Q. What is the SQL Server Internet Connector?
A. The SQL Server Internet Connector is an add-on product, required for any customer connecting a Microsoft Internet Information Server or any equivalent 3rd party web server to Microsoft SQL Server(tm). It is purchased independent of SQL Server and SQL Server Client Access Licenses, and allows an unlimited number of Internet and Intranet connections to a single SQL Server.
Q. Why would a business want to connect a web server to a SQL Server?
A. Companies are beginning to expand their Web sites beyond strict HTML publishing, moving towards dynamic distribution and collection of vast amounts of information. Many of the best Web sites (ESPNSportsZone, Pathfinder, Wells Fargo etc...) are already leveraging client/server databases to manage this information. These sites offer greater user interaction and customization, made possible by RDBMS content management. As a next step, companies are looking for opportunities to extend their business infrastructure to the Internet, that is, to establish Intranets, by connecting existing SQL Server's to a web server.
Q. Who needs to purchase the SQL Server Internet Connector?
A. The SQL Server Internet Connector is required in conjunction with any Microsoft or 3rd party web server, CGI, BGI or ISAPI application which connects to a SQL Server. For example; an Internet Service Provider publishing stock quotes from a SQL Server database to an external Web site-or a Fortune 500 company that is publishing its sales data on an internal web server.
Q. What are the restrictions of the SQL Server Internet Connector license?
A. A single SQL Server Internet Connector applies to any single SQL Server only (a 1 to 1 relationship). It permits an unlimited number of computers or workstations to access the services of any server running Microsoft SQL Server. There's no need to acquire a separate Client Access License for each such computer or workstation, provided access to the server is available only through a web server.
Q. Is the SQL Server Internet Connector required even when using a 3rd party web server or CGI Gateway to access the SQL Server.
A. Yes, the SQL Server Internet Connector is required along with any 3rd party web server, CGI, BGI or ISAPI application which accesses a SQL Server. Even if the customer built the connectivity software in-house, they are still required to compensate Microsoft for the use of SQL Server.
Q. Is this different than the Internet Database Connector (IDC) which ships with Microsoft Internet Information Server?
A. Yes, these are different. However, the SQL Server Internet Connector is the natural complement to the IDC shipping with Internet Information Server or equivalent 3rd party products. The IDC is an ISAPI application delivering Internet connectivity to ODBC databases like Microsoft SQL Server and Access. The SQL Server Internet Connector provides the license allowing Internet access to a SQL Server.
Q. Can multiple web server's access any single SQL Server?
A. Yes, an unlimited number of web server's can legally access any single SQL Server with a SQL Server Internet Connector.
Q. Can any single SQL Server be used for Internet data access as well as standard client/server data access?
A. Yes, with the purchase of the SQL Server Internet Connector and the appropriate number of Client Access Licenses, any single SQL Server can simultaneously support Internet user access and standard client/server user access.
Q. If I purchase the SQL Server Internet Connector, do I need to purchase SQL Server Client Access Licenses?
A. Yes, the purchase of Client Access Licenses is independent from the purchase of the SQL Server Internet Connector. Client Access Licenses are always required for each concurrent client/server user. The SQL Server Internet Connector is a special license for database connections through a Web server only.
Q. When will the SQL Server Internet Connector be available?
A. The SQL Server Internet Connector will be announced on Feb. 12th along with Microsoft Internet Information Server, and will be generally available in the channel in the 1st quarter of 1996.
Q. How do I purchase the SQL Server Internet Connector?
A. Like any other Microsoft SQL Server product, the SQL Server Internet Connector can be purchased in the channel.
Q. How much does the SQL Server Internet Connector cost?
A. To make it easy for customers to integrate new and existing SQL Servers with the Internet, Microsoft is offering the SQL Server Internet Connector at an estimated reseller price of $2,995.
Q. Is the SQL Server Internet Connector competitive with the market?
A. Yes, the SQL Server Internet Connector is priced very aggressively compared to equivalent product offerings from Oracle(r) and Sybase(r).
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