current Configuration

sudo cat /var/opt/mssql/mssql.conf

Service Management

# Status
sudo systemctl status mssql-server

# Start
sudo systemctl start mssql-server

# Stop
sudo systemctl stop mssql-server

# Restart
sudo systemctl restart mssql-server

# Enable on boot (already enabled)
sudo systemctl enable mssql-server

# View logs
sudo cat /var/opt/mssql/log/errorlog | tail -50

Support

cloudimg provides 24/7/365 expert technical support with a guaranteed 24-hour response time.

Email: support@cloudimg.co.uk

Visit www.cloudimg.co.uk/products for our full Azure Marketplace catalogue.

SQL Server 2019 Enterprise — cloudimg Azure Marketplace image. Microsoft SQL Server is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation.