Enable TLS for SQL Server 2022 Instances - Self Signed Edition

Howdy! And Happy Friday!

Securing connections to your SQL Server 2022 database is crucial for maintaining data integrity and confidentiality. One way to achieve this is by using SSL/TLS certificates. While obtaining certificates from a trusted Certificate Authority (CA) is the recommended approach for production environments, self-signed certificates can be useful for testing or internal use cases. In this guide, we'll walk through the steps to create a self-signed certificate using IIS and PowerShell for SQL Server 2022.

Step 1: Prepare Your Environment

Before we begin, ensure that you have the necessary tools installed, including:

1. Internet Information Services (IIS): This will be used to generate the self-signed certificate.
2. PowerShell: We'll use PowerShell commands to manage certificates.

Step 2: Generate the Self-Signed Certificate in IIS

1. Open Internet Information Services (IIS) Manager.
2. Select your server from the connections panel.
3. Under the server's features, open "Server Certificates."
4. In the Actions panel on the right, click "Create Self-Signed Certificate."
5. Enter a friendly name for your certificate, such as "SQLServerSelfSigned."
6. Click "OK" to generate the self-signed certificate.

Step 3: Export the Certificate

1. Locate your newly created certificate in the list.
2. Right-click on the certificate and choose "Export."
3. Follow the export wizard, selecting the option to export the private key.
4. Choose a secure password for the exported certificate.

Step 4: Import the Certificate into the Local Certificate Store Using PowerShell

1. Open PowerShell with administrative privileges.
2. Use the following command to import the certificate:

Import-PfxCertificate -FilePath "C:\path\to\exported\certificate.pfx" -CertStoreLocation Cert:\LocalMachine\My -Password (ConvertTo-SecureString -String "YourPassword" -AsPlainText -Force)
        

Replace "C:\path\to\exported\certificate.pfx" with the actual path to your exported certificate file and "YourPassword" with the password you set during export.

Step 5: Configure SQL Server to Use the Certificate

1. Open SQL Server Configuration Manager.
2. Navigate to "SQL Server Network Configuration" > "Protocols for [Your SQL Server Instance]".
3. Right-click on "Protocols for [Your SQL Server Instance]" and select "Properties."
4. In the "Certificate" tab, select the certificate you imported earlier from the dropdown list.
5. Click "OK" to save your changes.

Step 6: Restart SQL Server Services

After configuring the certificate, restart your SQL Server services to apply the changes.

[Note: If the SQL Server service fails to restart: Make sure you grant Read permission to the $MSSQLServer service account]

To verify in SSMS make sure you have chosen --> Mandatory / Strict.

I have chosen Strict as shown below

Now in SSMS, once connected you can see Strict and Connected.

Conclusion:

By following these steps, you've successfully created a self-signed certificate for SQL Server 2022 using IIS and PowerShell. Remember, while self-signed certificates provide encryption, they are not signed by a trusted CA and may not be suitable for production environments. Always use certificates from trusted CAs in production to ensure the security of your data.