These steps can be followed on Windows 2000, Windows NT servers, Windows 2003, Windows 2008 and Windows XP.

For steps on Linux refer the link below:

How to install PHPMyAdmin on Linux

How to install phpMyAdmin 2.11 on Windows Desktop and Server

Here are steps that will help you installed PHPMyAdmin on a Windows server.

REQUIREMENTS:

>> PHP 4.3/4.4/5.1
>> MySQL 4.0/4.1/5.0

DOWNLOAD:

This installation was tested on phpMyAdmin-2.11.1
You can select the file from PHPMyAdmin Downloads

CONFIGURATION:

Configuration that needs to be noted, the one below are the one we have chozen. They might be different on your server:

Installation path: C:\www\phpMyAdmin (If you have Apache on your server then place out side of webroot of Apache)
Apache webroot : C:\www\webroot
My-SQL path : C:\www\mysql\bin
Access phpMyAdmin as : http://192.168.1.52/phpMyAdmin/

INSTALLING PHPMyAdmin:

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close Port 445:

• Click Start >> Run, to open the Run dialog box
• Here, type regedit to open the registry.
• Navigate to the following registry key - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> System >> CurrentControlSet >> Services >> NetBT >> Parameters
• On the right-hand pane find the option TransportBindName.
• Double
  click on TransportBindName and delete the existing default value.
• 
  click Ok

From the above, it is clear, that you have closed Port 445 by giving a blank value to TransportBindName for NetBT services.

close Port 135:

• Click Start >> Run, to open the Run dialog box
• Here, type regedit to open the registry
• Navigate to the following registry key - HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE >> software >> microsoft >> Ole
• On thee right hand window pane find an option called EnableDCOM
• Double-click EnableDCOM and change the value from Y to N
• click Ok
• Close the Registry Editor and restart your computer

These steps will only work for a standalone servers. Any serveres that are in a cluster state such as Active Directory, SQL failover cluster, Network Load Balancing [NLB] or Windows Replication service that NEVER-EVER follow these steps as it will simply diable port 135 which is used my Distributed File System [DFS] for the servers to comunicate with each other. Disabling it will just wont allow the servers to communicate and the services will fail.

Ways to secure your MS SQL connection string in ASP .NET.

We have seen allot of people looking to have the best option to secure the connection string in their ASP .NET code to connect the MS SQL database since it contains the username and password of their database. It is very important to use a secure method for corporate clients and those who save Credit Card details in their MS SQL database. Or they will easily get hacked and all the important data will be exploited by the hacker. And also for those who store important data in MSSQL.

Here are the list of methods that can be used to secure your MS SQL connection string in your ASP.NET application.

METHODS:

1. Using a DSN connection string:

If you have the administrator users access to your Windows Server or use a control panel like Plesk then you can create a DSN with ODBC connector that stores the password of your database along with its name.

You will have to go to Start >> Administrative Tools >> Data Sources (ODBC) on your Windows Server with an account that has administrative privileges.

Or if you use a hosting control panel like Plesk that you can create the DSN from the control panel itself.

Once you have created the DNS you will have to mention it in your code as:

oConn.Open "DSN=mySystemDSN"

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Enable remote connections for SQL Server 2005 Express or SQL Server 2005 Developer Edition

You must enable remote connections for each instance of SQL Server 2005 that you want to connect to from a remote computer. To do this, follow these steps:

1.    Click Start, point to Programs, point to Microsoft SQL Server 2005, point to Configuration Tools, and then click MS SQL Server Surface Area Configuration.
2.    On the MS SQL Server 2005 Surface Area Configuration page, click Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections.
3.    On the Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections page, expand Database Engine, click Remote Connections, click Local and remote connections, click the appropriate protocol to enable for your environment, and then click Apply.

Note Click OK when you receive the following message:
Changes to Connection Settings will not take effect until you restart the Database Engine service.
4.    On the Surface Area Configuration for Services and Connections page, expand Database Engine, click Service, click Stop, wait until the MSSQLSERVER service stops, and then click Start to restart the MSSQLSERVER service.

Enable the SQL Server Browser service

If you are running MS SQL Server 2005 by using an instance name and you are not using a specific TCP/IP port number in your connection string, you must enable the SQL Server Browser service to allow for remote connections. For example, MS SQL Server 2005 Express is installed with a default instance name of Computer Name\SQLEXPRESS. You are only required to enable the SQL Server Browser service one time, regardless of how many instances of SQL Server 2005 you are running. To enable the MS SQL Server Browser service, follow these steps.

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