How to set up SQL Server for MU Online

SQL Server stores all the accounts, characters, guilds and items of your MU Online server. Without it set up correctly, MuServer simply won't start. Here's how to prepare it.

Step 1 — Install in mixed authentication mode

During SQL Server installation, choose Mixed Mode (Windows + SQL authentication) and set a strong password for the sa user. This mode is mandatory because MuServer connects using a SQL user and password.

Step 2 — Restore the database

With SQL installed, restore the database that comes with MuServer (usually a .bak file or .sql scripts):

1. Open SQL Server Management Studio (SSMS);
2. Connect with the sa user;
3. Right-click Databases → Restore Database;
4. Point to the backup file and confirm.

Step 3 — Create a dedicated user

For security, create a user just for the application (instead of using sa in MuServer):

CREATE LOGIN mu_app WITH PASSWORD = 'strong_password_here';
USE MuOnline;
CREATE USER mu_app FOR LOGIN mu_app;
EXEC sp_addrolemember 'db_owner', 'mu_app';

Step 4 — Validate the connection (ODBC)

MuServer talks to SQL via ODBC. Create a data source (DSN) pointing to the MuOnline database and test the connection. If the test passes, the server will be able to read and write data.

Summary

With SQL in mixed mode, the database restored, a dedicated user and ODBC validated, your server's foundation is ready. The next step is configuring MuServer to point to that database.

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