Installing SQL Native Client
SQL Native Client is automatically installed when you install SQL Server 2005 or the SQL Server 2005 tools.
The SQL Native Client files (sqlncli.dll, sqlnclir.rll, and sqlncli.chm) are installed in the following location:
%SYSTEMROOT%\system32\
Note
All appropriate registry settings for the SQL Native Client OLE DB provider and the SQL Native Client ODBC driver are made as part of the installation process.
The SQL Native Client header and library files (sqlncli.h and sqlncli.lib) are installed in the following location:
%PROGRAMFILES%\Microsoft SQL Server\90\SDK
In addition to installing SQL Native Client as part of the SQL Server installation, there is also a redistributable installation program named sqlncli.msi, which can be found on the SQL Server 2005 installation disk in the following location:
%CD%\Setup\
Note
For 64-bit Windows on Windows (WOW64) installations, you must use the 64-bit SQL Native Client package, named sqlncli_x64.msi on the 32-bit installation disk and sqlncli.msi on the 64-bit installation disk.
By default the SQL Native Client installer only installs the client components when installed independent of SQL Server 2005. To install all components (client and the SDK components), specify ADDLOCAL=All on the command line. For example:
msiexec /i sqlncli.msi ADDLOCAL=ALL APPGUID={0CC618CE-F36A-415E-84B4-FB1BFF6967E1}
You may need to install the SQL Native Client when you deploy an application; see Deploying Applications with SQL Native Client for more information.
Uninstalling SQL Native Client
Since applications such as SQL Server 2005 server and the SQL Server 2005 tools depend on SQL Native Client, it is important not to uninstall SQL Native Client until all dependent applications are first uninstalled. When a custom application is built which depends on SQL Native Client, the custom application should also indicate that it depends on SQL Native Client through an install option. This enables the SQL Native Client installer to warn the user before uninstalling that applications may be broken if the component is removed.
See Also
Other Resources
Building Applications with SQL Native Client