Authenticating to a SQL Server instance as a Windo

Question

I'm having to support multiple database types for my tenant-enabled web application. Among others, I have successfully supported Microsoft's SQL Server, by using the net.sourceforge.jtds.jdbc.Driver class with a connection String like "jdbc:jtds:sqlserver://192.168.1.189:1433/ApplicationName". This works, but it requires that the user explicitly defines a user in the SQL Server instance and enables SQL Server authentication.

Now, inevitably, requirements changed, and we're supposed to support connecting to SQL Server via Windows Authentication. Evidently this requires some sort of change to the connection string, since the data base server must somehow be able to distinguish whether the credentials passed into the data base connection are for a user defined in the SQL Server installation or in the Windows OS. But what is it?

Acting on advice from the internet, if progressed as far as extending the connection string with ;useNTLMv2=true;domain=WORKGROUP. That seems to make the data base server aware that I want to authenticate as a Windows user, but the actual log-in fails with

The login is from an untrusted domain and cannot be used with Windows authentication. (code 18452, state 28000)

Now im my testing set-up, both the J2EE app and the SQL server instance are in fact on the same machine (although in production they may not be), and still this computer isn't trusted enough to log on to itself? Evidently I'm missing a big part of the puzzle here. What does one have to do to convince an SQL Server instance that the user who started it can in fact log on to it via JDBC?

Edit

Since we have already sunk too much unsuccessful effort trying to integrate our web application with a full Microsoft infrastructure stack (SQL Server, Active Directory, Domain Name Service...), I have to restrict this question:

Does anyone know a way to access an SQL Server installation with a user account defined as a "Windows User" via JDBC form a J2EE application, without having to use Active Directory, a Windows machine running the web application and a proprietary DLL? The bounty is for any solution of that sub-problem. The entire problem is clearly too broad to be answered in one forum post.

Answer 1

Firstly you should write the jdbc connection like this:

String url ="jdbc:sqlserver://PC01\inst01;databaseName=DB01;integratedSecurity=true";

then

you need to enable the SQL Server TCP/IP Protocol in Sql Server Configuration Manager app. You can see the protocol in SQL Server Network Configuration.

Answer 2

Alternative Method

The alternative solution is to utilize integrated security. This enables your application to connect to the database as the user in which the application is currently running as. This is enabled by adding integratedSecurity=true; into the connection string properties. If you run into any trouble, make sure the sqljdbc_auth.dll is accessible via classpath or within your app library.

Security Note

You're probably already aware, but just have to say make sure not to grant access to "Authenticated Users" to your database as previously suggested as part of the demonstration. Identify which user account your application runs as and grant access to only that specific user in your database server.

Sources / Additional Info

• MSDN Doc on JDBC Connection String Configuration (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms378428(v=sql.110).aspx)