SQL Server 2005 Authentication Modes

The SQL Server security model has two authentication modes:

  • Windows Authentication only. Works best when the database is accessed within the organization only.

  • Mixed security. Works best when outside users need to access the database or when you do not use Windows domains.

You configure these security modes at the server level, and they apply to all databases on the server. It is important to note, however, that each database server instance has separate security architecture. This means that different database server instances can have different security modes.

Windows Authentication

If you use the Windows Authentication mode, you can use the user and group accounts available in the Windows domain for authentication. ...

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