SQLSERVR Arguments

The sqlservr application starts, stops, pauses, and continues an instance of Microsoft SQL Server from a command prompt.

         
sqlservr [-sinstance_name] [-c] [-dmaster_path] [-f]
     [-eerror_log_path] [-lmaster_log_path] [-m]
     [-n] [-Ttrace#] [-v] [-x] [-gnumber]
       

Here are the arguments you can use with the sqlservr command:

-s instance name

-c

Indicates that an instance of SQL Server is started independently of the Windows Service Control Manager. This option is used when starting SQL Server from a command prompt, to shorten the amount of time it takes for SQL Server to start.

 

-d master_path
Indicates the fully qualified path for the master database file. There are no spaces between -d and master_path. If you do not provide this option, the existing registry parameters are used.

-f

Starts an instance of SQL Server with minimal configuration. This is useful if the setting of a configuration value (for example, over-committing memory) has prevented the server from starting.

-e error_log_path

Indicates the fully qualified path for the error log file. If not specified, the default location is <Drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL\Log\Errorlog for the default instance and <Drive>:\Program Files\Microsoft SQL Server\MSSQL$instance_name\Log\Errorlog for a named instance. There are no spaces between -e and error_log_path.

-l master_log_path

Indicates the fully qualified path for the master database transaction log file. There are no spaces between -l and master_log_path.

-n

Allows you to start a named instance of SQL Server. Without the -s parameter set, the default instance attempts to start. You must switch to the appropriate BINN directory for the instance at a command prompt before starting sqlservr.exe. For example, if Instance1 were to use \mssql$Instance1 for its binaries, the user must be in the \mssql$Instance1\binn directory to start sqlservr.exe -s instance1. If you start an instance of SQL Server with the -n option, it is advisable to use the -e option too, or SQL Server events are not logged.

-T trace#

Indicates that an instance of SQL Server should be started with a specified trace flag (trace#) in effect. Trace flags are used to start the server with nonstandard behavior. For more information, see Trace Flags (Transact-SQL).

-v

Displays the server version number.

-x

Disables the keeping of CPU time and cache-hit ratio statistics. Allows maximum performance.

-g memory_to_reserve

Specifies an integer number of megabytes (MB) of memory that SQL Server leaves available for memory allocations within the SQL Server process, but outside the SQL Server memory pool. The memory outside of the memory pool is the area used by SQL Server for loading items such as extended procedure .dll files, the OLE DB providers referenced by distributed queries, and automation objects referenced in Transact-SQL statements. The default is 256 MB.

Use of this option may help tune memory allocation, but only when physical memory exceeds the configured limit set by the operating system on virtual memory available to applications. Use of this option may be appropriate in large memory configurations in which the memory usage requirements of SQL Server are atypical and the virtual address space of the SQL Server process is totally in use. Incorrect use of this option can lead to conditions under which an instance of SQL Server may not start or may encounter run-time errors.

Use the default for the -g parameter unless you see any of the following warnings in the SQL Server error log:

·         "Failed Virtual Allocate Bytes: FAIL_VIRTUAL_RESERVE <size>"

·         "Failed Virtual Allocate Bytes: FAIL_VIRTUAL_COMMIT <size>"

These messages may indicate that SQL Server is trying to free parts of the SQL Server memory pool in order to find space for items such as extended stored procedure .dll files or automation objects. In this case, consider increasing the amount of memory reserved by the -g switch.

Using a value lower than the default increases the amount of memory available to the buffer pool and thread stacks; this may, in turn, provide some performance benefit to memory-intensive workloads in systems that do not use many extended stored procedures, distributed queries, or automation objects.